Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR, JUNE 2024: Review and Wrap Up!

Hey there Adventurers! If you are a new reader to my blog, I would like to share that many National, State, County, and other local parks have Bark Ranger programs for your dog and even for the kitties! The Sidekick and I created a #USBarkRangers, a Facebook group for Bark Ranger enthusiasts that now has over 45,000 members! We are by far the largest, and most accurate, Bark Ranger source on the internet! We have even compiled an AMAZING interactive map that we are very proud to provide! We also have an Instagram, a website, and an Ebay store (20 percent off our great looking gear right now!), so be sure to check it all out!

What is a Bark Ranger you might ask? Well, if you and your pup follow the B.A.R.K. Principles while visiting a park, they are a Bark Ranger! But, what are the B.A.R.K. principles? They are rules to follow when visiting a park, or any outdoor space with your pup! B is for Bagging the poop. A is for Always on leash. R is for Respecting wildlife. K is for Knowing where you (and the pup or cat) can go. Follow these, and your furry kid can be a BARK Ranger! But, some park sites, whether federal, state, or even local, go further and offer an actual program to complete with fun activities. Oftentimes there is a certificate and a tag as a reward. Sometimes there are bandanas. And sometimes a Park Ranger will do an actual, super cute, swearing in! These are great memories for furkids and owners!

For Maisy’s first big Bark Ranger adventure we logged about 1700 miles spanning 4 states and 13 different National Park Sites! (That is counting Ft. Caroline and Timucuan as one, and counting Arabia Mountain, an affiliated site) We made a ton of pawesome memories! Please check out these previous entries, with a really brief synopsis. Bear in mind this was June of 2024 and things may very well have changed. Take a look below at the various swag found at the parks (if any) and feel free to click the links to my thoughts on those parks from my short visits!

Canaveral National Seashore: Nothing Bark Ranger is found here, however, the park is generally dog friendly if you are not on the Atlantic side.


Fort Matanzas: Nothing Bark Ranger is found here. The Fort is not dog friendly at all, but there is a dog friendly Atlantic beach on park land.


Timucuan and Ft. Caroline: This site, specifically Fort Caroline, had a Bark Ranger Program with a free site specific wooden tag, for my first trip, but did not for this trip. Since then they have reinstated their program, but the last update from a member of our page indicates that the site may not be offering a Bark Ranger tag again. I am including a picture of the tag that Bella earned a few years ago.


Fort Frederica: There is a site specific metal tag for purchase in the visitor center. The site used to have a program, but now it seems the tag for purchase is it. I got their old Bark Ranger activity card from Ft. Pulaski just to show it.


Fort Pulaski: There is a free site specific wooden tag available at this site. This is an awesome dog friendly NPS unit!


Congaree and Reconstruction Era: Congaree sells generic Bark Ranger items, but nothing site specific. I don’t have a tag pictured for that reason. The generic ones look just like the Frederica one above but with nothing on the back side. Reconstruction Era has free site specific wooden tags for both Bark Rangers and Meow Rangers, and a certificate.


Ninety Six: There is a free site specific metal tag and certificate, plus a great informative booklet.


Cowpens and Carl Sandburg Home: Cowpens has a booklet and a really nice certificate, but only generic metal tags and stickers for sale; Carl Sandburg has a free site specific wooden tag and activity card.


Arabia Mountain and Kennesaw National Battlefield: Arabia has a free site specific bandana; Kennesaw has nothing Bark Ranger, but is a dog friendly site.


Ocmulgeee: Currently nothing Bark Ranger is available here. I am including an old activity card they gave to me. The site used to have a Bark Ranger program but currently do not. Its a great, dog friendly park and hopefully they restart!

Thanks for reading about our great Bark Ranger trip! Maisy and I are looking forward to more great #USBarkRanger adventures and we hope to see you on our Facebook group sharing your Bark Ranger adventures as well!




Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, GA.

Hey there Adventurers! At long last we arrive at the last stop on Bark Ranger Maisy’s first big #USBarkRangers trip: Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park in Macon, GA. This stop had more sentimental value to it as this was a stop I had already made before with my Bark Ranger Bella. But, this was Maisy’s turn to check out the park!

