One of the most popular questions for travelers who love adventure travel is if you can bring your dog along. If you are visiting the Grand Canyon, you are probably finding this article by Googling “can I bring my dog to the Grand Canyon?” While the general rule of thumb for national parks is that they are not very pet friendly, and most have restrictions on dogs or cats being outside of your car in most areas, the Grand Canyon does have some different policies than others do. While you are not allowed to have your dogs outside of your car in most areas, and you are going to have a difficult time finding pet friendly restaurants and hotels around the area (we are told that the closest are in Flagstaff) you are actually allowed to bring your dog on a leash on all 12 miles of the South Rim trail. The majority of national parks are not going to allow your dog to hike with you, even if they are on a leash, so for this reason the Grand Canyon is viewed as one of the most pet-friendly national parks in the US. Like we mentioned earlier however, you are still going to find it a little difficult to find pet friendly areas outside of the trail.
If you are going to bring your dog to the Grand Canyon, you are going to have to drive there yourself. There are currently no tour operators that allow dogs on their buses or vans, so unfortunately you are going to have to make the trek from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon in either your own car or in a rental car. Once you are at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, there are several options available to you with your dog. Of course you can hike the South Rim trail which is paved, but if you want to go off the pavement you can also take a two mile hike to Shoshone Point, which is more of a hiking trail and is not paved. Inside the park, there are kennels available for dogs and cats at the South Rim Kennel, but if you plan on using their services make sure you book well in advance. They sell out quickly and are very popular. If you need a hotel room that is pet-friendly, there are several at the Yavapai Lodge West, but once again book well in advance as the rooms are limited.
Things to remember about the Grand Canyon and your pets is that the weather is the main factor. Never leave your dog in your car as the temperatures can easily go over 120 degrees in the area, and always make sure that you have plenty of food and water for your pets as the hikes can be quite exhausting for them. If you want to board your dog in Las Vegas while you explore the Grand Canyon on any of our tours, there are plenty of places that you can leave your dog overnight or for several days.