National Parks 31 parks Updated 2026

Dog-Friendly National Parks

Dogs Welcome

Photo: NPS / Kristi Rugg

31
Parks: 20
States: 9
Free Entry: Grand Canyon
#1 Most Visited

Quick answer: The most dog-friendly national parks are Shenandoah, Acadia, Cuyahoga Valley, Petrified Forest, Hot Springs, Indiana Dunes, and Great Sand Dunes — all allow leashed dogs on most or all trails. Glacier, Isle Royale, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Mesa Verde are among the least dog-friendly.

Most national parks allow leashed dogs, but the rules vary enormously. At Shenandoah, dogs are welcome on nearly all 500 miles of trails including the Appalachian Trail. At Yosemite and Yellowstone, dogs are restricted to paved paths and within 100 feet of roads — meaning no real hiking. The parks below are rated 'full' (dogs on most trails) or 'partial' (dogs in some areas). None of the Alaska wilderness parks and few cave or ruin parks allow dogs on trails.

Map

Dog-Friendly National Parks

#	Park	State	Est.	Area	Dogs on trails
1	Acadia National Park Maine	Maine	1919	49,052 acres	All trails
2	Arches National Park Utah	Utah	1971	76,679 acres	Selected trails
3	Badlands National Park South Dakota	South Dakota	1978	242,756 acres	Selected trails
4	Big Bend National Park Texas	Texas	1944	801,163 acres	Selected trails
5	Biscayne National Park Florida	Florida	1980	172,971 acres	Selected trails
6	Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park Colorado	Colorado	1999	30,780 acres	Selected trails
7	Bryce Canyon National Park Utah	Utah	1928	35,835 acres	Selected trails
8	Canyonlands National Park Utah	Utah	1964	337,598 acres	Selected trails
9	Capitol Reef National Park Utah	Utah	1971	241,904 acres	Selected trails
10	Carlsbad Caverns National Park New Mexico	New Mexico	1930	46,766 acres	Selected trails
11	Congaree National Park South Carolina	South Carolina	2003	26,546 acres	Selected trails
12	Crater Lake National Park Oregon	Oregon	1902	183,224 acres	Selected trails
13	Cuyahoga Valley National Park Ohio	Ohio	2000	32,572 acres	All trails
14	Death Valley National Park California	California	1994	3,422,024 acres	Selected trails
15	Denali National Park & Preserve Alaska	Alaska	1917	6,045,153 acres	Selected trails
16	Dry Tortugas National Park Florida	Florida	1992	64,701 acres	Selected trails
17	Everglades National Park Florida	Florida	1934	1,508,938 acres	Selected trails
18	Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve Alaska	Alaska	1980	7,523,898 acres	Selected trails
19	Gateway Arch National Park Missouri	Missouri	2018	91 acres	All trails
20	Grand Canyon National Park Arizona	Arizona	1919	1,201,647 acres	Selected trails
21	Grand Teton National Park Wyoming	Wyoming	1929	310,044 acres	Selected trails
22	Lake Clark National Park & Preserve Alaska	Alaska	1980	2,619,733 acres	Selected trails
23	Lassen Volcanic National Park California	California	1916	106,589 acres	Selected trails
24	Mammoth Cave National Park Kentucky	Kentucky	1941	54,011 acres	Selected trails
25	Mount Rainier National Park Washington	Washington	1899	236,381 acres	Selected trails
26	New River Gorge National Park & Preserve West Virginia	West Virginia	2020	70,814 acres	Selected trails
27	Olympic National Park Washington	Washington	1938	922,650 acres	Selected trails
28	Redwood National and State Parks California	California	1968	138,999 acres	Selected trails
29	Saguaro National Park Arizona	Arizona	1994	91,440 acres	Selected trails
30	Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Dakota	North Dakota	1978	70,447 acres	Selected trails
31	Virgin Islands National Park U.S. Virgin Islands	U.S. Virgin Islands	1956	14,689 acres	Selected trails

Top 10 — Dog-Friendly National Parks

Acadia National Park

Maine · Northeast

Key Facts

Established: 1919
Area: 49,052 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 4 million (2023)
Entry fee: $6/vehicle
Dogs on trails: All trails

Acadia National Park in Maine protects 49,052 acres of rocky Atlantic headlands; established in 1919, it ranks fifth most-visited among U.S. national parks with nearly 4 million annual visitors.