We finally got a fairly decent sign picture together!

Ocmulgee Mounds is often found on a short list of NPS sites to be promoted to the nation’s 64th National Park. Personally, I don’t see that happening, but who knows! In any event, it’s a neat site that protects traces, mostly earthworks, of thousands of years of indigenous culture, most recently Southeastern Woodlands and Mississippian peoples. The earthworks in this park include burial and ceremonial mounds, trenches, and a temple which date back 1000 years. However, there is evidence of occupation of this site going back a dozen millenia! So cool!

Maisy gave a good pose in front of this bridge. Taken by me.
Taken atop the Great Temple Mound.
This is the Great Temple Mound.
Getting up to the top of the Great Temple Mound is not terribly hard for able bodied dogs and folks, but there are a lot of steps.
This is the burial mound as seen from the top of the Great Temple Mound.

Located in Macon, the site is neither remote, nor isolated. You will hear human civilization while visiting this relatively small site. The size of this park, plus its proximity to neighborhoods and major highways is why I do not believe this will be National Park number 64. That being the case, Ocmulgee is a great historical place that is entirely dog friendly! Dogs are free to walk all the trails on leash and are allowed on all of the mounds. Note that some of the trails come with an alligator warning, so bear that in mind! My visit was in June 2024 and the site was “in between” Bark Ranger programs. As of my typing this, in March 2025 (I know…I’m behind!) it appears that is still the case. I do know that when Bella did this in 2022, they had a checklist of activities to do including taking the dog into the Earth Lodge, a reconstructed lodge near the visitor center that still has the original flooring dating back to 1015!

This is the outside of the Earth Lodge.
This is the entrance way into the Earth Lodge.
Inside the Earth Lodge. The old original floor is behind the glass.

The stop at Ocmulgee was a great ending to an awesome whirlwind trip with my new Bark Ranger Maisy! I am looking forward to more trips like this with her in the future!

Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield,GA

NPS Unit Count: 88,89

Hey there Adventurers! We are approaching the finale of Bark Ranger Maisy’s first big #USBarkRangers adventure! So far, our trip has taken us from St. Petersburg, FL, up the northeast coast of Florida, along the Georgia coast, through South Carolina, and into the bottom of North Carolina. Our last stops on the way back to Florida will see us stopping at 3 more sites in Georgia. Today’s stops saw us meeting up with another one of the moderators of the Facebook group to visit Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield.

Our first stop was Arabia Mountain. This is not a national park unit, per se, but it is an “affiliated” unit. What that means…well, I’m not entirely clear. Here is what the NPS says: “…are not units of the National Park Service and are managed by other government agencies or non-government organizations and landowners. The National Park Service is involved in related areas by directly managing the entire or sections of a related area, or by providing technical or financial assistance.” So take that as you will! Arabia Mountain is just outside of Atlanta and seems to be popular! Maisy and I met up with one of our group’s great moderators and her pups. We managed to find a park employee who gave me one of their Bark Ranger bandanas! The park visitor center is usually not open on the weekends…which is weird, considering who busy the park was, but anyway, we got the bandana! Afterward, the whole crew drove a bit down the road and took a short hike up to the top of the mountain. Mountain is a generous term for what even a sea-leveler like me would call a hill, but in any event it was a high point of the area and had some great views around! It was also very warm, despite being early in the day, and the hike to the summit is exposed, so prepare accordingly for water and sensitive paws!

Maisy and Ridge leading along the trail!
On the summit of Arabia.

After a stop at a the Varsity, a local famous eatery in downtown Atlanta (and a third failed attempt to get an MLK National Historical Park passport stamp) we found ourselves checking out Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield on the other side of the city. As opposed to all the other battlefields we visited on this trip, this one is a Civil War Battlefield, and is also very popular with the locals. There was no Bark Ranger program or swag there when we visited, although the visitor center ranger told me a different story, that they were just out of stock on swag….it’s still a mystery! In any event, the park was doing a cool battle re-creation when we were there, which was neat to see! We took a big pack walk on a trail that started at the park visitor center and made a big loop up the mountain and back around. The park was quite busy and it was great to see so many locals taking advantage of their nearby parks! FYI, the park sign for this one is right on a very busy road with no good spot to pull over. If you are like me and like getting the sign pictures, plan to do it quickly and at a time when traffic is very light!

