Finding Pet-Friendly Spots On the Road
In our house you could say camping has gone to the dogs…or the cats. Either way, camping is ALL about the pets for us. After all, what’s the point of being somewhere if you can’t share it with your furry friends, both the human and the animal version? So, when we’re on the road we do our prep work to make sure the places we go are pet-friendly, and our pets nod their approval with kitty-purrs and sloppy kisses. Here’s our favourite resources:
1. General Dog-Friendly Spots – http://dogfriendly.com/ and https://www.bringfido.com/ are our two of our all-time favorite online doggie sites. A newer website which is growing and looks very promising is http://gopetfriendly.com/. These 3 sites list almost everything that’s dog-friendly everywhere, including city guides, parks, hiking, beaches etc. When we’re in a spot and looking for a place to take pooch, we go here.
2. Private Campgrounds – Although we tend to avoid them these days, most private campgrounds do accept pets, but some will have either size, breed or number restrictions. If you do your research you can find exceptional dog-loving spots, for example Four Paws Kingdom in NC and Winding River RV Park in CO (a Polly-approved spot), but unfortunately we haven’t found a good guide that sorts through all the choices. The sites from #1 have listings, plus there’s a couple of other websites out there (e.g. petswelcome.com and petfriendlytravel.com), but they’re generally spotty/incomplete. Of the big three GoPetFriendly.com seems to have the most promising listing directory. Given the trouble and our need for more open space and hiking we’ve ditched this option for #3, 4 and 5 below.
3. National Forest & State Parks – If you asked Polly she’d likely wonder why we EVER stay in a private park, and I have to admit we’ve come around to her point of view. As opposed to private campgrounds, National Forest and State Parks rarely have any pet restrictions. In addition they tend to have plenty of space, dog-friendly hiking trails and (often) open spots/fields where one can go a little dog-nutty (as one does, on occasion). In fact we consider these areas 12 paws better than the real thing and haven’t stayed elsewhere in months. For National Forest check out http://www.forestcamping.com/, and http://www.recreation.gov/. For State Parks, go to the State webpage for your area.
4. Army Corps of Engineers – The Army Corps of Engineers is another pet-friendly group that manages over 2,500 recreation areas. We’ve tried quite a few of their campgrounds and find them right up our alley. They’re often centered around lake areas that’ll have an “unofficial” spot where you and doggie can enjoy the water together. The Corps publishes a book and also runs a website with their locations: http://corpslakes.usace.army.mil/visitors/
5. Bureau of Land Management – In addition to the official camping spots, our government manages a ton of other public land which is open to everyone, including our furry friends. Your home-grown RVer can easily find a nice, primitive campground here, while the more adventurous boondocker can search for completely-off-the-beaten-track camping spots. http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en.html
6. Hiking Trails – We are big paw-fans of the trails on National Forest and State Parks, but if you’re looking for something more specific “Best Hikes with Dogs” has created a website and guide books dedicated to the art of getting out in the wild with doggie. Check them out: http://www.besthikeswithdogs.com/
And that, as they say, is how you do it. You’ll notice National Parks are not on this list and for good reason. Despite the nature and open space, National Parks are rather dog-unfriendly and most won’t allow pooch on any of the trails (with very, very few exceptions). We’re quite happy with our somewhat off-the-track spots and are likely to go even more off-beat as time goes on.
So, on that note, may the rivers be plentiful, the squirrels abound and the paws be with you on all your travels….
Where can I get a cat leash like Taggart’s. My kitties play escape artists with the regular collar so I don’t let them out of the RV. If I had this kind, I’d feel safe walking them. They look sturdy. Thanks.
We use the HDW Walking Jacket and have for over 6 years. These things are great! If they’re fitted properly kitty can’t escape even if she gets spooked. We got them here: http://www.hdw-inc.com/walkingjackets.htm . The site has a really nice page on training kitty to walk too. It took us a few months to get them completely comfortable, but they absolutely love walking now and will sit and ask to go out in the mornings.
Pawesome Post! Thanks.
As a result of my dogs, I am considering a temporary RV life style. The problem is that I have not one but two dogs, one of which is small, but periodically barks a lot. Both dogs are difficult with other dogs. It works if we walk backwards if we see other dogs. We are currently working it out okay in a suburban neighborhood. I am, however, living here on a long term, indefinite basis and will eventually have to leave with the dogs. I ultimately want to live in Costa Rica, but I couldn’t get there with the two dogs. So, I am thinking of a RV life style, so long as these babies that I love are still alive. This transition period might be for 7 or 8 years. I am thinking of Florida, where I would be particularly happy in state or national parks. Does this idea seem like it could work? Thank you!
There are lots of single gals traveling around in RVs with their dogs, so I don’t see that as a problem. However if one dog barks a lot that will become an issue, since neighbor campers will get frustrated with the noise. If you can work on the barking issue, then I can’t see any reason why you couldn’t do this.
As for FL, one thing you be aware of is that most State Parks there do not allow dogs on the beach. You can typically walk them around the campground, on other trails, and (sometimes) on stretches of beach outside the park, but the State Park beaches themselves are usually prohibited. For some folks that’s fine, but you just need to be aware of it. Also FL State Parks, like most State Parks across the country have 2-week stay limits so you’ll need to move every 2 weeks. You can check out my FL campground reviews for detailed pet info in each of the areas we stayed.
Nina