Colorado State Parks That Allow Dogs (and the Few That Restrict Them)
Nearly every Colorado state park allows leashed dogs, which makes the exceptions the useful information. Colorado Parks and Wildlife runs the parks under one statewide regulation, then adds park-specific rules on each park's trails page. This guide gives you the statewide rule, the two parks where dogs can legally run loose, the parks where they are banned from some or all trails, and what the passes cost in 2026.
The statewide rule
Regulation 2 CCR 405 #100.C.16 requires pets on state park land to be under control and on a leash not exceeding six feet. CPW spells out what does not count: an e-collar is not a leash, and a dragging leash is not control. The only exemption is an animal confined in a vehicle or vessel. Violators can be cited or evicted. Each park's activities page then flags individual trails as "Dog friendly" or "No dogs," and that per-trail list is where the surprises are.
Passes for 2026: a daily vehicle pass runs $10–$12 for Colorado plates and $15–$17 for out-of-state plates, or $4 for a walk-in. The Keep Colorado Wild pass on a Colorado vehicle registration covers entry but not the off-leash areas.
The two parks with Dog Off-Leash Areas
Only Cherry Creek State Park in Aurora and Chatfield State Park in Littleton have designated Dog Off-Leash Areas. Both require a separate Dog Off-Leash pass, $3 a day or $25 a year, covering one handler and up to three dogs, on top of the vehicle pass. Inside the area dogs must stay within visual distance and under voice control, you carry a leash and bag per dog, and the leash goes back on at the boundary. Cherry Creek's area is over 100 acres and not fully fenced along the creek; Chatfield's has ponds and the South Platte channel. Cherry Creek's area is closed October 26–30, 2026 for maintenance.
Park by park
| Park | Dogs | What CPW's park page says |
|---|---|---|
| Cherry Creek | Leashed, plus off-leash area | Off-leash area with pass; leash everywhere else in the park. Cherry Creek Basin sticker also required on the vehicle. |
| Chatfield | Leashed, plus off-leash area | Same pass system; dogs may swim inside the off-leash area. |
| Castlewood Canyon | Leashed, one trail excepted | Pets banned on the East Canyon Preservation Trail, which is itself closed Nov. 1–May 1. The Inner Canyon / Lake Gulch loop is open to leashed dogs with Cherry Creek on the canyon floor. |
| Cheyenne Mountain | Restricted | Leashed dogs only on about two miles of designated trail: Acorn Alley, Bobcat Way, Raccoon Ridge and a marked part of Soaring Kestrel. Not allowed on any other trail or in the backcountry, and not in the camper cabins. |
| Eldorado Canyon | Leashed | Rattlesnake Gulch, Fowler, Streamside and Eldorado Canyon trails listed dog friendly; free timed-entry reservation required weekends and holidays May 1–Oct. 1. Blaze orange recommended on dogs in hunting season. Rattlesnake Gulch loop. |
| Lory | Leashed | Arthur's Rock is dog friendly and hiking-only; trails close when muddy, with status on COTREX. |
| Golden Gate Canyon | Leashed | Horseshoe Trail to Frazer Meadow is dog friendly and hiking-only. Green Ranch is closed to the public in fall for managed elk hunting; general hunting in the Jefferson County portion runs from the Tuesday after Labor Day to the Friday before Memorial Day. Select cabins and yurts take pets at $10 a night. |
| Staunton | Leashed | Six-foot leash at campsites and on trails; pets may not be left unattended. |
| Mancos | Leashed | Leashed dogs permitted throughout the park, including the campground. |
| Roxborough | No dogs | CPW lists Roxborough as a no-dog park park-wide. Confirm on the park page before you drive; the trails at nearby Chatfield and Hildebrand Ranch are the alternatives. |
Water rules. Dogs can swim at Cherry Creek and Chatfield inside the off-leash areas and wade Cherry Creek at Castlewood Canyon. Swim beaches are off limits to dogs at every park that has one, and the same goes for the city-run Aurora Reservoir and Bear Creek Lake Park beaches. Cheyenne Mountain, Red Rock Canyon-style sandstone parks and the mesa trails have no water at all; carry it.
Camping in state parks with a dog
The campground rule is the trail rule: six-foot leash, under control, never left unattended at the site, waste picked up. Cheyenne Mountain's campground allows leashed pets at sites but not in the cabins, and the dogs are still limited to the designated two miles of trail. Golden Gate Canyon's pet-eligible cabins and yurts are the exception that lets you sleep indoors with the dog for $10 a night. Mancos State Park's campground near Durango takes leashed dogs throughout. See the campground directory, including Golden, Colorado Springs, Evergreen and Durango.
Planning notes
- Timed entry: Eldorado Canyon weekends and holidays May 1–Oct. 1 (free reservation). Arrive early elsewhere; Lory and Golden Gate lots fill on summer weekends.
- Heat: Castlewood Canyon is hot in July and its stone steps ice over in winter; Cheyenne Mountain's dog loop has no shade or water.
- Hunting: Golden Gate Canyon and Eldorado Canyon both recommend a bright vest on the dog in season.
- Rattlesnakes: every Front Range foothills park, April through October. Keep the leash short and the dog on trail; some Colorado Springs trainers and Denver trainers run rattlesnake-avoidance clinics in spring.
For the parks where the dog cannot come, Cheyenne Mountain's backcountry and Roxborough among them, boarding in Colorado Springs or daycare in Denver is the clean solution. More trail-by-trail rules are in our leash rules by land manager guide.