UT, Bryce Canyon, Arches & Pets/large dogs

[FishinHatteras]

So my wife Kay & I have been feverishly preparing for our first major trip out W in May.
Very excited as this will be the first trip we have taken together since our honeymoon train trip from Munich, to Rome, and back thru Zurich. No kids, just us & our two hound dawgs. AWESOME!!

Started looking at the NPS web page for Bryce Canyon, and happened to stumble across the page devoted to pets. Wait a minute...you mean I can't take my dogs down ANY un-paved trail within the NP? You gotta be kidding me? I can only take my dogs on a PAVED trail? WTH? And HOW many paved trails are there in UT? 1, maybe TWO??? Ok, so we don't want to scare the wildlife as dogs are considered "predators" but geez Luiz. I will refrain.

Man, does this change everything. So what did my fellow AS friends and family do with their pets when you went to this most fabulous part of this great country? How did you even let them out to pee-n-poop with these types of restrictions? I REALLY want to see UT, but if I can't even take my dawgs out of the truck to go poop-n-pee w/o fear of being arrested/cited...Heck, you can't even CARRY your dog.

What "safe" places are pets allowed in UT please? I am really shaking my head.
HAILP! Sound advice needed. Do we have to leave the dogs @ home? What did you guys & gals do in this situation? I'm not going w/o my chocolate lab Bailey, or my scrubmutt Mufasah, and neither is Kay.
Gavin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyJZ-QeH5Zs

[Len n Jeanne]

No, most US national parks don't allow dogs in the trails. You can take your dogs most places in nearby national forests and BLM lands; but in the NPS parks, the dogs are restricted to campgrounds, roads, and a few adjacent paved places. What this means is that the dogs have to stay in your vehicle or AS--but obviously for only short periods, notably in hot weather. It is a real pain.

We tend to plan our hikes for early morning while it's still cool enough to leave the dog in the RV for a couple of hours, and then do something like a scenic drive in the afternoon.

Near Bryce, Red Canyon is a nice USFS site where your dogs are welcome on the trails. Near Arches (Moab,) try the many BLM trails like Negro Bill Canyon or Dead Horse Point State Park. Moab has a big info center with handouts on trails in nearby BLM lands. Zion NP is a little more dog-friendly. They are allowed on the Pa'arus trail; and there is a day- or overnight kennel called the Doggy Dude Ranch in nearby Rockville.

[gandttimes]

We did Utah about four years back with our dogs and used Red Canyon as our base. Fabulous trails there and easier to drive to the other parks for day drives without the trailer.


George

[KJRitchie]

I'm going to North Rim Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce in June with my dog. I have reserved all my sites in the tree parks. Zion will be the hottest but I have a site reserved in Watchman campground which has electricity so I can leave the dog under AC while out. The other two parks are at higher elevation and will be shaded or partially shaded. I'll have a portable solar panel out in GC and Bryce where I can leave a window cracked and have a Fantastic fan running while we go hiking.

Kelvin

[B00merang]

Hatteras
I believe there are a number of kennels near the entrances of the parks you mentioned. They will take your dogs for the day/days for a nominal fee. Good luck. jon

[spenfolder]

Originally Posted by B00merang

I believe there are a number of kennels near the entrances of the parks you mentioned. They will take your dogs for the day/days for a nominal fee. Good luck. jon

My border collie mix, Ollie, had a great day at the Doggy Dude Ranch outside Zion. Very nice people.

Doggy Dude Ranch | Southern Utah's premier dog care facility with camp-like fun!

Stan
Salt Lake City

[Stefrobrts]

Originally Posted by FishinHatteras

Wait a minute...you mean I can't take my dogs down ANY un-paved trail within the NP?

Yeah, this is the main reason we haven't had a trip to the Olympic NP yet, even though it is in our own backyard. It's unfortunate that dogs are not welcome in NPs. That is one of the reasons I really can't see myself fulltiming in the near future.

I hope some of these alternative options work out for you.

