National parks have always been popular vacation destinations. And now some parks are making it easy for pets to join in the fun! Read on to learn where your dog can get his BARK Ranger tags.
Without compromising their rules or affecting the wildlife, some national parks are inviting dogs to become BARK Rangers. Originally meant to educate visitors with pets about the park’s pet policies, the program has become so popular that it’s spreading quickly.
Below you’ll find a list of national parks where your pup can join the leagues of BARK Rangers.
BARK Ranger Program
The national parks introduced the BARK Ranger program as a way to encourage responsible national park travel with dogs. It’s a fun way to make pet owners aware of the park’s rules regarding pets.
BARK stands for:
Bag your poop
Always wear a leash (6-foot max)
Respect wildlife (give them their space)
Know where you can go (learn which trails/areas are pet friendly)
As you can see, though pets are invited to join the program, it’s the humans who are responsible for abiding by the BARK Ranger principles. Isn’t that how is always goes with pets?!
READ MORE ⇒ The Ultimate Pet Friendly American Road Trip
Collecting BARK Ranger Tags
Dogs participating in the BARK Ranger program are sworn in and their owners can purchase a special tag for their pup’s collar. Some parks have customized tags for their location, and others have generic BARK Ranger tags. But no matter which the park provides, it’s fun for your dog to collect them all!
Where Can Your Dog Become A BARK Ranger
One thing we want to make clear is that 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 are both very restrictive when it comes to pets on the trails, though they invite dogs to be BARK Rangers.
However, there are others, like Petrified Forest and Acadia National Park, that are extremely pet friendly! In our post on the Best Pet Friendly National Parks, we share which of America’s national parks we consider the most pet friendly.
READ MORE ⇒ America’s Most Pet Friendly National Parks
Here’s a map and a list of the national parks where your pet can become a BARK Ranger. Check back often, because we add locations as more parks going the program!
Eastern United States
Acadia National Park – Maine
Big Cypress National Park – Florida
Biscayne National Park – Florida
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site – North Carolina
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument – Florida
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Park – Washington DC & Maryland
De Soto National Memorial – 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 & Tennessee
Gulf Islands National Seashore – Florida & Mississippi
Harper’s Ferry National Historic Park – Maryland, Virginia & West Virginia,
Independence Hall National Park – Pennsylvania
Minute Man National Historic Park – Massachusetts
Petersburg National Battlefield – Virginia
Prince William Forest Park – Virginia
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site – New York
Salem Maritime National Historic Site – Massachusetts
Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site – Massachusetts
Central United States
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument – Nebraska
Gateway Arch National Park – Missouri
George Washington Carver National Monument – Missouri
Hopewell Culture 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 Recreational River – Nebraska & South Dakota
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore – Michigan
Pipestone National Monument – Minnesota
Russell 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 Preserve – Idaho
Curecanti National Recreation Area – Colorado
Death Valley National Park – California & Nevada
Devil’s Tower National Monument – Wyoming
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site – Oregon & Washington
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area – Arizona & Utah
Golden Spike National Historic Park – Utah
Grand Canyon National Park – Arizona
Great Sand Dunes National Park – Colorado
Hawai’i Volcanoes 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 U.S.
Be A Good Ambassador
We are lucky to have so many wonderful national parks in America, and even luckier when they allow pets! Please take care to follow all the rules and set a good example for other pet owners. It only takes a small effort on everyone’s part to ensure we can all continue to enjoy the national parks with our furry travel companions.
Program Confusion
Some national parks, such as Glacier, Denali, and Sleeping Bear Dunes have a BARK Ranger programs that employ dogs to control or protect wildlife. If you’re not sure which program is offered by a particular park, a quick phone call to the visitor center will clear things up!
When visiting any national park, monument, or historical site, be sure to ask about the BARK Ranger program. Simply asking could encourage more parks to participate!
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