Rail operator · Small dogs in the cabin, with conditions
Travelling with a dog on Amtrak
Yes, on most routes, if the dog and its carrier together weigh under 20 pounds and the journey is no longer than seven hours. Service animals are not counted as pets by Amtrak and are welcome on all Amtrak services, without the weight, route and trip-length limits below.
What Amtrak actually requires
- The pet and its carrier together must not exceed 20 pounds.
- The carrier may be hard or soft sided but must be leak proof and well ventilated, and no larger than 19 inches long by 14 inches wide by 10.5 inches high.
- Pets are accepted only on trips of up to seven hours on most routes, and some further restrictions apply.
- Reservations are limited to one pet per customer.
- Pet fees vary by route and are shown in the price summary when you make the reservation.
- Some routes designate a specific car for pets, among them the Amtrak Cascades, Lincoln Service, Wolverine, Blue Water, Hiawatha and Missouri River Runner.
- Pets are not carried on Auto Train, Gold Runner or Amtrak Connection services, and travel with pets into Canada is not available on the Adirondack, Maple Leaf or Amtrak Cascades.
- Pets cannot be booked on multi-ride tickets or with unaccompanied minors.
Where this comes from
“20-pound limit (combined weight of pet and carrier)... Only on trips up to 7 hours on most routes (some restrictions apply).”
Source: Amtrak — Traveling with Pets. Published by the company itself, read and recorded on September 7, 2026 (dataset 2026.09). We publish the operator’s own wording rather than a summary of what other sites report, and we do not turn “varies by location” into a yes.
Before you rely on this
Pet rules, fees and limits change without notice, and staff at an individual route or station can apply them differently from what head office publishes. Treat this page as the question to ask, not the final answer: contact the specific route or station and confirm before you set out with your dog.
Dog policies elsewhere
- Acadia National ParkDogs allowed in some areas only
- Delta Air LinesSmall dogs in the cabin, with conditions
- Glacier National ParkDogs allowed in some areas only
- Grand Canyon National ParkDogs allowed in some areas only
- Lowe'sDogs allowed, with conditions
- Marriott BonvoyDepends on the individual location
- PetSmartDogs allowed, with conditions
- Red RoofDogs allowed, with conditions
- Rocky Mountain National ParkDogs allowed in some areas only
- United AirlinesSmall dogs in the cabin, with conditions
- WalmartService animals only
- Wyndham Hotels & ResortsDepends on the individual location
- Yellowstone National ParkDogs allowed in some areas only
- Yosemite National ParkDogs allowed in some areas only
- Zion National ParkDogs allowed in some areas only
See every verified dog policy. How we source and check figures like these: our sources and editorial policy.