National parks are always popular vacation destinations. And now some parks are making it easy for pets to join the fun! Read on to find out where your dog can get his BARK Ranger tag.
Without compromising their rules or affecting wildlife, some national parks are inviting dogs to become BARK Rangers. Originally aimed at educating pet visitors about the park’s pet policies, the program became so popular that it went viral.
Below you’ll find a list of national parks where your dog can participate in BARK Rangers.
BARK Ranger Program
National parks have introduced the BARK Ranger program as a way to encourage dogs to travel responsibly in national parks. It’s a fun way to make pet owners aware of the park’s rules regarding pets.
BARK stands for:
REMOVEyour ag poop
OneAlways wear a lanyard (up to 6 feet)
CHEAPexpect wildlife (give them their space)
KYwhere can you go now (find out pet-friendly streets/areas)
As you can see, although pets are invited to participate in the program, it is humans who are responsible for complying with the BARK Ranger guidelines. Isn’t that the way to always go with a pet?!
READ MORE Pet-friendly road trips in the US
Collect BARK Ranger cards
Dogs participating in the BARK Ranger program are sworn in and their owners can purchase a special card for their puppy’s collar. Some parks have a custom tag for their location, and others have a generic BARK Ranger tag. But no matter what the park offers, it’s fun for your dog to collect them all!
Where your dog can become a BARK ranger
One thing we want to make clear is that the national parks participating in the BARK Ranger program are not necessarily the most pet-friendly. For example, Olympic National Park and Devil’s Tower National Monument both have very limited pet access to trails, although they do invite dogs as BARK Rangers.
However, there are other places, like Petrified Forest and Acadia National Park, that are super pet-friendly! In our post on Best pet-friendly national parkWe share which US national parks we consider the most pet-friendly.
READ MORE America’s Most Pet-Friendly National Park
Here is a map and list of national parks where your pet can become a BARK Ranger. Check back often, because we add locations as the show features more parks!
Eastern United States
Acadia National Park – Maine
Big Cypress National Park – Florida
Biscayne National Park – Florida
Carl Sandburg National Historic Site Home – North Carolina
Castillo de San Marcos . National Monument – Florida
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Park – Washington DC and Maryland
De Soto . National Monument – Florida
Delaware Water Gap . National Recreation Area – Pennsylvania & New Jersey
Fort Matanzas . National Monument – Florida
Friendship Hill National Historic Site – Pennsylvania
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – North Carolina and Tennessee
National coast of the Gulf Islands – Florida & Mississippi
Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park – Maryland, Virginia & West Virginia,
Independence Hall National Park – Pennsylvania
Minute Man National Historical Park – Massachusetts
Petersburg National Battlefield – Virginia
Prince William Forest Park – Virginia
Sagamore Hills National Historic Site – New York
Salem . Maritime National Historic Site – Massachusetts
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site – Massachusetts
Central America
National Monument to the Agate Fossil Bed – Nebraska
Gateway Arch National Park – Missouri
George Washington Carver National Monument – Missouri
Hopewell Cultural National Historic Site – Ohio
Indiana Dunes National Park – Indiana
Hot Springs National Park – Arkansas
Little River Canyon National Preserve – Alabama
Natchez Trace Parkway – Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee
Missouri National Recreation River – Nebraska and South Dakota
Pictures of Rocks National Lakeshore – Michigan
Pipestone National Monument – Minnesota
Russell’s Cave National Monument – Alabama
Vicksburg National Military Park – Mississippi
Western United States
Bryce Canyon National Park – Utah
Chiriahua National Monument – Arizona
Craters Of The Moon National Monument and Reserve – Idaho
Curecanti . National Recreation Area – Colorado
Death Valley National Park – California & Nevada
Devil’s Tower National Monument – Wyoming
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site – Oregon and Washington
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area – Arizona and Utah
Golden Spike National Historical Park – Utah
Grand Canyon National Park – Arizona
Great Sand Dunes National Park – Colorado
Hawai’i . Volcano National Park– Hawai’i
Joshua Tree National Park – California
Lake Mead National Recreation Area – Arizona & Nevada
Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area – Washington
Montezuma . Castle National Monument – Arizona
Olympic National Park – Washington
Pecos . National Historical Park – New Mexico
Petrified Forest National Park – Arizona
Redwood National Park – California
San Juan Islands National Park – Washington
Tonto . National Monument – Arizona
Tuzigoot National Monument – Arizona
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area – California
Yosemite National Park – California
Zion . National Park – Utah
READ MORE The most dog-friendly national parks in the US
Be a good ambassador
We are so lucky that there are so many great national parks in the US, and even luckier that they allow pets! Be sure to follow all the rules and set a good example for other pet owners. All it takes is a small effort to make sure we can all continue to enjoy our national parks with our exciting travel companions.
Program confusion
Some national parks, such as Glacier, Denali and Sleeping Bear Dunes have a BARK Ranger program that uses dogs to control or protect wildlife. If you are not sure what programs are offered by a particular park, quickly call the visitor center that will help you solve the problem!
When visiting any national park, monument or historic site, be sure to ask about the BARK Ranger program. Just asking can encourage more parks to participate!
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