Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as most other federal lands administered by the National Park Service, is not pet-friendly, and those planning to visit the park should seriously consider leaving their pets at home. Dogs are prohibited on all hiking trails, in the backcountry, and in all buildings. They must always be on a leash no more than 6 feet long, and may not be taken more than 100 feet from any roadway. Pets should not be left unattended in campgrounds or alone in vehicles (owners can be fined), and owners are required to clean up after their pets. Essentially, this means that if you take your pet into the park, it can be with you in the campgrounds and inside your vehicle, and you can walk it in parking areas -- but that's about it. It's no fun for either you or your pet.
Aside from regulations, though, you need to be concerned with your pet's well-being. Pets should never be left in closed vehicles, where temperatures can soar to over 100°F (38°C) in minutes, resulting in brain damage or death; and no animal should ever be subjected to that kind of torture.
Those who do decide to take pets with them into the park despite the above warnings should take the pets' leashes, of course; carry plenty of water -- pet shops sell clever little travel water bowls that won't spill in a moving vehicle; and proof that the dogs or cats have been vaccinated against rabies. Flea and tick spray or powder is also important.
There are no kennels inside the park. Just outside the park's east entrance, in the community of Estes Park, there are kennel facilities at Boarding House for Pets, 863 Dry Gulch Rd. (tel. 970/586-6606; fax 970/586-2732). The Animal Medical Center of Estes Park, 1260 Manford Ave. (tel. 970/586-6898), also offers pet boarding, as well as 24-hour emergency pet care. On the park's west side, the nearest boarding kennel is in Granby, about 15 miles south of the park entrance, at Granby Veterinary Clinic, 458 E. Agate Ave. (tel. 970/887-3848), which also offers complete veterinary facilities.
Although pets are not welcome on the trails or in the backcountry of Rocky Mountain National Park, leashed pets are permitted on the trails in the Arapaho and Roosevelt national forests, just outside the national park.
