Chicago-Based Road Trips to Take Your Dogs On This Summer

The weather is warming up and you know what that means; road trips! Here’s a few spots that you and your pups will love to travel to this summer. So let’s roll down those windows and hit the road!

Marquette, UP Michigan – 

Just above Wisconsin, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula offers breathtaking scenery. With countless tree-covered walking trails, hundreds of scenic lookouts, a coastline with beaches that stretch all along the lake; the UP truly has so much to offer for both you and your best furry friends. Take a windy drive up Marquette’s scenic 550 to arrive at Wetmore Landing. Follow the trail to the water and hit the beach! If it’s a gorgeous day, take a dip on the way out! Keep following the trail and prepare for exciting and ever-changing terrain: roots, rocks, boulders, bridges, rolling hills, etc. If you need a rest, there’s sitting areas along the trail to pause and catch your breath. Then you’ll discover amazing clifftop views of Lake Superior, stretching as far as your eyes can see. If you get lucky, you could even see the magical Northern Lights up there. Marquette has hundreds of other walking trails for you to check out as well!

 

Oglesby, Illinois –

Living in Chicago, you probably know of all the fun places to walk your pups already. But, just about an hour and a half southwest of the city, you can find the gorgeous Starved Rock State Park located in Oglesby. Starved Rock offers loads of fun for everyone with 13 hours of walking trails, warm beach areas, guided hikes, and even occasional live events throughout the season. More than 13 miles of trails allow access to waterfalls or natural springs, sandstone overhangs, and spectacular overlooks. Recreational opportunities abound, from hiking to camping to fishing and boating. This drive is short enough for a quick weekend day trip, or you can even rent out some cozy dog-friendly cabins on site to spend the night.

 

South Bloomingville, Ohio –

Hocking Hills State Park, just south of Columbus, is another great destination to bring the pups. While there are loads of dog-friendly trails in the wooded areas, surrounded by various waterfalls, cool stone bridges and gorgeous rock ledges, you and the pups can also explore Old Man’s Cave for a bit of a new environment! You might even come across the secret hidden waterfalls while exploring the cave. Make sure to bring your camera as this park offers a great photo op for you or your furry friends.

 

We hope you found some inspiration on where to take the pups as the weather gets warmer! These 3 road trips can offer you and your furry buddies an abundance of outdoor fun this season.

With love!

– Cusic Photo Team

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    Chicago Pet Photographer

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Last year, 3,380 dogs and cats were euthanized in Chicago.
During his animal communication session, Tater shared something quietly heartbreaking:
“Sometimes I worry people won’t like me. I worry if I’m good enough.”
His foster mom couldn’t hold back tears — because he is good enough. Every dog waiting for a home is.
October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, and Chicago’s shelters are beyond capacity.
The See Hear Love Project™ unites animal communication and fine-art photography to give foster animals a voice — so they can finally be seen, heard, and adopted.
🐾 Featuring Tater from @darkhorsedogs
📍Created by Candice C. Cusic
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Every foster animal has something to say.
Maggie’s animal communication session inspired the beginning of The See Hear Love Project™—and many more voices will follow.
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    Dama may be in a wheelchair, but her spirit is unstoppable.

Through The See Hear Love Project™, her voice and her story are shared—so she can be truly seen, heard, and adopted. 

Thank you @sayvanimals for giving her the chance she deserves.  Thank you @salvageone for welcoming us to photograph Dama in your beautiful space. She was a little nervous Nelly that day, so we finished her session in the studio. We’re so grateful for your support in helping animals like Dama be seen, heard, and adopted. ❤️🐾
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    This is Nala the cat. 🐾
Her reading wasn’t about adoption — it was about understanding.
Animal communication reveals what our pets are truly feeling.
Would you want to know what your cat is thinking?
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The See Hear Love Project™ gives foster animals more than a portrait—it gives them a voice. Through animal communication and photography, their stories will finally be shared with the world.
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    Meet Trixie — the very first foster animal to launch The See Hear Love Project™.

Rescued from Chicago Animal Care & Control and safe today thanks to @darkhorsedogs, Trixie opened her heart during her animal communication session and shared her wish: a forever family to love her gentle spirit.

Her story begins The See Hear Love Project — a movement that combines fine-art portraiture with animal communication to help foster animals be truly seen, heard, and adopted.

This October, in honor of National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, Trixie’s story highlights the countless foster animals still waiting to be adopted.

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    🐾 After Maggie’s first animal communication session, her words surprised us all.
But what she shared next was just as powerful…
This famous Chicago dog (@maggieandherdads )reminded us why animals deserve to be seen, heard, and loved. 
Her voice helped inspire The See Hear Love Project™ — a campaign giving foster animals a chance to tell their own stories through communication and fine-art portraiture.
Follow along to hear the voices of animals still waiting for a home.
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    🐾 What happens when a famous dog finally speaks?
When Chicago’s beloved Maggie (@maggieandherdads) had her first animal communication session, she surprised us all with a message about her family:
“They’re my boys too. They don’t belong to everyone.”
She was talking about her dads — claiming them as her own.
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