Tips For Visiting The Grand Canyon With Pets

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Recently my wife Sabrina and I took an RV trip to the Grand Canyon, and of course, we had our dog Belle with us. Today I want to share some tips about traveling to the Grand Canyon with your dog.

Which side of the Grand Canyon?

We recommend visiting the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, which is already known to be the more dog-friendly side of the Grand Canyon because this is where Yavapai Lodge is. This lodge is the only pet-friendly lodge in the Grand Canyon. The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is the only area with a pet kennel on the property. The South Rim also has over twelve miles of paved dog-friendly paths. Dogs are allowed almost everywhere in the South Rim except for shuttle buses and trails below the rim. If it is a paved walkway, you are good to go. This includes all the scenic overlooks as well.

Tips

One tip that may seem obvious is to bring water. Bring more than you usually would because the air is dry at the South Rim. Combine that with its high elevation of over 7,000 feet you will dehydrate faster than you think, and so will your pet. We also recommend getting to the park early. Before 8 am would be ideal. This will not only help keep you and your pet out of the heat of the day, but it’s also way less crowded at these times. This is also good for Belle because she gets overwhelmed easily in crowds. When we would arrive before 9 am, we felt like we had the canyon to ourselves. Once the sun was out in full force, we would leave, not only because of crowds but also because the paved blacktop trail would become very hot. So when you plan your visit, be aware that your pets’ paws may need protection if you spend the whole day at the canyon. We were at the Grand Canyon for five days, so it was no big deal for us to leave mid-day and return at night.

Another obvious tip may be ensuring your pet is always on a leash and easily controlled. Most of the South Rim has no guard or rail to stop you from walking right off the edge, and small Prairie dogs are running around. Prairie dogs are the size of a squirrel, so if your dog likes to chase, you need to be ready to hold them back cause the prairie dogs will run to the edge and climb down. A fair number of lizards also run and climb out on the rocks.

What if you do not want to bring your dog for the day?

If you want to hike below the South Rim or are limited on time and want to make the most of your day, we recommend using the kennel service provided on the South Rim. The kennel is open from 7:30 am to 5 pm. They also have overnight boarding available. The kennel costs about $25 a night.
https://www.nps.gov/places/000/grand-canyon-kennel.htm

One day we did not take Belle to the Canyon with us because we met friends there in the middle of the day, but we stayed at the Grand Canyon Camper Village, only two miles away from the entrance. So if you are comfortable leaving your pet alone for a few hours, this can also be an option for visiting the canyon in the heat of the day. We had our Waggle Pet Monitor turned on in the RV. Also, we now have our Battle Born Battery system in place, so if the power did go out at the campground, our A/C would continue to run until we returned. Belle was only left alone for under four hours and did just fine back at the campground.

Would we recommend the Campground?

We would recommend the Grand Canyon Camper Village campground because of its location. However, this isn’t it if you are looking for amenities like pools, hot tubs, playgrounds, or dog parks. Grand Canyon Camper Village is a campground, not an RV park. This worked out perfectly for us as we were busy sightseeing every day. It is also within walking distance of a great pizza shop called We Cook Pizza & Pasta. This Pizza place has a dog-friendly patio to which we could take Belle. We liked it so much that we ate there twice throughout the week.

Well, that is my tips for a successful Grand Canyon trip with your dog. I hope you find this helpful. If you visit the Grand Canyon, please be sure to tell us about it. If you have any other tips, leave them in the comment section or Contact Us page to help others.

Take care of all, and safe travels!