Pets and National Parks

[ToddD]

I'd have posted this in the Pets forum, but it's a ghost town over there.

We're doing an 8 week trip this year with our 5er, hitting a bunch of National Parks along the way.

My understanding is that, except for some narrow restrictions, like a few feet from roadways, pets are not permitted in National Parks.

Most of the parks we are hitting that's not a problem, we can leave the pooch at the camper for 5-6 hours while we go do sightseeing with the truck.

But at the big parks, like Yellowstone, we might need to be gone more than 8 hours per day to account for the potential travel times just to get to the sights.

What do people normally do in those situations?

Todd

[GDS-3950BH]

ItsyRV wrote:

ToddD wrote:
My understanding is that, except for some narrow restrictions, like a few feet from roadways, pets are not permitted in National Parks.

Not entirely true.

Pets are allowed but each park may have their own restrictions. Some may limit them to campgrounds, others to certain trails, and some may let them pretty much everywhere except for the crowded touristy spots in the park. You need to check with each park you plan to visit to see what restrictions apply and if it's all over that National Park or just certain areas in that park. You may find you can enjoy 85% of the park with your pet just not the most popular 15% that everyone comes to see.

You also have to be aware of any regulations on leaving pets in your RV unattended. Some parks consider that a No-No and will kick you out. Others impose restrictions only during certain times.

We frequent Shenandoah NP and you can take your dog on almost all of the trails. There is something like 500 miles of trail and only a few places where they're not permitted and those areas change.

You're 100% correct on leaving dogs unattended in RV's in the campgrounds. If you do so and Fido barks all day, no matter what the parks policy is and someone complains, you're going to get some flack.

[ItsyRV]

ToddD wrote:
My understanding is that, except for some narrow restrictions, like a few feet from roadways, pets are not permitted in National Parks.

Not entirely true.

Pets are allowed but each park may have their own restrictions. Some may limit them to campgrounds, others to certain trails, and some may let them pretty much everywhere except for the crowded touristy spots in the park. You need to check with each park you plan to visit to see what restrictions apply and if it's all over that National Park or just certain areas in that park. You may find you can enjoy 85% of the park with your pet just not the most popular 15% that everyone comes to see.

You also have to be aware of any regulations on leaving pets in your RV unattended. Some parks consider that a No-No and will kick you out. Others impose restrictions only during certain times.

[Jayco-noslide]

Usually not allowed on trails. Unless you hire a sitter I don't think many options besides leaving the pet in the RV. That can be problematic if real hot or cold. We lived by a couple workamping at Glacier NP and they never enjoyed the Park because they didn't want to leave the dogs. That's crazy to us.

[Thunder_Mountai]

For years we've used crates as a method of house breaking our dogs and a place to sleep at night. The crates become a secure quiet place for them as they grow up. We often crate our fur balls and leave them for 6-7 hours. We pull the shades, turn on the a/c or fan to block outside noises. Fellow campers have told us that they never make a peep. Nothing worse than have a little yapper running back and forth on the dash barking at everything that comes by.

[ppine]

Most people visit a big park like Yellowstone mostly by car. Bring your dogs with you. Most of the hiking is short duration. You can let your dogs out anytime. I like the dirt roads in Yellowstone. Then you can get away from the crowds. There is no telling what might happen.

I can understand why the NPS wants dogs on a leash, or not deep in the backcountry. But it makes no sense to allow them only in parking lots.

[ReneeG]

We too cut the day shorter and take more trips out. When we went to Zion, Bryce, and Mesa Verde, we boarded our pets because we took day hikes there. In some rare cases, such as when we went to Natural Bridges National Monument, I stayed in the truck with the dogs while hubby hiked to the bottom to take photos. Sometimes when it's a short hike to a site, we take turns going and staying with the dogs. At the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, we parked the truck in the shade with the big dogs in their crates in the back, then took the Maltese in her soft sided crate slung over my shoulder, while we hiked around the trails at the top.

[rr2254545]

In the big parks either take the dog or cut your day shorter - I cut the day shorter because my dog barked at all the buffalo's