Maisy got caugh in the middle of a yawn or something! She wasn’t actually showing her teeth! The other Bark Rangers are Bright, Tempo, and Ridge! Taken by me.
Maisy is sporting her cute hat from the Varsity! Taken by me.
Maisy says she’s tired of cannons! Taken by me.
A scene of battle re-creation at the park. Taken by me.
Maisy posing in front of a prop wagon. Taken by me.
The whole pack in front of the battlefield. Taken by me.

That wrapped up the day and Maisy and I were off to our hotel for the night ready to begin our 8 hour trip home! And there is one more stop on the way!

Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Cowpens National Battlefield, SC and Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, NC

NPS Unit Count: 86, 87

Hey there Adventurers! Continuing Bark Ranger Maisy’s first big Bark Ranger Adventure finds us checking out two more sites in the Carolinas. After departing Nintey Six National Historic Site we headed north to Cowpens National Battlefield.

I will begin by saying that I appreciate the battlefields, but generally speaking, there isn’t a whole lot to be found at these sites. From my limited experience, the battlefields are pretty bland. They are mainly open fields surrounded by woods, kinda in the middle of nowhere – good spots for a battle I guess! Cowpens seems to be similar: a big open field with nothing particularly noteworthy and a walking trail through this big open area. There is a preserved cabin of a farmer who worked the land before the government acquired it in another section of the park; you need to drive to this spot I believe.

To me, the point of the National Parks (big N big P) is to see the wonders of the natural world. The national park service units of memorials, battlefields, historic sites, etc, provide opportunities to LEARN about our history. This trip really hammered home that learning part for me. For instance, I was fully expecting all of these sites that Maisy and I visited to be Civil War sites. Instead most of them were more associated with the Revolutionary War, or even predated that. Cowpens National Battlefield preserves the site of the Battle of Cowpens in 1781. This battle was one of the largest victories of American General Daniel Morgan and one of the worst defeats of Lt. Col. Tarleton, the leader of the British Legion toward the end of the war. If you are wondering about the name, that’s the name of a nearby town.

Leaving the visitor center, which has a nice memorial, you take a semi paved/semi gravel path around the battlefield. The site does not offer a site specific Bark Ranger tag or sticker, just generic ones, but does offer a nice Cowpens Bark Ranger Certificate! There is a suggested checklist of activities to do with your Bark Ranger, but the human ranger in the visitor center didn’t really seem to care too much about any of that. You can find the Cowpens Bark Ranger info here. If you read my previous entry and look at the Bark Ranger link there, you will notice some similarities. What I really appreciated, and Maisy and I had to do, was the tip for how to shorten the walk through the area. By this time in the early afternoon, it was quite hot. These battlefields do not really offer much shade. Nintey Six was already pushing it a bit with the mid-morning summer heat. At some point on this walk, when we hit a rare shady spot, Maisy just stopped and laid down. That was all I needed to know that we were not going any further, so we took that suggested route back to the visitor center to wrap up the trip here.

The monument outside the Cowpens visitor center. Each side has info about the American forces, British forces, and the commanders of each side.
One of the steps for being a Bark Ranger at Cowpens was to take a selfie with the dog at this marker. The rangers inside didn’t really care though!
As an FYI, this is how the path starts out of the visitor center. The parts in the sun are surely pretty hot.
The path eventually gives way to gravel and even though there are many trees, there did not appear to be much shade available past this point.
And this is where the Bark Ranger said enough was enough!

After finishing up at Cowpens we continued on up into North Carolina to check out the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site. I hate to admit this, but I wasn’t really all that aware of the man and his life, so I got some more education! Sandburg was a three time Pulitzer Prize winning poet, biographer, and editor. He was also a folk musician and a civil rights activist. One of his big claims to fame was his work on the life of President Lincoln, including a spoken word performance that also netted him a Grammy Award. His house and grounds here in North Carolina is beautiful. There is also a farm on the site plus some goats and cats, just as an FYI to the dog people!

