Dogs and expedition traveling in Utah

[Mike Axle]

I am planning a trip to South Western Utah this spring and want to spend the whole time off road. I have been reading on the net that dogs are not allowed in the national parks. Specificaly Canyonlands national park. Has anyone done some good exploring while bringing there pets along in this region? Are there still large areas worth going to?

 

[kcowyo]

It's true not many of the National Parks in the area are "dog friendly."

I haven't travelled with a dog so I can't say which parks for sure don't allow dogs. Some national parks may have different rules, so you might check them here for specifics.

There are numerous other areas where Fido should be ok. The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Dixie National Forest, the Glen Canyon National Rec Area, Dark Canyon Wilderness Area, the La Sal Mountains and the Henry Mountains encompass an enormous part of southern Utah. These areas should not fall under the same no-dogs rule, as the national parks.

Welcome to the forum -

 

[Rockjok]

I've got a couple of Springer Spaniels that go with me wherever I go. Motorcycle in the summer and motorhome in the winter.
http://www.imt.net/~rockjok/sm-passdogz.JPG

I've found that most national parks are officially anti-dog which kinda makes sense given the potential problems. My experiences have run the gamut from receiving dog treats to an officious uniformed #$^% trying to tell me the pups had to be tied while IN the sidecar.

My favorite Utah area is the San Rafael swell although the "parks" are definitely worth seeing. There are miles and miles of backroads on both sides of I-70 with some fantastic dry camping spots and all dog friendly. This area is the reason I'm trying to find a used FWC to replace my motorhome.

http://www.go-utah.com/San-Rafael-Swell-Area-Map
http://www.canyoneeringusa.com/utah/swell/index.htm
http://discovermoab.com/pdfbrochures.htm

and I can highly recommend the Benchmark atlas- infinitely better than the delormes. http://www.rockymountainmaps.com/item/422/?PHPSESSID=a5a86b9412af7c99856c41fc04941bd1

Rob

 

[craig333]

Yeah, when I visited canyonlands it was a problem. You need to get and walk, but its too hot to leave the dog in the vehicle.

 

[Mike Axle]

Dogs in Utah

Thanks to everyone for the helpfull replies.

Mike

 

[brett13]

As others have said, you can have a dog in a NP, but it must be leashed at all times and they are not allowed on 99% of trails. In cooler months, leaving them in the car is no big deal, but UT gets hot from mid-late April through Sept.

I've spent over two weeks a year for the last decade exploring tracks in remote UT. There are so many great places (with dogs) I can't begin to list them. If you want more info on a specific area just ask. One great place to start is the book: "4WD Adventures Utah" by Peter Massey and Jeanne Wilson. See it here.

In fact, the non-park areas are so cool, I rarely go into the NPs anymore unless I haven't been in a while or am taking someone that hasn't been there before. Occasionally I like to hike Arches anyway though. I bet you could find a kennel in Moab so you can hike Arches for a day or two.