A Quick
Primer For Hiking With Dogs On Our National Lands
Wherever you travel this summer chances
are good that you will find yourself with your dog on land owned
by the federal government at some point. Every state in the Union
has at least one national park or forest or shoreline or wildlife
refuge beckoning summer adventurers. With that mind here is a
quick primer on what to expect when taking your dog to our national
lands.
National Parks
As a general rule, dogs in national parks are welcome to go "anywhere
a car can go." This means your dog can hike along roadways
and walk around parking lots. In most parks dogs can also go
in picnic areas and stay in campgrounds. Occasionally dogs will
be permitted on short trails around a Visitor Center or a campground.
Two of the best national parks to hike with your dog are Acadia
National Park in Maine and Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.
If you are traveling in Canada this summer, you will find most
of their national parks extremely dog-friendly.
National Monuments
These parks are a notch below national parks in terms of prestige
and are a mixed bag for active dog owners. Some, like Dinosaur
National Monument or White Sands National Monument, allow dogs
on most trails while others, Devil's Tower or Cedar Breaks for
instance, ban canine hikers from all trails.
National Forests
National forests, under the stewardship of the Department of
Agriculture and not the Department of the Interior like national
parks, offer the meatiest hiking opportunities for dog owners.
Dogs are permitted on most national forest trails, although access
can sometimes be remote. Many times national forest lands surround
national parks so you can get your dog on a trail after being
cooped up when visiting there.
National Grasslands
These parks are cousins of national forests and you can expect
to have your dog accompany you on your hike. Hiking opportunities
are limited, however, as there typically aren't many trails in
a national grassland.
National Recreation Areas
As the name implies, these lands are managed to maximize public
use - for humans and dogs. Many trails in national recreation
areas are open to off-road vehicles, mountains bikes, and horses.
These types of trails will invariably be open to dogs as well.
You can expect to find good canine hikes in almost any national
recreation area. Do your research, however, as many national
recreation areas are developed primarily for boating and fishing.
National Seashores and Lakeshores
Dogs are seldom allowed on trails at a national seashore but
happily most (the southeastern national seashores are an exception)
allow dogs on the beach year-round. National lakeshores are good
bets for canine hikers as dogs are allowed on many trails in
these parks along the Great Lakes.
National Wildlife Refuges
Although these lands are managed
primarily for the protection of birds and animals, most have
trail systems ideal for short day hikes. Expect your leashed
dog to be welcome at most of the more than 500 national wildlife
refuges in America.
National Historical Parks
These parks are hidden gems for canine hikers. There are few
bans on dogs in national historical parks. In addition to learning
a thing or two about American history, these parks often feature
interesting hiking: the rolling hills of eastern Pennsylvania
in Valley Forge Historical Park, the mountains of Harpers Ferry
Historical Park, the wild Potomac River of the Chesapeake &
Ohio National Historical Park to name but a few. National Battlegrounds
are also good places to get out and explore with your dog.
National Trail Systems
The United States Congress has designated more than 900 trails
as "National Trails." Such trails can be recognized
as Historic Trails for their significance to our heritage, as
National Recreation Trails or as National Scenic Trails. The
most famous of the National Scenic Trails, that must be 100 miles
long, are the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail that
crosses the spine of the Pacific Cascade Mountains from Canada
to Mexico. National trails often include local and even private
land and while dogs are often welcome throughout, check before
setting off on a multi-day adventure to make sure your dog can
legally complete the trek.
Bureau of Land Management Lands
If you've ever spent hours driving "in the middle of nowhere"
out West chance are much of the land around you was under the
control of the Bureau of Land Management. The BLM is responsible
for 262 million acres of land - the largest chunk of public land
left in America. Most of the BLM lands are from the Rocky Mountains
to the Pacific Coast and there are plenty of recreational opportunities
for your dog - mostly underpublicized. If you want to explore
BLM lands look for a book written, edited and illustrated by
BLM staff - Adventures on America's Public Lands.
For detailed information on individual
places to take your dog visit http://www.recreation.gov/.
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