I did make a mistake in my visit here. I made some assumptions and did not check the park website. Had I done so I would have discovered a few important things. First, I pulled into the parking lot just a few minutes before 4 PM. This is one of the parks that actually closes the visitor center (the house, in this case) at 4, rather than the normal 5! Secondly, had I bothered to check, I would have seen that the first parking lot takes you to the walking path that leads to the house, except that it has a footbridge that is currently washed out. This meant taking a half mile or so detour up the mountain and around the creek just to get to the other side of the footbridge! Then it was almost straight up hill to the house. I had grabbed Maisy, of course, and we tried to book it, but there was no way to make it by 4. I made a call from the trail just a few minutes before 4 and the ranger who answered was super excited to hear about #USBarkRangers and she was nice enough to leave the activity cards and some cool wooden tags sitting out for me! Turns out, we actually made it to the front door exactly at 4:00 and it was locked. They are prompt! Obviously I didn’t get to see the inside of the house; however, with the dog, that wasn’t an option anyway. Dogs are generally not allowed inside the buildings, even in the most dog friendly of sites.

Maisy says “Too many sign pictures dad! ”
Also, Dad, this house is much bigger with a much bigger yard than my house….

Despite the house/visitor center being closed, the grounds were still open, so Maisy and I did some exploring and checked out the area. We actually ran into a few rangers and had some chats about the site and Bark Rangers. I also discovered there was a second parking lot that actually came up the mountain a pretty decent way which would have been great info to have…again, be sure to check out those park websites! The last thing I will add is that there is a popular and pretty interesting looking trail that goes to the summit of the mountain the house sits on. As it has been a long day, and I think we were both pretty pooped, we just opted to head into the local town and find a good beer. A good dog friendly spot I found is Trailside Brewing Co. It is dog friendly and has both a large indoor and outdoor area, plus food truck service. It was a good spot to end this portion of the trip!

And these flowers are pretty toooooo…..
There is a herd of goats here. The area is actually open to visitors up until about 30 minutes before the visitor center closes. But dogs are not allowed in at all. Not even service animals.
Ooh. What is this fluffy thing? Looks like something I might want to eat! …. Dogs cannot be around the goats, obviously. Maisy is maybe part border collie, so I am sure she was really wanting to go herd this goat!

It was a long day trekking through the Carolinas and another great Bark Rangering day was in the books! The next day took us to Georgia to see Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield.

Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Ninety Six National Historic Site, South Carolina

NPS Unit Count: 85

Hey there Adventurers! Continuing on Bark Ranger Maisy’s grand summer tour, we find ourselves at Ninety Six National Historic Site, located near the small town of the same name, in South Carolina.

This particular park is even more noteworthy for our Bark Ranger adventure because one of the moderators/admin of our #USBarkRangers facebook page is a volunteer in the park and created their Bark Ranger Program! How cool! Ninety Six National Historic Site is indeed an odd name, and to boot, the origin of the name is not entirely certain! The most accepted origin of the name is in reference to the distance from the town to the Cherokee town of Keowee….which is 78 miles… Another possible source of the name has something to do with the creeks and streams in the area. Whatever the origins, this site was a town of loyalists with a star fort providing protection. The first South Carolina battle of the US Revolution was fought here. Patriots tried unsuccessfully to take ammunition that the loyalists had seized. Later the British fortified the site during the war and patriots again tried to take the town but were unsuccessful.

Today, the site consists of a 1 mile interpretive trail starting at the visitor center, crossing through the woods and over the old colonial road bed, and meandering past the earthen remains of the star fort. From there, the path loops back around through the old town site (there are no remains of buildings – they were burned down by the British when the town was abandoned), past a stockade fort, past the Logan Log House – the oldest house in the area, built in the 1700s- and back around to the visitor center.

One of the old roads running through the site. Taken by me.
It may not look like much, but this is the remains of the old star fort, which was enough to repel two patriot attacks during the US Revolution.
View of the open grounds area surrounding the fort remains. Taken by me from a nice elevated observation deck.
Bark Ranger Maisy posing in front of the stockade fort. Taken by me.
The Bark Ranger posing in front of the Logan Log House. This used to be the visitor center for the site. The house was closed when we were there. Taken by me.

