Glacier National Park gets the all too common 1-paw rating since it has limited accommodations for pets. Pets are allowed on paved or developed areas, in front-country campgrounds and picnic areas as well as in boats where motorized craft are allowed but not on any trails. If a road is closed to vehicle traffic it is not open for pets.
However, if you care to venture across the border to Canada the adjoining Waterton Lakes National Park has a 4-paw rating. Leashed pets are allowed on all 120 miles of trails throughout that park.
Lots of wildlife to see in this park
Wildlife is commonly seen in the park and pets may disturb or be disturbed by this. Our girls went nuts when they saw bighorn sheep strolling through the parking lot at Logan Pass visitor center. The Bighorn sheep didn’t seem to mind people at all and took their time wandering about while not so intelligent humans offered to feed them.
While Glacier National Park is not dog friendly it is the first park to use a professionally trained dog to manage the habituated wildlife. As I mentioned above, bighorn sheep can be routinely seen in the Logan Pass area. Bark Ranger Gracie, works to shepherd sheep at Logan Pass to keep human and wildlife interactions to a minimum.
We didn’t have a chance on this trip to go over the border to Waterton Lakes. If you do want to do some hiking with your pets that is the place to go. Make sure you have travel papers with vaccination records to avoid any trouble bringing your pets back across the border.
Glacier National Park’s pet regulations.
