Pets are not allowed in Park buildings. Thank you.

Pets are wonderful animals that provide comfort and companionship. A national park, however is not the best place for pets due to the special protections afforded national parks and the dangers inherent in wilderness areas.

• Volcanic soils and hydrothermal areas can severely wound a dog's feet; terrain that may be appealing to hikers may be difficult or even deadly for pets.
• Bears and other predators are curious about dogs and have been known to attack them in wilderness areas.
• The territorial scent dogs leave behind disrupts the behavior of native animals that this Park has been set aside to protect.
• Dogs are predators that could chase, scare, kill, and transmit diseases to wild animals.
• Wild animals can transmit diseases including bubonic plague to pets (and then to humans).

If you bring a dog, please observe the following*:

• Pets must be on a leash less than six feet long at all times.
• Pets are permitted only on established roadways, campgrounds, picnic areas and other developed areas.
• Pets under physical restraint are permitted overnight in developed campgrounds.
• Pets are not permitted on trails, boardwalks, in the backcountry, or in any body of water.
• Pets can be left unattended in vehicles.  However, if hazardous conditions exist, such as hot weather, owners can be cited for endangering an animal.
• Pets can not be left unattended AND tied to an object, except in designated areas or under conditions which may be established by the Superintendent.
• Please clean up after your pet and take responsibility for its behavior.

*The regulations do not apply to Seeing Eye dogs accompanying visually impaired persons or other guide animals for disabled individuals.

Ask at the Visitor Center or the Loomis Museum about trails outside the Park where you can hike with your pet or for a list of pet boarding facitlities in the area.