North Cascade National Park Very Dog-Friendly
We quickly discovered as we began exploring National Parks in the US, that dogs are very restricted. In most parks, dogs are not allowed on trails and have to stay within 100 feet of the road.
North Cascade National Park (just East of Seattle, WA) was a pleasant surprise on two fronts:
- There is no entrance fee to the park: Highway 20 runs through the park and is used for regular transport, not just touring the park. This means that you will see logging trucks and other vehicles passing through the park, not just tourist vehicles. Additionally, there is no official entrance station, so no fee to enter the park.
- Dogs are permitted on trails: Unlike most parks, dogs were permitted on all the trail we hiked or viewed (we did not do any backcountry hiking where there may be limits). There were many dogs on the popular trail. Though leashes are required, we ran into several off-leash dogs. This can be important to be aware of if your pup doesn’t like other dogs approaching them.