State Parks with Pet-Friendly Cabins

Posted by Lauren Barker

While camping is a great way to enjoy a state park with Fido, not everyone is up for pitching a tent or driving an RV. Thankfully, many state parks provide visitors and their canine companions with a fun alternative to avoid the hassle of setting up camp and dealing with the elements. You and your pup can enjoy all the creature comforts while dwelling in the great outdoors at these state parks that welcome furry visitors in their cozy cabins.

Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area

Meacham, OR
The scenery is beautiful year-round. Photo by @oregonstateparks

Cozy up with your canine at one of the four pet-friendly cabins at Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area. The rustic cabins are equipped with a small refrigerator, table with chairs, lights, and heating. On the covered front porch, you’ll find a propane stove and oven for cooking up a delicious meal to share with Fido. A shared campground restroom with hot showers is situated nearby. The park is open year-round, ideal for summer hikes along miles of pet-friendly trails as well as snowshoeing with your pup in winter. Two pets of any size are permitted for an additional fee of $10 per stay.

Ponca State Park

Ponca, NE
Your home away from home. Photo by Ponca State Park

Fido will have his pick of lodging options at Ponca State Park Campground. Stay in one of 25 year-round cabins with two or four bedrooms, each featuring a full kitchen, bathroom, indoor fireplace, WiFi, and cable television. Eco-minded campers can enjoy one of the two green cabins constructed of straw bales. They also include a kitchen, bathroom, big-screen TV, WiFi, and a gas grill. Four seasonal rustic cabins are available from April through mid-November, each with a kitchenette, bathroom, and air conditioner. When you’re ready to venture out, you and your pooch can explore 22 miles of scenic trails along the Missouri River bluffs at Ponca State Park. Two pets of any size are welcome in cabins for an additional fee of $15 per stay.

Occoneechee State Park

Clarksville, VA
Relax with Fido on the wraparound deck. Photo by Occoneechee State Park

Book a week away at one of the 11 cabins located at Occoneechee State Park Campground. Each cabin features a kitchen with refrigerator and stove, rustic furniture, fireplace, picnic table and grill, and a wraparound deck with rocking chairs. Four cabins have views of Buggs Island Lake. Boat launching is free for all overnight guests, so bring your pontoon, fishing boat, canoe, or kayak, or rent one at the park. The lake has been home to record-setting catfish, so don’t forget your rod and reel. Fido can also enjoy hiking on over 14 miles of trails throughout the forest and along the lakeshore. Pets of any size are allowed in cabins for an additional fee of $10 per pet, per night.

Lake Catherine State Park

Hot Springs, AR
Nestled right on the shores of Lake Catherine. Photo by Lake Catherine State Park

Located in the beautiful Ouachita Mountain region, Lake Catherine State Park Campground welcomes canine campers in one rustic and four duplex cabins. Each furnished home features modern conveniences and includes a kitchen, wood-burning fireplace, and screened-in porch with lake views. The rustic-style cabin was built of native log and stone in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, but it has been updated with comfortable amenities for you and your canine companion. During your stay in the park, take Fido on a hike to Falls Creek Falls, a seasonal scenic waterfall, cast a line from one of the fishing piers, or rent a pontoon boat and head out onto the water for the day. Two dogs of any size are permitted in cabins for an additional fee of $40 per pet, per stay.

Pymatuning State Park

Andover, OH
Plenty of space to walk Fido. Photo by Facebook.com/pymatuningstateparkohio

Situated on the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania, Pymatuning State Park Campground welcomes Fido in four year-round preferred cabins which include air conditioning for summer stays and fireplaces for cozy winter evenings. Pups are also permitted in five basic cabins available from May 1 through November 1. Every cabin features a furnished living room, kitchen, bathroom with shower, cable TV, linens, towels, and cooking utensils. They also have outdoor grills and fire rings. During your stay at the park, your pooch can join you on a boat or while fishing for walleye on the 14,000-acre reservoir, and is permitted on the four scenic trails. Located in the “snow belt” region, the park also allows for winter recreation like ice fishing and cross-country skiing. Two pets of any size are accepted in cabins. There is an additional $10 fee for all pet-friendly cabins, whether you bring a pet or not.

