Dogs & pets
Dogs in Yosemite: where they can go
Last verified A few trails6 ft leash maxB.A.R.K. Ranger park
Yes, but only in a few places. Leashed pets (6 ft) are allowed on paved roads, sidewalks, bike paths (incl. Bridalveil and Lower Yosemite Fall trails) and most campgrounds; not on other trails, in wilderness, meadows or buildings.
Where pets are allowed
Trails
- • Bridalveil Fall trail
- • Lower Yosemite Fall trail
- • Paved trail through Cook's Meadow (including boardwalks)
- • Paved road to Mirror Lake (not the unpaved trail around Mirror Lake)
- • Wawona Meadow Loop
Areas
- • Developed areas
- • Fully paved roads, sidewalks and bicycle paths (except where signed as not allowing pets)
- • Campgrounds other than walk-in campgrounds such as Camp 4 (the not-allowed list also bars group campgrounds/campsites)
- • Wawona: Chowchilla Mountain Road; Four Mile and Eleven Mile fire roads (not the Four Mile Trail in Yosemite Valley)
- • Hodgdon Meadow: Carlon Road from the trailhead to Hodgdon Meadow (not to Carlon Falls); Old Big Oak Flat Road from Hodgdon Meadow to Tuolumne Grove parking lot (not the Old Big Oak Flat Road trail)
- • The road within Tuolumne Grove (not the nature trail)
Off-limits
- • Trails, including the trail to Vernal Fall, even if carried (exception: Wawona Meadow Loop)
- • Unplowed roads covered in snow
- • Wilderness and all other undeveloped areas
- • All meadows, beaches and waterways
- • Public buildings
- • Shuttle buses
- • Lodging areas (including Housekeeping Camp)
- • All walk-in and group campgrounds/campsites, including Camp 4
- • Any other areas, as signed
Backcountry: no pets
Rules & services
- Leash
- 6 ft or shorter, at all times
- Kennels
- Not mentioned
- B.A.R.K. Ranger
- Yes
- Service animals
- Service dogs are legally permitted anywhere visitors can go; emotional support, therapy and companion animals, and service animals in training, must follow all pet regulations.
In the park's own words
What Yosemite says about pets
Sentences quoted from the park’s nps.gov pets page, last updated June 24, 2026, captured 2026-10-05.
“Hodgdon Meadow: Carlon Road from the trailhead to Hodgdon Meadow (but not to Carlon Falls) and on the Old Big Oak Flat Road from Hodgdon Meadow to Tuolumne Grove parking lot (but not on the Old Big Oak Flat Road trail). Dogs are allowed on the road within Tuolumne Grove, but not on the nature trail.” nps.gov
“On unplowed roads covered in snow In wilderness and all other undeveloped areas On all meadows, beaches, and waterways In public buildings On shuttle buses In lodging areas (including Housekeeping Camp) In all walk-in and group campgrounds/campsites, including Camp 4 In any other areas, as signed” nps.gov
“On fully paved roads, sidewalks, and bicycle paths (except when signed as not allowing pets), including Bridalveil Fall trail, Lower Yosemite Fall trail, paved trail through Cook's Meadow (including boardwalks), and the paved road to Mirror Lake (but not the unpaved trail around Mirror Lake).” nps.gov
“There are a few additional (very obscure and unsigned) places where pets are allowed: Wawona: Wawona Meadow Loop, Chowchilla Mountain Road, and Four Mile and Eleven Mile fire roads (but not the Four Mile Trail in Yosemite Valley).” nps.gov
“including Bridalveil Fall trail, Lower Yosemite Fall trail, paved trail through Cook's Meadow (including boardwalks), and the paved road to Mirror Lake (but not the unpaved trail around Mirror Lake)” nps.gov
“Emotional support, therapy, and companion animals, as well as service animals in training, are not service animals and must abide by all pet regulations.” nps.gov
Worth knowing
- The page says there are no exceptions to the pet regulations for carried pets (in arms, carriers, strollers, backpacks) in the not-allowed areas.
- Campground wording: the allowed list reads 'all campgrounds except walk-in campgrounds (e.g., Camp 4) and in group campsites' while the not-allowed list says 'all walk-in and group campgrounds/campsites'; group campsites are treated as not allowed.
- The page describes the extra Wawona and Hodgdon Meadow places as 'very obscure and unsigned'.
- The page also warns about harmful algal blooms, rabies and distemper in park wildlife, and bear access to pet food (store it like human food).
How we read the rules
Every statement on this page was taken from the park’s own pets page on nps.gov and the quoted sentences are re-checked against our saved copy of that page each time the site is built. Parks change pet rules for wildlife, heat and trail conditions, and superintendents can close areas at short notice, so treat the park’s pets page and the ranger at the entrance as the final word. Service animals are covered by different rules. Compare all 63 parks.
Sources · 2
- 1.Yosemite National Park — Pets (nps.gov), last updated June 24, 2026 · National Park Service
- 2.Pets pages of each park on nps.gov (62 park units), read and quoted · National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior)
FAQ
Yosemite pet questions
- Are dogs allowed in Yosemite National Park?
- Leashed pets (6 ft) are allowed on paved roads, sidewalks, bike paths (incl. Bridalveil and Lower Yosemite Fall trails) and most campgrounds; not on other trails, in wilderness, meadows or buildings. Leashes must be 6 feet or shorter. (From the park's nps.gov pets page, updated June 24, 2026.)
- Can dogs go on trails in Yosemite?
- Only on Bridalveil Fall trail, Lower Yosemite Fall trail, Paved trail through Cook's Meadow (including boardwalks) and Paved road to Mirror Lake (not the unpaved trail around Mirror Lake). All other trails are off-limits to pets.
- Can I take my dog backpacking in Yosemite?
- No. Pets are not allowed in Yosemite's backcountry.
- Does Yosemite have a B.A.R.K. Ranger program?
- Yes. Yosemite takes part in the B.A.R.K. Ranger program (Bag your waste, Always leash, Respect wildlife, Know where you can go); ask at a visitor center about tags.
Park'd · free on iPhone & Android
Plan the dog-friendly parks first.
Park'd keeps the parks you've done and the ones you're planning in one map — with notes for who's coming along.
