This section on Off-Leash Areas (OLAs) in Oregon and SW Washington is useful if you are:

• A local resident looking for the closest off-leash areas/dog parks to your home, or for a variety of dog-friendly parks to take your dog.
• A visitor seeking Oregon and SW Washington areas to legally exercise with your off-leash dog.
• A traveler planning a route that enables you to take your dog to as many off-leash areas as possible.
• An adventurer looking to experience all the legal off-leash areas that Oregon and SW Washington have to offer.
• A volunteer looking to see how your off-leash area stacks up against others so that you can advocate for additional amenities.
• An OLA planner looking for a range of sites to evaluate when planning your own new off-leash area.
• A non-dog owner who wants to better understand why off-leash areas (dog parks) are important to you and your community.

 

FOR A LIST OF OREGON and SW WASHINGTON OFF-LEASH AREAS (DOG PARKS), CLICK HERE

Are you a newcomer to dog parks?  Want to know expectations of dog owners?  Confused by terminology?  Click here for some dog park guidelines.

There's plenty of room to roam at the 1,500 acre mostly off-leash Sandy River Delta in Troutdale.  A lot of families enjoy this trek north of I-84 X18.  Just be SURE to pick up your dog's waste plus another three piles, as the first hundred feet of the trailhead is often littered with poop left by uncaring dog owners.  After that however, it's great!

Get more detailed info on our current Featured Dog Park.
 

Use Two Portland Park Maps
To Easily Locate Off-Leash Areas

One map alone doesn't do it.  The City of Portland has a great map called Discover Portland Parks and Recreation.  It provides a complete list of Portland parks, community centers, art centers/museums, gardens, swim pools, and special services such as recreation for seniors or persons with disabilities.  The problem for seekers of multiple Portland OLA sites is that it doesn't list the OLA's.  And the map available at its website is too small when printed to be useful as a stand-alone.  What worked best for us was printing the OLA list at www.portlandonline.com/parks/index.cfm?c=39523 and then locating each OLA on the easy-to-read Discover map.  Call 503-823-PLAY to find out how to get your Discover map.  We got ours at a community center literature rack.

Want the safest dog park in town?  Try the brand new  Dog Park owned by Banfield, The Pet Hospital.  It takes Portland off-leash areas to some great new safety and design standards!  For more info, click here.

Help Your Dog Keep Cool at OLAs During Summer Heat

Same as you, have your dog play or relax in the shade.  Particularly take care for young dogs.  They may overexert themselves just like children would since they don't have the experience to know when to rest or get out of the sun. 

Take water and a water dish with you to any OLA.  On hot days the use of any water resources provided at the OLA will be much heavier.  If you always have your own water and dish with you, your dog will always have that important cooling resource.  And you know exactly what your dogs are ingesting if they are drinking from your controlled water source.

Take and leave a large block of ice for all the dogs to enjoy.  We got this idea from some terrific donor at Portland's Council Crest OLA (see photo below).

Wet a towel or sheet for them to lie on.  As the water evaporates, it cools.  The wetter and breezier, the better.  Just don't do this so much (at home or in the car) so that the moisture remains and leads to excessive licking that can create infected "hot spots".  Be sure their coats dry out completely afterwards.

Do not leave your dog locked in a car, even in the shade, on a hot day.  Even with windows largely open, it will get hotter and hotter inside the vehicle because of the dog's body heat and respiration.  When I have checked the temperature inside my car with windows partly rolled up, car parked in the shade, and 2 dogs inside--even on cool days the temperature has often gotten 10-25 degrees higher than outside within 20 mins.

Keep a full, non-spilling water dish in the car too.

This playful pair knew how to enjoy an ice block left behind by a thoughtful OLA user on a hot summer day at Council Crest Off-Leash Area in Portland.

Other ideas?  Just email us at suse@gooddogneighbors.com to share other ideas and chances are good we'll post it here to help others out.  Please provide your name, city and state if you are willing for us to list those.  THANKS!