[FishinHatteras]

Many thanks for the info everyone posted. I think we are going to just take Bailey our chocolate lab. She is my second soulmate, my truck riding (getting some snout time out the window) best friend. Disappointed the NPS has this archaic rule, but as John Fox always says, "It is what it is."
That doggie dude ranch looks pretty promising, and the prospect of her getting in da wata...oh boy. She'll be a happy camper too. Can't keep her out of da wata!
Thanks again everyone.
Sea ya down the road,
Gavin

Bailey & my youngest.

[smlbob]

We're in the same quandary......will hit Utah parks in mid-April and our Airedale Tess travels with us. Guess we'll look for the kennels or hope for cool temperatures...or can leave her in the AS with the AC.....too bad, because she loves to hike !

[ByHyway]

On the west side of Zion NP about 7-8 miles west of Springdale, UT (great little town) is a very capable and competent kennel and day care business. They will take great care of your pets, long term or day care. I believe that Ponderosa Zion RV Resort welcomes pets or may refer to kenneling. This latter location is about 90 minutes from Bryce and 30 minutes fro Zion NP's East gate.

We have used the pet motel, stayed at Ponderosa Zion and at the Quality Inn RV Park in Springdale. Its cooler than the Zion facilities. Also, Ponderosa Zion may be at ~ 8000 ft. That means when its 105f in Zion its about 85f at Ponderosa.

Enjoy it all!

[tjdonahoe]

We just leave our border collie in the trailer with the ac on low,it worked out fine, we just left Bryce and Zion 2 weeks ago....

[Len n Jeanne]

Currently in Zion, heading to Capitol Reef NP tomorrow. Our dog Sammy is currently at the Doggy Dude Ranch in nearby Rockville, UT. This has just made a tremendous difference to our hiking range.

It has been extremely hot here, and to any hikers, we strongly suggest an early start and return from your hiking. Also, Zion Canyon itself is just mobbed with people. We're familiar enough with the crowded "front country" trails, that yesterday we opted for the Northgate Peaks trail off the Kolob Terrace Road. But there is currently a lot of construction on that road, with major delays and some two-hour closures, so it's best to check ahead on its condition.

But also, we did most of a 5 mile hike today just outside the park boundary-- to the Eagle Crags, which are in an adjacent BLM wilderness area. Dogs are fine on this trail, and it has super views of the park scenery. Sadly, Sammy at 12.5 years, is now too old to make it.

Leaving a dog in your AS for more than a few hours, even w/ AC, in this desert heat, is probably not a good idea. You might all enjoy a scenic drive in your vehicle's AC comfort in the afternoons.

[Len n Jeanne]

Originally Posted by FishinHatteras

Many thanks for the info everyone posted. I think we are going to just take Bailey our chocolate lab. She is my second soulmate, my truck riding (getting some snout time out the window) best friend. Disappointed the NPS has this archaic rule, but as John Fox always says, "It is what it is."
That doggie dude ranch looks pretty promising, and the prospect of her getting in da wata...oh boy. She'll be a happy camper too. Can't keep her out of da wata!
Thanks again everyone.
Sea ya down the road,
Gavin

Bailey & my youngest.

Unfortunately, the dense crowds on the front country trails of the most popular National Parks can make hiking with dogs unfeasible-- especially when some dog owners (not you!) are too inconsiderate to clean up after their pets, and don't have them leashed or under serious voice control. Not all dogs are friendly, either. Last fall on a trail in Colorado I was nearly toppled off a cliff when a loose dog (whose thoughtful bike-riding owners lost it) got into a fight with my son's dog right next to me.

For those who love to hike with dogs, there are many dog-friendly trails around: many state parks, BLM lands, US Forest Service lands, and Canada's national parks. (Lots of water up there!) We also recently visited the dog-friendly Mojave Preserve in southeastern CA, and there are a lot of NPS-administered but non-park recreation areas where dogs are fine.

