Located just 50 miles from the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park, pet-friendly Cody, Wyoming is the perfect place to stop on a road trip. Known as the gateway to Yellowstone, it turns out to be a great pet-friendly destination.
** Road Trip Tips **
If you’re taking I-90 to or from Cody, consider taking a scenic drive along Highway 14A. It’s a winding road through the majestic Bighorn Mountains and won’t disappoint with its breathtaking views.
Bighorn National Forest has many pet-friendly hiking trails, so make time to stretch your legs and enjoy a picnic. Keep your dog on a leash to protect it. This is bear country, so take precautions.
Read more⇒ Hiking Safety: Encountering Predators on the Trail
Pet-Friendly Cody Sniffs Around Wyoming
“Buffalo Bill” Cody and the group of investors he assembled founded Cody in 1896. The grandeur of the scenery (not surprisingly), ranching possibilities, abundant fish and game, and proximity to Yellowstone attracted residents, and the town was incorporated in 1902, the same year Buffalo Bill opened the Irma Hotel, named after his youngest daughter.
To jump-start the struggling boomtown’s economy, Buffalo Bill persuaded his friend, President Teddy Roosevelt, to create the Bureau of Reclamation and build Shoshone Dam and Reservoir, later renamed Buffalo Bill Dam and Reservoir, which became the tallest dam in the world at the time.
Pet-friendly perspective
Cody is a true Western town, full of cowboy and frontier vibes. In fact, it hosts 45-minute gunfights every Monday through Saturday night all summer long.
Downtown Cody is a fun place to wander and window shop, and finding a place to eat is easy, with several pet-friendly restaurants.
There are even pet-friendly trolley tours, a rare treat: Give yourself an hour and we’ll take you and your pooch around the historic sites and scenery along the 22-mile route.
If you fancy a stroll, the city’s pet-friendly parks offer a variety of scenic walking trails, and for the truly adventurous, local tour companies will let your dog help tend the shop while you head out whitewater rafting or spot wild mustangs.
Pet-friendly accommodation and restaurants
GoPetFriendly.com has a huge list of pet-friendly hotels and campgrounds in Cody, as well as pet-friendly restaurants and activities.
Cody is also a great base for exploring the surrounding area, with plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy.
Pet-Friendly Day Trips from Cody
You think we’d recommend a road trip to Yellowstone? Nope! We’ve found that these trips are not only just as amazing, but a lot more fun for dogs too.
Red Lodge – Beartooth Pass – Cooke City
The drive features nearly 200 miles of some of the most stunning scenery you’ll ever see, and exploring quaint towns along the way will keep you moving.
The ski resort of Red Lodge is a special attraction, so be sure to check it out. For a little more exercise, don’t forget that pets are welcome on all trails in Shoshone National Forest, whose 2.4 million acres are home to more than 335 species of wildlife, including the largest herd of bighorn sheep in the lower 48 states and one of the few remaining populations of grizzly bears.
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
About 55 miles northeast of Cody, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is like stepping back in time.
It only takes a few hours to drive through, but you could easily spend a whole day there. Wildlife viewing is the main attraction – and we saw lots! You can also tour old ranch sites, hike pet-friendly trails, and take a boat trip through the beautiful canyons.
Medicine Wheel
Twenty miles east of Bighorn Canyon is Medicine Wheel, one of the most moving places we visited. Near the summit at 9,642 feet, you can sense the sacredness of the place. It quiets as visitors approach, and even Ty and Buster seemed to sense that this was a place to practice a little etiquette.
The 80-foot-wide stone structure is estimated to have been built between 1200 and 1700 A.D. Of course, the exact date and builder are unknown, but observing the well-trodden path, it’s clear that the site has been visited by many throughout history.
You’ll likely catch a glimpse of a pika, a rare small animal that lives at high altitudes – make sure you keep your pup on a lead to avoid stressing the local wildlife.
As you can see, pet-friendly Cody, Wyoming is a great vacation destination, and Yellowstone’s pet policy makes it difficult to enjoy the national park with pets, so don’t miss out on visiting Cody on your family vacation!
Read more⇒ Tips for Visiting Yellowstone with Pets
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