The Best Tips for National Parks With Dogs

Taking your dog to National Parks

We love to take our dogs with us when we travel so they can see new places and experience new things. One of John’s bucket list items is to visit every National Park in the US. There are more than 60, and we’ve just started our journey. We prefer to travel with our dogs, and unfortunately National Parks aren’t always very dog friendly.

Understanding why the National Parks have restrictions on dogs, and abiding by each Park’s rules is important. The restrictions are an attempt to preserve the Parks for generations to come. The National Parks are delicate ecosystems that are visited by many people each year. Dogs could cause damage to these ecosystems or disrupt wildlife.

We have found a way to enjoy the National Parks, and let our dogs enjoy it too!

Our Dogs

We have two dogs, Zella and Sebastian. Zella would likely be okay in a kennel. Sebastian is our little 7lb dog, who requires medications and prefers to be with his humans over anything else. He’s also kind of a jerk…

Because of Sebastian’s size, temperament, and special needs, I don’t feel comfortable sending him to a kennel. To be honest my anxiety can’t handle it, and I don’t feel it’s the safest place for him. This isn’t to say that kenneling your dog to enjoy the National Parks is a bad option or makes you a bad dog parent. But for us, and our situation, kenneling isn’t an option.

So, we’ve learned to appreciate and navigate the Parks with our dogs!!

Restrictions in National Parks

One of the best, and most reliable, sources to know where your dogs can and can’t go in the Park is directly from the National Park Service (NPS). Their website is a wealth of information, you can find it here.

I love the NPS app for information like this, and so much more! Some Parks have more information on things to do and see, but to my knowledge, they all have the basic information- like dog restrictions. The app allows you to download the Park guides to use when offline. It is available for iPhones here, and Android here.

On our Fab 5 (+1) road trip some of the Parks were much more dog friendly than others, so be sure to always check or ask a Park Ranger. Read more about our Fab 5(+1) trip here.

What to do?

Hikes

Many visitors to National Parks plan to hike in the Park, and this is how some of the best parts of a National Park can be seen. Unfortunately most, if not all, hikes in National Parks are not dog friendly, and this certainly applies to the most popular hikes. When on a long dog friendly National Park road trip you can find hiking trails outside of the National Park, this includes hikes in State Parks and on BLM land.

In our experience dogs were permitted in all the National Parks. The areas that allowed dogs varied greatly from Park to Park. In some Parks, the dogs were able to come along with us on small trails to points of interest and in other Parks the dogs were only allowed within a certain distance of the paved road. The restrictions on where dogs can go in the Park is to preserve our beautiful Parks and wildlife. The environment is fragile and even the best behaved dogs could cause a major disturbance.

If you do plan to visit a National Park with your dogs, and keep them with you, know you may not be able to see or do certain things. While taking our dogs along with us can limit what we’re able to do within the National Park, we are also able to explore other, more dog-friendly, places that we likely wouldn’t have without the dogs.

Scenic drives

Driving in beautiful places is something we truly enjoy, hence our love of road trips! I could get in the car and drive for hours with no destination in mind. I find peace in listening to music and just following the road.

Many National Parks have scenic drives that often allow you to see the best things that the Park has to offer, perhaps from a distance. Check the NPS app for self-guided tours along the scenic drive.

During our Fab 5 (+1) road trip we used the guides and loved that they explained certain rock formations and layers, as well as more information on points of interest. Our trip was planned to be over John’s spring break, and it happened to be a perfect time. We were ahead of peak season, which meant that certain roads were open to visitor traffic that are shuttle-only during peak season.

Timing your trip to a National Park during their off-season can be beneficial when traveling with dogs because you might be able to explore more of the park. The number of people visiting the park will also be less.

Other dog-friendly parks

Okay, I know this isn’t technically a tip for National Parks with dogs…..but I promise it’s related!

I like to find State Parks, natural areas, or points of interest near the National Park we’re visiting. We found the State Parks to be less crowded, and more dog friendly than their neighboring National Parks.  As always, check online or with the Park Ranger on the park’s pet restrictions. On our Fab 5(+1) road trip we visited several state parks that the dogs had a great time exploring.

Take Turns

When we are in a park with heavier dog restrictions, one of us will wait with the dogs while the other goes to the thing, then we switch!

We use this for overlooks, short pathways, and gift shops. I know this method wouldn’t be manageable for hikes, but again this is what works for us. We are aware we will miss some things because we choose to bring our dogs, but that’s okay with us!

Is it worth it?

Traveling to National Parks with your dogs does require a bit of research and planning. Taking dogs into the Parks does mean that your activities are limited in some ways. You must be more creative with your planning and experiences. On the flip side, taking your dog on a trip to see a National Park could also mean that you get to see different Parks you might not have considered otherwise!