The Bark Ranger program here is very well done, of course! The member of our mod team who put the program together did an amazing job and you can find the details here! Miss Maisy and I got to meet her and take a nice tour of the area with her. The Bark Ranger activity guide lists several places to stop for photo ops and to reflect on the area’s history with your furry Ranger friend! After we completed the loop and returned to the visitor center we met with the human ranger who worked with our mod on the program, for a certificate and tag!

Love seeing a Bark Ranger advertisement on the park bulletin board!
One of the photo op spots on the interpretive trail. Taken by our group mod who created this Bark Ranger program!
On a hot day this is a nice spot to stop for some shade! This is the only tree in the fort area and a nice calm spot to chill! Taken by me.

Ninety Six is, of course, one of the smaller units of the National Park System. However, this is a neat historical site and worth the stop if you are in the area, and if you have your Bark Ranger, a must stop! Logistically, it fit in nicely with my trip. The site is a bit to the west of Columbia and my route here was Columbia to Ninety Six, then due north to Cowpens National Battlefield, and then up and over to the Carl Sandburg House, the next stops on the trip!

Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Reconstruction Era National Historical Park (very briefly) and Congaree National Park, SC

NPS Unit Count: 84

Hey there Adventurers! That NPS Unit count is getting up there! I never really intended (and still don’t!) to hit all the NPS units – just the National Parks. That being the case it appears that 200 or so of them is probably not out of the question when this journey to 63 (or however many that number ends up being) concludes!

After departing Ft. Pulaski, Bark Ranger Maisy and I headed northwest toward Congaree National Park with a side trip to Reconstruction Era National Historical Park. This was the same day as Fort Pulaski. We spent a lot more time at Pulaski than planned, it was such a great spot to visit with Maisy! That meant we were really pushing it on time.

Maisy and I really didn’t actually “do” Reconstruction Era. Found in Beaufort, SC, Reconstruction Era is about a 35 minute detour off the I-95 path from Savannah to Congaree. I definitely wanted to get to Congaree before the visitor center closed. In addition, most of the sites to visit in Reconstruction were an additional 15 to 20 minutes further, one way- the wrong way, and there was no way to visit them and still make Congaree before the visitor center closed up. Instead, we basically hung out with the Reconstruction Park Rangers for a bit and talked Bark Ranger stuff! They also have a Meow Ranger tag for well behaved cats to earn! How cool! In any event, Maisy and I took pictures with the park sign, then the rangers came outside and visited with her! Definitely worth the side trip, even if not seeing the park proper!

We nearly forgot to get this pic! Taken by me.

The park features several notable sites. The visitor center is an historic firehouse. There is a church, Brick Baptist, built by slaves who were not allowed to be seen by white parishioners. The church was taken by a large group of slaves in 1861 and is the oldest church in the area. Darrah Hall is a school that was built in the 1860s and was used by freed slaves. It is also part of the larger Gullah cultural heritage in the area. I have included a link to Wikipedia about the Gullah culture. I strongly encourage you to read it. This is not something you learn in school. At least I sure did not. Maybe folks in the local area do, but I cannot recall ever hearing about it until I made this trip! Lastly, there is the Emancipation Tree in a location where the Emancipation Proclamation was first read to the slaves and then were invited to enlist in the army. If you make it to this area, give it a visit and do better than I was able to!

After the brief stop at Reconstruction we were off to Congaree National Park. I visited this park previously in 2019 and now it is included in a short list of Denali, Everglades, Rocky Mountain, and (maybe) Kenai Fjords as National Parks with multiple visits. As was the theme with the trip, the importance to getting to Congaree was to Bark Ranger! This park is extremely dog friendly. In fact, every single trail is dog friendly, and they are allowed off trail as well (a warning on that later). They do have a checklist of activities to do for being a Bark Ranger, however, they only have a generic Bark Ranger sticker and dog tag for purchase.

Not cooperative. Again. Taken by me as best as could be done!

