59 National Parks Where Your Dog Can Be a BARK Ranger

National parks have always been popular vacation destinations. And now some parks make it easy for pets to have fun! Read on to find out where your dog can get their BARK Ranger tags.

Without compromising their rules or affecting wildlife, some national parks invite dogs to become BARK Rangers. Originally intended to educate visitors with pets about the park’s pet policies, the program has become so popular that it is spreading quickly.

Below is a list of National Parks where your pup can join the BARK Rangers Leagues.

BARK Ranger Program

National Parks introduced the BARK Ranger Program as a way to encourage responsible travel in National Parks with dogs. It’s a fun way to educate pet owners about park rules regarding pets.

BARK means:

Bag your poo

Aalways wear a leash (6 feet max)

Rrespect wildlife (give them their space)

Know where you can go (find out which trails/areas allow pets)

As you can see, although pets are welcome to join the program, it is humans who are responsible for upholding the BARK Ranger principles. Isn’t that how it always goes with pets? !

LEARN MORE ⇒ America’s Ultimate Pet-Friendly Road Trip

Collect BARK Ranger Beacons

Dogs participating in the BARK Ranger program are sworn and their owners can purchase a special collar tag for their pup. Some parks have custom beacons for their location, and others have generic BARK Ranger beacons. But no matter what the park has to offer, 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 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 are both very restrictive when it comes to pets on the trails, although they welcome dogs to become BARK Rangers.

However, there are others, like the Petrified Forest and Acadia National Park, that allow pets! In our article on the best pet-friendly national parks, we share the US national parks that we consider to be the most pet-friendly.

LEARN MORE ⇒ America’s Most Pet-Friendly National Parks

Here is a map and a list of national parks where your pet can become a BARK Ranger. Check back often, as we add locations as new parks join the program!

Eastern United States

Acadia National Park -Maine

Big Cypress National Park – Florida

Biscayne National Park – Florida

Carl Sandburg House National Historic Site – North Carolina

St. Mark’s Castle National Monument – Florida

Chesapeake National Park and the Ohio Canal – Washington DC and Maryland

De Soto National Memorial – Florida

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area – Pennsylvania and New Jersey

Fort Matanzas National Monument – Florida

Friendship Hill National Historic Site – Pennsylvania

Great Smoky Mountains National Park – North Carolina and Tennessee

Gulf Islands National Coast – Florida and Mississippi

Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park – Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia,

Independence Hall National Park – Pennsylvania

Minute Man National Historic Park –Massachusetts

Saint 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 Reserve -Alabama

Natchez Trace Walk – Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee

Missouri National Recreational River – Nebraska and South Dakota

Picture Rocks National Lakeshore -Michigan

Pipestone National Monument -Minnesota

Russell Cave National Monument -Alabama

Vicksburg National Military Park – Mississippi

US West

Bryce Canyon National Park – Utah

National Monument of Chiriahua –Arizona

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve – Idaho

Curecanti National Recreation Area – Colorado

death valley national park – California and 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

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park– Hawaii

Joshua Tree National Park – California

Lake Mead National Recreation Area – Arizona and 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

LEARN MORE ⇒ The Most Dog-Friendly National Parks in the United States

Be a good ambassador

We’re lucky to have so many wonderful national parks in America, and even more so when they allow pets! Please follow all rules and set a good example for other pet owners. It only takes a little effort on everyone’s part to ensure that we can all continue to enjoy national parks with our furry travel companions.

Program confusion

Some national parks, such as Glacier, Denali, and Sleeping Bear Dunes, have BARK Ranger programs that employ dogs to control or protect wildlife. If you’re not sure what program a particular park offers, a quick phone call to the Visitor Center will enlighten you!

When visiting a national park, monument or historic site, be sure to ask about the BARK Ranger program. Just asking could encourage more parks to participate!

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