BARK Ranger Events

Gateway Arch National Park is hosting a BARK Ranger event on Saturday, October 17, starting at 10 AM. It's a free morning for dog owners, with walks, scavenger hunts, and a pet costume parade. The parade is outdoors, so it'll be called off if the weather turns.

The B.A.R.K. Ranger program is the park's way of welcoming well-behaved pets. To get involved, you bring your pet to the visitor center's entrance desk during open hours and show photos or videos of them following the B.A.R.K. principles to earn a special keepsake prize. The tags are only available in person, so you'll need to stop by the desk to get yours. The acronym stands for Bag Your Poo, Always Wear a Leash (no more than six feet), Respect Wildlife, and Know Where You Can Go. Cats are welcome outdoors too, on leashes or in strollers, bags, or backpacks.

The setting is the Gateway Arch itself, the nation's tallest monument, standing along the Mississippi Riverfront in downtown St. Louis and commemorating the Western expansion of the United States. It anchors the 91-acre Gateway Arch National Park, which also takes in the Old Courthouse, the Museum at the Gateway Arch, and the Gateway Arch Riverboats; visitors ride innovative trams to the top. The event kicks off at the park entrance at 10 AM, and it's free and open to everyone.