[VT Wanderer]

OK, here's our deal. We live in the east - northern VT. We have always found eastern hiking dog friendly. However, the west pulls us like a magnet - mostly the Rockies from Rocky Mtn. National, Tetons, Yellowstone up to Banff, Canada. We have also done the Canyons and out to the west coast a number of times. Our favorite places out west (we're hikers) are non dog. Between the long hot travel days, not having the money for dog hotels enroute, we have left our dog(s) home. We always hire a trustworthy house/dog sitter who will live at our house full time to take care of our dog(s). We feel good about it, as opposed to a kennel, and so does our dog(s). PS we have always had BIG dogs. Our current boy is 160+ pounds, and built for winter - not summer heat.

[Patricia720]

Since dogs are not part of the native fauna, most American National Parks (everywhere, not just in the west) suggest that you leave them at home. It makes it difficult to camp with medium and large dogs, since they need lots of exercise. As suggested, most of the land surrounding National Parks is National Forest or BLM land so you can usually take them there but that requires packing them in the vehicle and driving a ways. There are some trails in some National Parks where they allow dogs, North Cascades NP in Washington (2?), Crater Lake NP (3?) in Oregon, Cuyahoga Valley NP in Ohio and the National Parks that have the Appalachian Trail running through them (Shenandoah NP, for example) allow dogs on the AT. Also, please note that if you leave your dog in your RV and it barks for more that a few minutes, you may be asked to leave. Since some dog owners allow their dogs to behave badly and do not pick up after them, I don't see the National Park Service changing their anti-dog stance now or in the future.

[SSquared]

FYI, Petrified Forest NP allows dogs on leash anywhere human visitors are allowed (except inside buildings)

[paiceman]

We in part bought our AS so our dog(s) could travel with us in retirement, although we camped prior t retirement. Last summer and fall we took our Lab with us out west. She went everyplace with us as permitted by the park we were in. Bryce accepted dogs in more areas than any other park we visited, although still restricted. If we did not leave her in the unit for our max four hours, we would alternate hiking down a path to get the views. Not ideal, but ok with us, as the other person would wait in the parking lot or go as far as we could on a paved trail.

When we leave her in the trailer we run the air on low, open and turn on a Fantastic Fan and leave. We tell the campground host or owner where we are going and how long and give them our cell number in case an issue comes up, we have done this for years and only been called one time when a storm was coming and we actually had some windows open. Our next door neighbor carefully closed them all for us.

[FishinHatteras]

TY Paiceman. That's comforting news, and you're right on the camp host. You make an excellent point.

We had the intention of staying in UT mostly, but after this, we are leaning towards just passing thru on our way to CO, with just a couple of days in UT. I think CO will afford a better time for the three of us, and a better chance for her to go swimming every day. She's large @ 72lbs, and needs exercise, just like we all do. This is our first trip out W, and I don't want to be hampered by rules of engagement. I'm there to have fun, just like everyone else.
We just happen to enjoy 4 legged friends too. They are part of our family.

Thank you again, and I hope our paths cross. Always nice to meet fellow dog friendly folks.
Sea ya down the road,
Gavin

[weirdstuff]

If you want somewhere beautiful in the Sierras that's dog friendly...Mammoth Lakes, CA is very dog friendly! You can hike with your pal, and even take them on the shuttle bus that takes you to the valley and back to hike around Devil's Postpile and Rainbow Falls areas. And you can take your pal out on the water with you in canoes, kayaks, etc..

[gandttimes]

We just came back from 4 months in Washington, Oregon, Ca and just touched Arizona and found a lot of the same thing.
We travel with our 3 dogs and they are part of our A/S experience so we try to do the State Park thing too.
We did find ourselves in an area where we needed to RV Park it near Oasis/Thermal Ca. and found the friendliest park yet.
They even have a large pond area where they allowed those with water loving dogs to exercise their pets. There was also a very relaxed " on leash" rule as long as the dogs were under voice control and they were picked up after.
All this on nice grass sites with concrete pads.
When we arrived I asked Ann the manager where dogs were allowed and she looked at me and said, anywhere that people are! Even in the pool area? Yes!
If you are ever west of Salton Sea and need a home base for exploring the desert,we highly recommend you check out Oasis Palms.


George