Can I Legally Take My Dog Into Acadia National Park?

Living in Maine, we get asked this quite a lot.

Yes, you can bring your best friend into Acadia National Park, but with a few stipulations, and they are banned from certain areas of the Park.

With more even more visitors both human and canine visiting the park this year, the amount of dog bites has risen quite a bit!  Rangers respond to these instances more than they care to.  If visitors to Maine's most popular vacation destination just take a few precautions, then everything and everyone will have a happy and safe visit.

The biggest rule is that your pet must be on a leash, no longer than 6 feet in length.  We imagine that this not only pertains to dogs, but to just about any mammal other than a human that can walk.  Yes, we saw a video of a lady walking a tortoise and then a pig this summer.  As you know, when you have your dog....or pig on a leash, your dog or pig is then pretty much under control.

Pets must not be left alone or unattended.  If your pet poops, then you MUST CLEAN IT UP AND TAKE IT AWAY.

Pets are banned from Sand Beach, public buildings within the Park, Sieur de Monts and the Duck Harbor Campground.  Most of the lakes within Acadia National Park are public water sources, and your pet may not swim in them.

Certain Park trails either ban pets, or,  are not recommended because of one reason or another, such as safety concerns.

Acadia National Park has a full page on its website with everything you need to know about bringing your dog along for the ride, or walk for that matter.

https://www.nps.gov/audiovideo/acad/B986ED65-1DD8-B71B-0B4B95EEB5FD3CBC/acad-ProTip4_640x360.mp4