Arches National Park

Utah · Rockies

Key Facts

Established: 1971
Area: 76,679 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 1.8 million (2023)
Entry fee: $30/vehicle
Dogs on trails: Selected

Arches National Park in Utah protects 76,679 acres of red-rock desert containing more than 2,000 named natural stone arches — the highest concentration on Earth; established in 1971, the park draws about 1.8 million visitors a year.

Badlands National Park

South Dakota · Midwest

Key Facts

Established: 1978
Area: 242,756 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 1.1 million (2023)
Entry fee: $30/vehicle
Dogs on trails: Selected

Badlands National Park in South Dakota protects 242,756 acres of eroded buttes and spires containing one of the world's richest Oligocene fossil beds; established as a national park in 1978, it draws about 1.1 million visitors a year.

Big Bend National Park

Texas · Southwest

Key Facts

Established: 1944
Area: 801,163 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 519K (2023)
Entry fee: $30/vehicle
Dogs on trails: Selected

Big Bend National Park in Texas protects 801,163 acres of Chihuahuan Desert, the Chisos Mountains, and 118 miles of Rio Grande border with Mexico; established in 1944, it records more than 450 bird species — the highest count of any U.S. national park.

Biscayne National Park

Florida · Southeast

Key Facts

Established: 1980
Area: 172,971 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 565K (2023)
Entry fee: Free
Dogs on trails: Selected

Biscayne National Park in Florida protects 172,971 acres of Biscayne Bay, the northern Florida Keys, and the only living coral reef in the continental United States; established in 1980, the park is 95 percent water and requires a boat to reach most of its islands.

Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park

Colorado · Rockies

Key Facts

Established: 1999
Area: 30,780 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 506K (2023)
Entry fee: $30/vehicle
Dogs on trails: Selected

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado protects 30,780 acres of one of the deepest, narrowest canyons in North America, where the Gunnison River carved walls up to 2,722 feet deep through 1.7-billion-year-old Precambrian rock; established in 1999, the park draws about 506,000 visitors a year.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Utah · Rockies

Key Facts

Established: 1928
Area: 35,835 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 2.9 million (2023)
Entry fee: $35/vehicle
Dogs on trails: Selected

Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah sits atop the Paunsaugunt Plateau at 8,000 to 9,115 feet elevation, protecting the world's largest concentration of hoodoos — orange and white limestone spires carved by frost; established in 1928, the park draws about 2.9 million visitors a year.

Read more about Bryce Canyon National Park

Canyonlands National Park

Utah · Rockies

Key Facts

Established: 1964
Area: 337,598 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 840K (2023)
Entry fee: $30/vehicle
Dogs on trails: Selected

Canyonlands National Park in Utah protects 337,598 acres of canyon wilderness carved by the Colorado and Green rivers, making it Utah's largest national park. Established in 1964, the park draws roughly 840,000 visitors a year across four separate districts with no connecting roads.

Read more about Canyonlands National Park

Capitol Reef National Park

Utah · Rockies

Key Facts

Established: 1971
Area: 241,904 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 1.5 million (2023)
Entry fee: $20/vehicle
Dogs on trails: Selected

Capitol Reef National Park in Utah protects 241,904 acres along the Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile wrinkle in Earth's crust that exposes nearly 270 million years of geologic history. Established in 1971, the park draws roughly 1.5 million visitors a year to its canyons, arches, and working pioneer orchards.

Read more about Capitol Reef National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

New Mexico · Southwest

Key Facts

Established: 1930
Area: 46,766 acres
Visitors / yr: ≈ 441K (2023)
Entry fee: $1
Dogs on trails: Selected

Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico protects 46,766 acres of Chihuahuan Desert above and below ground, including more than 119 caves formed when sulfuric acid dissolved ancient limestone. Established in 1930 and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, the park draws about 441,000 visitors a year to the Big Room and the nightly bat flight.

Read more about Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Showing 10 of 31 parks. · See full list above ↑

Collection Stats

Total parks 31

States covered 20

Free admission 9 parks

Dark Sky parks 10 parks

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