A Trip to Marymoor Dog Park

The Marymoor Park off-leash dog area in Redmond, WA is 40 acres that has been often referred to as "Doggie Heaven" and "Doggie Disneyland". Marymoor dog park is considered by many to be one of the finest off-leash dog parks in the entire US and it is certainly the best Seattle area dog park.

The dog park is a mix of barked areas, grassy meadows and woodsy areas full of native trees and shrubs. The areas are connected and crisscrossed by meandering bark trails with footbridges across marshy areas. Walking or running all of the trails through the dog park adds up to about 3 miles of exercise and that's not counting any side-trips through the meadow areas that most dogs will find too tempting ignore. The fields are left natural and unmowed, so by mid summer the grass is tall, which gives a lot of enjoyment to dogs who like to bound through it. There are trees and shrubs including blackberry bushes with berry treats in the summer.

The park borders the Sammamish River, (called the Sammamish Slough by locals) which connects Lake Sammamish to Lake Washington. There are several places along the river that provide steps to shallow entry points where dogs can take a splash or a swim. Come along with me and my border collies, Tim and Hank for a visit to Marymoor Dog Park in Redmond, Washington.

(All photos by the author unless credited otherwise)

After entering Marymoor Off-leash dog park, there is a large meadow. It is left unmowed so the grass can get very tall in the summer. Many dogs, including mine, seem to enjoy bounding and leaping over the clumps of tall grass in the summer. As a cautionary note, it is possible to lose sight of small dogs. When the grass dies down in the fall and winter it is must be full of great smells because dogs seem to love sniffing around the area.

Although there there are many amenities at the dog park there are no drinking fountains for either humans or canines. There is access to the Sammamish River for dogs to take a drink, but the river borders one edge and the park is large. Another consideration is that the river can have bacteria or parasites, so if you are concerned about your dog having an adequate amount clean drinking water, your might want to bring water for both you and your dog.

Marymoor dog park has been featured on segments of television shows, has been referred to as Doggie Heaven and "Doggie Disneyland" and been mentioned as possibly the best dog park in the US. Since I live in the Pacific Northwest, naturally everyone around where I live knows about it, but I don't know if it is well-known in other parts of the country and the rest of the world.

Another area on the edge of the grassy meadow is this large barked play area - a great place for playing fetch, frisbie or chase games with other dogs.

The different areas of Marymoor Dog Park are connected with several miles of looping trails making it a great place for people to jog or run with their dogs off-leash. Tim seems to be enjoying jogging along the trail.

A large portion of Marymoor park that was undeveloped and not designated for other uses had been used informally for many years by people to exercise and train their dogs. As the area became more populated open space and park land in the area became more scarce and precious. Many diverse interest groups petitioned the county to request designated areas of the park for their recreational uses that were not always compatible with dogs. June of 1987 Serve Our Dog Area (SODA) was formed by concerned area citizens to lobby King County to save and formally designate a 40 acre portion of Marymoor Park as an off-leash dog area. In addition to their successful lobbying efforts, SODA volunteers have also donated money and time to build and maintain the dog park. This photo shows one of many bridges built over wet areas to protect the wetlands and keep feet and paws from getting muddy.

The vegetation visually separates the park area into smaller sections which helps people who want to keep their dogs away from larger open areas.

Serve Our Dog Areas (S.O.D.A.) is a non-profit, 501c3 approved organization. S.O.D.A. is funded by membership fees and donations which are always appreciated. Click on the links below to learn more about SODA or to help support and maintain the wonderful off-leash dog area at Marymoor Park.

Although Marymoor Park is has clean-up bags provided by SODA, I always like to carry a supply with me in case there is an "oops" moment before I get to where the bags are located. My bags are on a dispenser attached to my dog leash, so I never have to remember to grab some on my way out of the door.

My border collies Tim and Hank enjoy running along this wide graveled path that borders the Sammamish River. There are numerous places with openings to access the river.

The west edge of the Marymoor Dog Park is along the Sammamish River. This is a photo is one of the several access points where dogs who enjoy the water can splash around or take a swim in the slow moving current.

This is another view of the large grass meadow looking back toward the parking lot that shows how open and vast the off-leash dog area is. Marymoor is not totally fenced - the entrances to the parking lot don't have gates, so if you are still working on your dog's recall, I recommend bringing a long lead to keep your dog safe. This size of the meadow area makes it a great place to do some advanced recall training. With plenty of great scents and other dogs causing distractions, you can let your dog get a long distance away and still be able to reel them back in to teach them that "come" means come no matter what is going on.

Unfortunately our time at doggie heaven at Marymoor off-leash dog park has come to end for today and we head for the exit and parking lot. We'll be back soon! To see how the Marymoor Dog Park changes with the seasons, come along on another trip to the park in the spring with the Border Collies in the Burbs.

Martingale collars (also called non-slip collars) prevent a dog from slipping out of their collar. After having a couple of dogs that could do what we called "the Houdini move" and slip out their collar in the blink of an eye, I started using Martingale collars that will prevent most dogs from giving you "the slip". A good leash is always essential to have - I actually have several for my dogs. The dog park is a good place for advanced recall practice using a long lead leash since it is certainly a place that is full of distractions. A glow in the dark leash is a handy safety feature when walking your dog on those long, dark winter nights.

After a trip to the dog park, especially in the Pacific Northwest, you may have a dirty dog! At Marymoor Park, they've thought of everything! Across the parking lot from the off-leash dog area, there is a handy dog washing station to give your dog a bath or just clean up any muddy paws before you go home. Just bring along your dog shampoo and a towel and take home a clean dog.

Although not actually IN Seattle, the Marymoor Park off leash dog area is only about 30 minutes east of Seattle. From Seattle by car, take either I-90 or Highway 520 across Lake Washington and continue east to Redmond. For those who want to hike, bike or skate with their dog to the park, the Sammamish River Trail runs along the edge of the park.

Marymoor Park is a huge park and although the off-leash dog area is 48 acres, it is only one small part of the park. The off-leash area is in the southwest corner. The King County Parks and Recreation Department website has a handy printable map of Marymoor Park that is helpful for locating all of the park features. See the link below to print off a copy from the King County Parks and Recreation Department website.