Most visitors, myself included, are probably going to mostly stick to the 2.5ish mile loop trail behind the visitor center. This trail is entirely boardwalk, very buggy, very muggy, and at times is elevated pretty high up and very confined. If you or your dog have a problem with any of those things, be warned. There are a couple side trails off of this boardwalk, and there is a good spot to get out into the wilderness. Note that there is a lake near the wilderness access area. I saw a gator hanging out, so they are in the area. There are also snakes here, including a handful of venomous species. And never forget about ticks!

This is one of the first things a visitor sees when entering the Visitor Center!
This is one of the next things you see when coming to the visitor center!
This view gives you an idea of the enclosed area of the boardwalk trail.
Here is another area of the boardwalk. If your dog is the type that likes to dart through spaces, be careful in these sections – there is no barrier between the boards!
Here is another section of the boardwalk. This is ground level and obviously has no barriers. This particular spot is where one can go off the board walk out into the woods…
But be careful, this fella was not too far from that off-boardwalk spot!

As an aside, Congaree is oftentimes given a bad rap about being a National Park. You are not going to get any great stunning views here. Outside of some flat trails, and some kayaking and canoeing opportunities in the namesake Congaree river, you aren’t finding a great variety of exciting things to do. The park was created to protect the largest remaining track of bottomland hardwood forest left in the country. Some of the trees are gigantic, and the largest in the eastern part of the country. To me, it’s a well deserved National Park, but I can see why some people are not so gung ho on this one. Another great reason to visit is the park’s very close proximity to Columbia, SC. There are major airlines serving the city, plus it is relatively close to both Atlanta and Charlotte. The park is only 30 minutes or so outside of town. And on that note, I do have a dog friendly Columbia recommendation: Jakes. This is a fun, very dog friendly spot. There is an outdoor bar and music area where dogs can be off-leash. There is an inside area, as well, to order food. You are allowed to eat outside with all the dogs, which is the only thing I would warn in case food aggression is something to worry about.

That concludes the Reconstruction and Congaree portion of our big road trip! Both spots are great dog friendly spots to visit and worth the trip if you are in the vicinity! Next up: Nintey Six National Historic Site.

Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Fort Pulaski National Monument, Georgia.

NPS Unit Count: 83

Hey there Adventurers! Sorry for the delay. There were hurricanes, etc! Fort Pulaski National Monument was the next stop of Bark Ranger Maisy’s grand summer tour! When I began this whole National Parks thing several years ago, I always envisioned completing all the “big” parks and doing the smaller units only if they were an easy. I have since altered my opinion on that somewhat! Some of the “smaller” NPS units are quite interesting and can offer a lengthy exploration! Additionally, Bark Ranger programs are more likely to be found at those sites! Fort Pulaski is one of those smaller units that I very much enjoyed visiting.

Maisy said she was getting tired of canons! Taken by me.

Fort Pulaski National Monument is located between Savannah, GA, and Tybee island on Cockspur Island, at the mouth of the Savannah River. The location was strategically important to the United States after The War of 1812. The Savannah River leads to a major port and the US wanted to shore up defenses here. During the Civil War, Georgia utilized the fort for Confederate purposes. Ultimately, the Union was able to take the fort at the end of 1861, blocking the port of Savannah from Confederate use.

Walking in through what I would called the ramparts, but I think technically called demilune. That was the first drawbridge for defense. Taken by me.

Today the fort seems well preserved. It was in disrepair in the 1920s and the war department handed it over to the National Park Service for preservation. It was then briefly used for military purposes, again, during World War 2 but relinquished back to the NPS afterward and has been a National Monument ever since.

Getting ready to cross the second draw bridge in to the fort proper. Taken by me.

The site is actually really neat! The fort is totally dog accessible, including the upper floor. I chose not to take Bark Ranger Maisy up there. She doesn’t always act right and I didn’t need an incident of a dog, and possibly a human tumbling over the edge! The restorations are very nicely done with several rooms restored to their old purposes. There is a gift shop inside the fort. In addition to the visitor center, a Bark Ranger tag can be procured at a kiosk outside this gift shop. The grounds around the fort are all walkable and dog friendly. There is a trail on the periphery that goes about a 2 mile round trip out to a view of a lighthouse. The lighthouse itself is a ways off and there is really no way to access it this way.

