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Manchester-by-the-Sea
Coolidge Reservation with your dog: where dogs are and aren't allowed
Coolidge is the property people photograph and then bring the dog to, and the dog gets a very short walk. The rule is clear and the reasons are the Trustees' to explain. This page tells you where the dog can go, what that short leg asks of it, and what to do with the rest of the morning.
The place
Where dogs are allowed at Coolidge: the short leg from the trailhead, and nowhere else
Coolidge Reservation is a Trustees of Reservations property on the Manchester-by-the-Sea shore, and its dog rule is the most restrictive on this site. Dogs may walk the short leg of trail from the trailhead, and that is all: the beach is closed to them, and so is the rest of the property beyond that first stretch. The Trustees page for Coolidge has the map that shows where the dog section ends, along with the hours and parking, read it before you go, since a boundary can move with a season.
The same Trustees dog-walker guidelines that govern Ravenswood apply here: pick up after your dog, keep it leashed in the parking area, and keep it under control everywhere else. Manchester adds its own layer. The town licenses dogs from April 1 to March 31 at $20, or $25 for a dog that is not neutered. Singing Beach, a short drive away, takes licensed and vaccinated dogs from October 15 to April 14, two per person, with a walk-on fee while staff are on duty.
- Dogs on the short leg from the trailhead only; the Trustees map shows where it ends
- Never on the beach or the rest of the property
- Trustees guidelines: pick up, leash in the lot, control everywhere
- Manchester license April 1 to March 31, $20 or $25 if not neutered
What it asks
A short walk done properly: leash manners, patience and a turn-around
A short allowed section asks for something most trail dogs never learn: stopping. Your dog will see other walkers carry on past the boundary toward the water, and it will want to follow. The skill is a clean turn-around on cue, a loose leash on the way back, and no drama at the line. Practice the turn on a neighborhood street first, so that at Coolidge it is a habit, not a negotiation. Leash manners in the lot are a stated rule, and calm passing is a courtesy to walkers who did not bring a dog.
Even a short leg has the usual coastal hazards. The ground is granite and root, and the grass and scrub beside the path carry ticks from April to November. At dusk the coyotes and porcupines that use every wooded edge on Cape Ann are moving, and a dog that bolts after one is on the wrong side of the rule. Go in daylight, keep the outing short, and let the rest of the morning happen somewhere the dog can stretch out.
- A turn-around on cue at the boundary, without a fight
- A loose leash in the lot and on the way back
- A tick check from April to November, even after twenty minutes
- Daylight only; dusk belongs to the coyotes and the porcupines
The morning
Making a Coolidge morning count, in six steps
The mistake is to drive to Coolidge, walk twenty minutes, and drive home with a dog that has barely warmed up. Treat the dog leg as the first stop, not the whole plan, and pair it with a place where the dog can actually walk. The order below is the one our Manchester customers have settled on, and it works in every season.
The second stop is where the dog gets tired, so choose it by the calendar. From October 15 to April 14, Singing Beach is the obvious pairing for a licensed, vaccinated dog. In the warmer months, when the beach is closed to dogs, Ravenswood's shade or the Common's space does the job, and both put ticks back on the list.
- 01
Read the Trustees page for Coolidge the morning you go, for the map, the hours and any closure
- 02
Check that the Manchester license and the rabies tag are on the collar
- 03
Leash on in the lot, and walk the allowed leg slowly, letting the dog sniff its way
- 04
Turn around at the boundary on cue, and reward the turn every time
- 05
Drive on to Singing Beach in season, or to Ravenswood, for the real walk
- 06
Do the tick check at the end of the second stop, not the first
How Dogtown fits
The Pup Van from Manchester, and the walk that replaces the one you did not get
Manchester-by-the-Sea is one of the four Pup Van towns, so a daycare day at 210 Eastern Ave costs $42 plus $10 each way for the van, and the dog gets a full day in a playgroup of seven to ten matched by size and temperament. Every dog new to us starts with the free evaluation on a weekday between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, and FIRST15 takes 15 percent off the first daycare visit.
On the days you cannot get to the trailhead at all, our team walks dogs from home for $25, $35 or $55 by length, solo, with a photo and a note after each walk. Coverage in Manchester depends on the address and the season, so ask us. After an off-season Singing Beach morning, a bath only from $55 takes the salt out, and grooming needs no evaluation.
Nearby
Singing Beach, The Monoliths and the longer trails
Singing Beach is the Manchester walk that makes up for Coolidge from October 15 to April 14, and our Singing Beach page has the fee, the two-dog limit and the license requirement in one place. The Monoliths, the Trustees property formerly named Agassiz Rock, is the other Manchester walk, and its page sends you to the Trustees for the dog policy there.
For a proper loop, Ravenswood in West Gloucester welcomes dogs on its trails, and Dogtown Common is 3,600 acres with a recall test built in. The Manchester service-area page lists the Pup Van, the license details, the drive to Eastern Ave and what we do for dogs on that side of Route 128, and the Manchester license page has the town's form.
At Dogtown
After the short leg
The Pup Van from Manchester at $10 each way, solo walks from home, and a daycare day for the dog that needed more than twenty minutes.
Pick-up & drop-off
The Pup Van comes to you.
Pup Van pick-up and drop-off is available for $10 each way in the Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea area. Not in the area? Ask us for pricing.
- Rockport
- Gloucester
- Essex
- Manchester-by-the-Sea
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Can I take my dog to the beach at Coolidge Reservation?
Does my dog have to be leashed on the allowed section?
Where is the longer dog walk near Coolidge?
Does Manchester-by-the-Sea require a dog license?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- The Trustees: Coolidge Reservation
- The Trustees: guidelines for dog walkers
- Manchester-by-the-Sea dog licenses
- CDC on ticks
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Twenty minutes is not a walk. Book the evaluation.
A weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30 AM opens daycare, walks and overnight stays for Manchester dogs, with the Pup Van at $10 each way.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
