What is the BARK Ranger Program?
Some people think that being a BARK Ranger means that a dog and their handler get special privileges while in National Parks – quite the opposite! It’s a pledge to follow that particular park’s guidelines on which areas are designated as pet friendly, making sure to clean up pet waste, and to be good advocates for pet policies. These policies are in place to preserve the delicate ecosystems of the national parks and to protect the land for future generations. After completing the particular activity at your participating ranger station, an official BARK Ranger tag or badge may be awarded or be available for purchase as a donation to the park. Now your pup can wear it proudly while exploring the great outdoors!
In these pictures, Bark Ranger Milo is holding a steady stay command until he is released to come back to his humans. Oftentimes, his leash is hiding behind him solely for photo purposes. You must use a leash at all times when navigating the park.
What does BARK stand for? And why is it so important?
Participants of the BARK Ranger program pledge to:
Bag your dog’s waste
Always use a leash
Respect wildlife
Know where you can go
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Bagging your dog’s waste should be common sense. Just because it’s poo and it will degrade, doesn’t mean it belongs on the side of a trail. The first reason is because it will damage the local ecosystem as it breaks down. The second reason is because it is unsightly, smells, and takes away from the experiences of fellow hikers.
Another thing commonly seen is people who go through the trouble of bagging waste, but leaving it behind on the trail. Regardless of any intentions of picking it up on the way back, these poop-bag flowers are more often than not, forgotten and left behind. Consider bringing along an airtight Ziploc bag or a reusable poop container to help you pack it out. If your pup is big enough, they won’t mind carrying it in their own pack – we promise!
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Always using a leash may seem like a nuisance to some. We want our dogs to be dogs and enjoy their romp in the wilderness. Nothing is more joyous than seeing their happy faced zoomies!
While most dog owners can completely relate to those sentiments, there is a time and place for off-leash play. Trails are often narrow and shared with other dogs who must be leashed for their own safety, whether that is because of dangerous terrain or health reasons, or because they are fear reactive, anxious, being rehabilitated, or in training. Children or adults who are afraid of dogs will also benefit from fellow hikers leashing their pets. If you see an off-leash dog approaching you in a required leashed area, advocate for your pet and remind the owner that their dog must abide by the rules for everyone’s enjoyment. In all National Parks, official guidelines state that pets must be on a leash no longer than 6 ft. in length and should never be left unattended.
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Respecting wildlife comes with responsible ownership. Animals of the wilderness are typically not used to seeing other domesticated animals in their home. Predators such as bears, cougars, coyotes may see off-leash pets as prey animals while large herbivores such as mountain goats and elk have been known to injure pets as well. This places both pet and owner in danger, so do not allow your dogs to approach, bark at, chase, or intimidate wildlife.
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Knowing where you can go means checking beforehand whether your intended hike or natural area is pet friendly – are they allowed on the trails? beaches? campsites? only on paved areas? National Park Paws, National Park websites, and ranger stations are all valuable sources of information for planning your pet-friendly trips in nationally protected lands.
This is so cool! How can MY dog become a BARK Ranger?
Each nationally protected area may have additional site specific needs, depending on the location and ecosystem. Here are some of the places and events that are currently offering BARK Ranger programs:
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Montezuma Castle National Monument – Arizona
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Petrified Forest National Park – Arizona
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Lake Mead National Recreation Area – Arizona
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Redwood National Park – California
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Eldorado Canyon State Park – Colorado
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Acadia National Park – Maine
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Salem Maritime National Historic Site – Massachusetts
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Essex National Heritage Area – Massachusetts
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Indiana Dunes National Park – Michigan
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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore – Michigan
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Gateway Arch National Park – Missouri
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George Washington Carver National Monument – Missouri
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Glacier National Park – Montana
Learn more about Gracie, the border collie who helps herd mountain goats and deer to help keep park inhabitants wild and visitors safe
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Hopewell Culture National Historical Park – Ohio
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Friendship Hill National Historic Site – Pennsylvania
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Fort Vancouver National Historic Site – Washington
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Lowell National Historical Park
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Olympic National Park – Washington
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San Juan Island National Historical Park – Washington
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Devil’s Tower National Monument – Wyoming
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Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Don’t see your local National Park or there aren’t any upcoming BARK Ranger events? Don’t worry – give your ranger station a call! Interest will help further expand the program and rangers may also be able to inform you of future events.
Congratulations! If you are reading this, you and your dog are on your way to becoming excellent BARK Rangers for wherever you go!
Already collecting BARK Ranger tags or have another location for us to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below!