Patagonia Lake State Park

Nogales, AZ
Watch the sunset from your cabin’s porch. Photo by @azstateparks

Furry explorers are permitted in two camping cabins at Patagonia Lake State Park Campground and Cabins, a desert oasis in southern Arizona. Each unit includes a queen-size bed, two sets of bunk beds, a table and chairs, mini-fridge and microwave, and heating and air conditioning. You’ll also have an outdoor barbecue grill, fire ring, and gorgeous views of the lake. Bathrooms with showers are only a short walk from the cabins. The park permits leashed pets on the creekside trail, where you’re likely to encounter roadrunners, whitetail deer, and the occasional javelina. Fido can also join you on the 265-acre lake for a day of fishing or boating. Two pets of any size are allowed in cabins Two and Three for an additional fee of $5 per pet, per night.

Crooked River State Park

St. Marys, GA
A peaceful escape under Spanish moss. Photo by Crooked River State Park

Four pet-friendly cabins are nestled along the tidal river beneath oak trees draped in Spanish moss at Crooked River State Park Campground. Each has a full bathroom, kitchen, and screened-in porch, and comes equipped with air conditioning for the summer and an electric fireplace for colder months. Venture out among the park’s 500 acres to explore the Intracoastal waterway, or hike along four miles of trails through maritime forest. Be on the lookout for wildlife like gopher tortoises and fiddler crabs. Alligators can frequent the area, too, so always keep your pup leashed. Two dogs of any size are welcome in select cabins for an additional fee of $50 per pet, per stay.

Whitewater Memorial State Park

Liberty, IN
Quiet, lakefront cabins. Photo by Facebook.com/BrookvilleWhitewater

Adventure hounds will enjoy a stay at one of five dog-friendly cabins at Whitewater Memorial State Park Campground in eastern Indiana. Spend a day hiking with Fido on 16 miles of trails, or exploring the park’s 200-acre Whitewater Lake and Brookville Reservoir. Then let your tired pup curl up next to the fire pit outside your private cabin or relax on the screened-in porch. Each unit includes a full kitchen and bath, heating and A/C. Cabins are spaced out for privacy and most have a few trees to provide shade. Two pets of any size are allowed in select cabins for no additional fee.

State Forest State Park

Walden, CO
A rustic getaway with Fido. Photo by Colorado State Parks and Wildlife

Marvel at breathtaking views of the Medicine Bow Mountains from a rustic or deluxe cabin at State Forest State Park Campground in Walden, CO. Rustic cabins in the North Michigan section of the park allow you to “ruff” it with Fido in units featuring vault toilets, solar-powered lighting, a propane stove, grill, fire pit, and lake views. Rustic cabins in the North Park section provide a few more luxuries like power outlets and electrical stoves, along with restrooms and hot showers nearby. The deluxe cabins in North Park are designed for people and pups who prefer a few more comforts from home, including full bathrooms and hot showers. However, deluxe cabins are only available in summer. Leashed dogs are permitted on all hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing trails throughout the park. Two pets of any size are welcome in cabins for an additional fee of $10 per night.

Cape Disappointment State Park

Ilwaco, WA
Situated on the shores of Lake O’Neil. Photo by Cape Disappointment State Park

Bring Fido to the Long Beach Peninsula, where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean, and vacation at Cape Disappointment State Park Campground and Cabins. Dogs are permitted in three cabins nestled in the forest along the shores of Lake O’Neil. Each home away from home includes electricity, heat, locking doors, an outdoor fire pit, and a six-foot covered front porch. Bathrooms with hot showers are nearby. The park welcomes dogs on eight miles of hiking trails through old-growth forests, freshwater lakes, and saltwater marshes. Fido is also allowed on the beach, where he can help you dig for clams. Two dogs of any size are allowed in cabins C1-C3 for an additional fee of $15 per night.

Have you vacationed in a state park with dog-friendly cabins? Leave a comment or tweet us @BringFido!

Banner photo by iStock/ s-eyerkaufer.