Maisy inspects the inside grounds of the fort! Taken by me.
Maisy checking out one of the restored interior sleeping rooms. Taken by me.
This is a room where the canons would have been, originally. The rails on the floor where to swivel the canons for firing. Taken by me.
Bark Ranger Maisy on patrol, monitoring the moat! Taken by me.
After inspecting the moat it was time for a quick break! Taken by me.
The Cockspur Island lighthouse found at the end of the trail.

Maisy and I really enjoyed this site! We spent several hours here exploring and learning the history of the fort! If you are looking for a fleshed out Bark Ranger Program, they no longer do that, but they do still have the nice wooden tags, and the entire area, except the visitor center, is dog friendly! Well worth the trip!

Next up: Reconstruction Era National Historical Park and Congaree National Park

Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Fort Frederica National Monument, GA.

NPS unit count: 82

Hey there Adventurers! The next stop on Bark Ranger Maisy’s grand summer tour took us to Fort Frederica National Monument, halfway between Jacksonville and Savannah, near the Georgia coast. The site includes the ruins of the fort and the town that supported the fort.

This British fort was constructed in the first half of the 1700s to protect the colony of Georgia from the Spanish. In 1742 the Spanish did try to invade and were repelled by the British forces. Soon after, the British removed the troops and the town fell into hardship. A fire damaged the town in the 1750s, and by the early 1760s it was entirely abandoned. Now, all that remains are the earthworks of the wall that surrounded the town, a small sectioned of the fort ruins, a bit of the old barracks, and some of the town buildings’ foundations.

It took a lot of attempts just to even get this annoyed side eye picture!
This site is very dog friendly! It is very hot in the summer so we appreciated the dog water station!
Maisy posing in front of the British Flag. The background structure is the King’s Magazine, and the only remaining structure from the fort.

This site is on our map for Bark Ranger locations, but there is no actual Bark Ranger Program here anymore. Once upon a time they did have an actual program, but now all that is available is purchasing a site specific metal Bark Ranger tag. That being the case, the entire site is dog friendly except for the visitor center/gift shop and is a nice stop to take your Bark Ranger! Maisy enjoyed her time here a lot! She also was very interested in the deer that wandered through the site, so be on the look out for that! The R in B.A.R.K. stands for “Respect the wildlife”, so be sure to mind that! I will also add that the park closes at 5 PM but they have a gate that opens when you leave after hours.

Maisy posing in front of some of the ruins in the town area.
Maisy wonders what these redcoats were all about!
The Bark Ranger investigates the info cards of the town!
All that remains of any of the town buildings are the foundations, if even that.
This is the King’s Magazine, the only remaining part of the fort.
Maisy says she’s tired of posing in front of forts and canons!
The dad gets a picture too! This is all that remains of the barracks.
Maisy in the barracks ruins.

Next up: Fort Pulaski National Monument

Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve/Fort Caroline National Memorial, FL

NPS unit count: 80, 81

Well, that title is quite the mouthful! Fort Caroline National Memorial is a part of Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve, but they are regarded somewhat separately at the same time. This spot was the next stop of Bark Ranger Maisy’s big summer tour!

This visit to Timucuan National Ecological and Historical Preserve included stops to Fort Caroline, the Ribault Monument, and the Kingsley Plantation. As of the writing of this entry in September, there is currently no Bark Ranger program here, though there was just a year ago in the Spring of 2023.

As became a feature of this trip, it took a great many attempts to get a decent Bark Ranger and sign picture!

Our first stop was to Fort Caroline. The Ranger I spoke with here seemed very excited about our group. He asked for video of my OG Ranger Bella’s swearing-in in 2023, took pictures of Maisy in her bandana, and took pictures of my USBarkRangers T-shirt! He is hopeful they can restart the program soon. Fort Caroline is essentially where the French tried to establish their presence in Florida after Spain had already done so. The local Timucua peoples, where the name of the site comes from, numbered nearly 200,000 at the time. A few hundred years later they were essentially extinct. The fort is on the southern shores of the St. John’s River between Jacksonville and the Atlantic coast. This entire area is dog friendly, other than inside the visitor center! We walked the nice 1.5 mile loop around the area which includes the fort. It’s pretty level, save for a couple slopes and big steps. Dogs are allowed in side the fort. There is another trail across the street to the Spanish Pond which is also dog friendly and about 2.5 miles long. It was pouring, so we opted to skip. We also visited the nearby Ribault Monument nearby and then took the long side trip to the Kingsley Plantation.