Happy Tails, Happy Trails!
Leave a Comment
28 Comments:
Our girl Faith earned her BARK ranger 5 star medal at Eisenhower National Park in Gettysburg Pa. Thank NPS!
Pipestone National Monument in Minnesota has a beautiful B.A.R.K. Ranger tag! Caeros(Miniature Schnauzer) has earned his Ranger tags from Acadia to Petrified Forest, I love the program! Thanks NPS.
Fort Davis NHS in far west Texas is very dog friendly — even allowing dogs on leash to hike the trails! Why the heck doesn’t Fort Davis NHS have a “Bark Ranger” program?
Also – what about nearby Big Bend National Park is not dog friendly?? We’ll never go there again with our dogs because they have to stay in the cabin or parking lot. Come on, national park people, this generation of young people isn’t having kids but we love our dogs! If you want us to visit our national parks, please figure out a way to include some dog-friendly activities & safe places for our canine friends in Big Bend NP. Please! THANK YOU.
Big Bend NPS has black bears, mountain lions, coyotes, scorpions, wasps, venomous snakes, cacti, and 120 degree temps all summer. The desert microbiome is extremely sensitive as well. If you are in Texas, it looks like Mission San Jose has bark ranger stuff now and the missions are free. I plan on checking it out later today to verify. If you are in west Texas, take your dog to the Big Bend Ranch or Davis Mountains. They’re state parks but dogs are allowed on some trails.
Also. They (Big Bend NPS) have trail cams set up on several trails and will ticket people who take their dogs on trails. It may not be the Galapagos, but it is a sensitive environment and there is a reason they have the rule in place.
B.A.R.K. rangers program at Congaree National Park please!
I wish there were more places in Ohio, specifically in the northeast Cuyahoga area! Closest part is 4 hours away from me, or for a way to do the activities online.
My dog just received his BARK Ranger tags from Zion and Bryce Canyon NP’s in Utah.
Hi,
Oscar just earned his BARK badge at the Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico. They gave him a green bandana and we purchased the gold badge for his collar. Check out his photos on his Instagram @callsignoscar
I live in the Rocky Mountain region and access to some national parks, but they do NOT offer the Bark Ranger Program. Their are plenty of families traveling with their fur-babies. Get with it National Parks.
Recently took my dog to Carlsbad, White Sands, Bandolier, Dinosaur, Rushmore & Badlands. Not one of these NPs had the BARK program. I can understand Carlsbad & Bandolier & maybe Rushmore. But, why not the rest? Also, Jockey Hollow in NJ should have this
[…] Learn more about being a Bark Ranger on the National Parks Service Website. There is additional information on the National Park Paws Website! […]
We’re looking forward to taking our ESD dogs(2), and our new 5.5 month old pup as well!
Hey there! My pup is becoming a Bark Ranger this spring on our big trip out West (Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, all the National Monuments from Georgia to Arizona). However, due to Covid, some of the Visitor Centers are closed and not actually giving out the Bark Ranger Programs. I was wondering if anyone here has copies of any Activity Checklists we can follow for the Grand Canyon to make sure he actually earns his badge. Any help would be appreciated! 🙂
We are in Southern California. Since I see no local areas…is there a way to apply online?
The park ranger who led our Bark Ranger walk in Lowell did a wonderful job! She found notable stories about local dogs and historical events in newspaper archives.
Indiana Dunes has a great BARK Ranger program now that they’ve received their NP designation!
That’s awesome! Thanks for letting us know 🙂
Acadia National Park in Maine has a Bark Ranger program now as well 🙂
Excellent! Thanks for letting us know!
I would like to request a National BARK Ranger program at the Delaware Water Gap located in Pennsylvania. I learned of this great program while visiting Harper’s Ferry and look forward to it a little closer to my home. My Yellow Lab, Shelby, absolutely loves to go hiking with me and I am so excited to learn about this program.
Thank you so much for this initiative!
A program at DWG would be amazing! You can write the NPS a letter and recommend this location https://www.nps.gov/dewa/index.htm
Hi Carrie, unfortunately not, you need to visit an NPS area that offers the Bark Ranger program.
Utah parks, need to jump on board!
We love our dogs in Utah. We should have this program here for our fur babies.
Utah has the Bark programs at Bryce,Glen Canyon National Rec Area,Golden Spike National Historic Park, and Zion National Park.
I would love a tag from Castillo de San Marcos and Matanzas State Park.
I as well, as Ranger Petey works at Castillo and wen thru the program at Fort Matanzas