Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Big Sky and Bozeman

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Yellowstone

Pets are allowed only in developed areas and within 100 feet of roads, parking areas and campgrounds, on a lead no longer than six feet, in a crate or in the car. No boardwalks, hiking trails, backcountry or thermal areas, and that includes a dog carried in a backpack, stroller or carrier. Pets can't be left unattended or tied up. For a dog owner the park is a drive-through, so plan the walking outside it.

Bozeman off-lead parks

Burke Park, or Peets Hill, is 60 acres with 3.2 miles of trail blocks from Main Street, off-lead unless signed otherwise, with parking on Church Avenue at East Story Street. Snowfill Recreation Area is 37 fenced hillside acres with about two miles of trail, waste stations and a water pump for dogs, about 10 minutes from downtown off McIlhattan Drive. At Bozeman Pond Park dogs are off-lead inside the fenced Lewis and Bark Dog Park and on a lead elsewhere.

Eating out in Big Sky

The Wilson Hotel lists nine Town Center patios that take dogs: Ousel & Spur Pizza Co, Blue Moon Bakery, Tips Up, Block 3 Kitchen & Bar, Tres Toros Tacos & Tequila, Beehive Basin Brewery, Caliber Coffee Roasters, By Word of Mouth and The Waypoint. That is the hotel's list, so check with the venue on the day.

Dogs left in the room

Not at The Wilson or The Wren, which both say a dog can't be left alone. Sage Lodge says there is no housekeeping while a dog is alone in the room, so confirm its rule with the lodge when you book. The LARK and Lone Mountain Ranch don't publish one.

Fees

USD 35 a night at The LARK, The Wren and Sage Lodge, capped at USD 70 per stay at the first two. USD 100 plus tax per room at The Wilson, where you should ask whether that is per stay or per night. USD 50 per pet, per night at Lone Mountain Ranch plus a refundable USD 500 deposit.

Forest trails and bears

We couldn't confirm the lead rule for Custer Gallatin National Forest, so ring the Supervisor's Office on 406-587-6710 or the Bozeman Ranger District before a hike. The forest says Montana is bear country and that a food storage order is in place. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks advises carrying bear spray somewhere easy to reach and learning how to use it.

Glacier

If Glacier is on your route, the park allows dogs in developed areas only: in vehicles on park roads, frontcountry campgrounds, picnic areas and parking areas, on a lead of six feet or less. Not on trails or in the backcountry. The one exception is the bike path between Apgar and West Glacier, which takes dogs on a lead when it is free of snow.

Reserving a dog room

Dog rooms are limited at The LARK, The Wren and Sage Lodge, so reserve ahead. The LARK asks you to call 866.464.1000 before booking, and both The LARK and The Wren have you sign a pet agreement at check-in.

Best walks

In Bozeman, Burke Park on Peets Hill for 3.2 miles of off-lead trail a few blocks from Main Street, Snowfill Recreation Area for 37 fenced off-lead acres with a water pump for dogs, and the fenced Lewis and Bark Dog Park at Bozeman Pond Park. In Big Sky, the Town Center patios are the sourced dog-friendly ground, and the forest trails around it need a call to the ranger district on lead rules first. In Yellowstone the walk is the roadside and the car parks, within 100 feet.

When to go

Summer is the easy season for the Bozeman trail parks. Peets Hill and Snowfill can be icy in winter and muddy in autumn and spring, and Peets Hill turns into a fast sledding hill in winter, so keep a dog close then. Glacier's Apgar bike path only takes dogs when it is free of snow. If you're coming to Big Sky in ski season, ask Lone Mountain Ranch which of its trails take dogs in winter before you book.