This is the outer wall of the fort. Taken by me.
The entrance to the fort proper.
Bark Ranger Maisy investigating an info sign about the people who were involved with the fort.
The view inside of the fort. Taken by me.
Bark Ranger Maisy checking out the canon aim!
The stairs up to the monument.
This is the monument. It is a replica of a marker put here to commemorate France taking Florida in 1562. Taken by me.

North of the St. Johns River is where you find more of the Timucuan preserve area and the Kingsley Plantation. Even though I said it’s a long trip from Ft. Caroline, it should be noted that near Ft. Caroline there is a small car ferry which leaves every 30 minutes to take you much closer to the plantation site. However, I drove the long way to avoid waiting a potentially longer wait for the ferry. The plantation is pretty remote but offers a complicated history, steeped in slavery. The site is dog friendly, save for inside the structures. Be sure to check it out if you are in this neck of the woods! You do have to go out of your way to get to both Ft. Caroline and the plantation, but the fort is far more easily accessible. If you have your pup, it is well worth the side trip to do some Bark Rangering!

Ruins along the road up to the plantation. Tabby is a type of concrete made using oyster shells that was used by Spanish settlers in Florida. Taken by me.
Maisy checking out the plantation grounds.
Maisy investigating the ruins of the sites slave quarters.

Next up: Fort Frederica National Monument

Bark Ranger Maisy’s GRAND SOUTHEASTERN TOUR JUNE 2024: Fort Matanzas National Monument, FL

NPS unit count: 79

Hey there Adventurers! Stop number 2 on #USBarkRangers Maisy’s grand tour of the southeast was Ft. Matanzas National Monument in St. Augustine, FL! I forgot to take a picture of the sign, so the cover photo is just the Ft. Matanzas beach….oops!

Click on the image to go directly to the interactive map on #USBarkRangers facebook group!

Some of the entries in this tour will be shorter than others, and this will be one of the shorter ones. If traveling with your pup, this is not going to be a long stop. If you look at the park website it indicates there is a Bark Ranger Program there, however there is not, and this location is not on our map, accordingly. That park website page was last updated over 4 years ago! The out of date info found on NPS websites is one of the reasons why the Sidekick and I created the Bark Ranger group!

Fort Matanzas proper, is accessed only by ferry, and neither the ferry, nor the fort are dog friendly. This fort is old but not as old as others around. Originally a Spanish fort, this one was built in the mid 1700s to protect a backdoor into St. Augustine that would get around the much older, but larger Castillo de San Marcos, the fort that everyone associates with St. Augustine. Fort Matanzas was only engaged in one altercation, and it wasn’t too many years later that it fell into British control, then back to Spain, before the US gained control about 80 years after it was built. By that point the fort has fallen to ruin so the US never really utilized it. The part of the park that is accessible by pups includes the visitor center grounds and a beach across the main road. There are a couple really short trails nearby that dogs can use, on leash of course! I did speak very briefly to the ranger in the small visitor center/ticket facility. It was crowded so I only chatted briefly. He mentioned the park used to have the program years back but has no real plans to bring it back.

Bark Ranger Maisy looking over taking pictures!

The short trail near the visitor center that is dog friendly is only about 3 tenths of a mile long, and is mostly boardwalk. It does not really lead to anything, more of just a small stretch break. Across the road from the entrance is the access to the Ft. Matanzas Beach. This is a dog friendly, on leash beach that’s actually on park land! Be sure to watch out for stranded or dead jellyfish on the beach! The highlight of this park for Maisy and I was the beach. This NPS unit would be best combined with a day trip to Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, also in St. Augustine, and/or Canaveral National Seashore a little ways down the road.

Looking picture grump on the beach!
She is a water dog through and through though, and loved it!

Next up: Timicuan Ecological and Historical Preserve.