Zion with a dog, and the one trail you get
Be straight about this before you book anything. Dogs are allowed in Zion, and the list of places they can go is very short, does not include the shuttle, and therefore does not include most of the park.
- Trails open to dogs
- One
- On the shuttle
- Not allowed
- Leash
- Six feet maximum
- Minimum fine
- $100
One trail, and it is a good one
The Pa’rus Trail is the only trail in Zion National Park that allows pets. Everything else is closed to them.
| Where | Dogs | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Pa’rus Trail | Allowed | 3.5 miles round trip, 50 feet of climb, around 94 percent paved with the rest on hard wood decking. Runs between the visitor center and Canyon Junction, so you can walk it out and back on foot. |
| Developed campgrounds | Allowed | Including Watchman. Pets may be left unattended only when conditions are safe for the animal and it is not making unreasonable noise. |
| Roads and parking areas | Allowed | On a leash, which in winter means the scenic drive is walkable when the shuttle is not running. |
| Every other trail | Not allowed | Riverside Walk, Emerald Pools, Watchman, Angels Landing, Canyon Overlook, The Narrows. All of them. |
| Both shuttle lines | Not allowed | Neither the canyon line nor the Springdale town line takes pets. |
| The wilderness | Not allowed | Which covers the technical canyons and the backcountry. |
Pa’rus is genuinely worth walking
It is not a consolation prize. Paved, level, along the Virgin River with the canyon opening ahead of you, and it is one of the few places you can walk in Zion at any hour without a bus. It is also the only trail open to bikes.
Four rules, and a minimum fine
The park cites 36 CFR 2.15 and states a minimum $100 fine for violations. These are not advisory.
- Leashed, six feet maximum. Not a long line, not off leash on the quiet stretch.
- Bag and remove waste. Carry it out rather than leaving a bag beside the path to collect later.
- Not unattended in a vehicle when conditions are unsafe. The park notes that a car interior warms to dangerous levels quickly, and in a place averaging 100°F in July that is not a formality.
- Keep them out of the water. The Virgin River carries a standing advisory for toxic cyanobacteria, and a dog drinking from it is at more risk than you are.
The cyanobacteria point is the serious one
Filtering does not remove those toxins, which is why the advisory applies to people as well. A dog that swims and then licks its coat has ingested river water whatever you intended. On a hot day beside a cool river that is a hard rule to keep, and it is the one worth keeping.
No pets on the shuttle, and the shuttle is the park
This is the fact that makes Zion difficult with a dog, and it is not obvious until you are standing at a stop.
For most of the year the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive is closed to private vehicles and the free shuttle is the only way up it. Pets are not allowed on either line. So with a dog in your care, the entire canyon above Canyon Junction is out of reach in shuttle season, not because dogs are banned from it but because you cannot get there.
Two things follow. In winter, when the shuttle stops running and the scenic drive opens to cars, you can drive up the canyon with a dog in the vehicle, park at a stop and walk the road, which is a genuinely different visit. And in season, a dog means one of you stays behind whenever the other goes up the canyon.
There is no kennel in the park, and options nearby change
The park runs no boarding facility. Businesses offering day boarding near Springdale have opened and closed over the years, and the one most often named in older guides is no longer operating, so we are not sending you to a specific place. If you need day boarding, find and confirm it directly before you travel rather than assuming you will sort it out on arrival.
A day that actually functions
- EarlyPa’rus, before the heat
Start at the visitor center and walk toward Canyon Junction. Level, paved and shaded in parts early on. In summer this is a dawn activity rather than a mid morning one, because paved surfaces get hot enough to hurt paws.
- Mid morningSplit the party, or go into town
If two of you are travelling, this is where one takes the canyon shuttle and one takes the dog. Springdale is one road with a river beside it and the walk along it is pleasant.
- The middle of the dayGet out of the heat
July averages 100°F. A dog left in a vehicle in that is a genuine emergency, not an inconvenience, and the park says so plainly. Plan somewhere shaded and cool to be, and plan it before you need it.
- EveningPa’rus again, or the road
The canyon light in the last hour is the best of the day and Pa’rus is where you can be in it with a dog. Sunset from the Canyon Junction bridge is a short walk from the far end.
Pet friendly lodging, and what we can honestly tell you
What we can verify
Watchman Campground takes pets, it is inside the park beside the visitor center, and it is at the Pa’rus trailhead end of things. $35 a night for a non electric site and $45 with electric, booking six months out. For a dog trip it is the best position available. The camping page.
What we are not going to fake
Springdale hotels each set their own pet policy, fee and size limit, and those change without notice. We have not checked them property by property, so we are not publishing a list. Ask the property directly and get the pet fee in writing, because it is the detail most often disputed at check in.
Ask three things when you book: whether pets are accepted at all, what the nightly pet fee is, and whether the dog can be left in the room unattended. That last one decides whether you can do anything in the park at all, and hotels differ on it more than you would expect. What is on that road.
Common questions about Zion with a dog
Can you bring dogs to Zion National Park?
Yes, but only on the Pa'rus Trail, in developed campgrounds, and on roads and in parking areas. Every other trail is closed to pets, and pets are not allowed on either shuttle line.
Which trail in Zion allows dogs?
Only the Pa'rus Trail. It is 3.5 miles round trip, almost flat, and around 94 percent paved, running between the visitor center and Canyon Junction. It is also the only Zion trail open to bicycles.
Can dogs go on the Zion shuttle?
No, on neither the canyon line nor the Springdale town line. Since the scenic drive is closed to private vehicles for most of the year, that puts the whole upper canyon out of reach if you have a dog with you.
What are the leash rules in Zion?
Pets must be on a leash no longer than six feet. The park cites 36 CFR 2.15 and states a minimum $100 fine for violations, and waste must be bagged and carried out.
Can I leave my dog in the car at Zion?
Not when conditions are unsafe, and in a park averaging 100 degrees in July they usually are. The park warns that vehicle interiors warm to dangerous levels quickly. Properly restrained pets may be left unattended in developed campgrounds when it is safe for the animal and it is not making unreasonable noise.
Is there a kennel or dog boarding near Zion?
There is no boarding facility inside the park. Businesses near Springdale have opened and closed over the years, so find and confirm one directly before you travel rather than assuming you can arrange it on arrival.
Can dogs swim in the Virgin River?
They should be kept out of it. The river carries a standing advisory for toxic cyanobacteria, filtering does not remove the toxins, and a dog that swims and then grooms itself has swallowed river water.
One trail, and a campground at the end of it
If you are bringing a dog, staying inside the park at the Pa'rus end is the arrangement that works best.
Also useful: every trail compared, winter, when the road opens and the shuttle rules.
One trail takes dogs. Neither shuttle line does.
Camping near Zion