Glencarlyn Dog Park

Love this place for my dog. He loves running through the trees after a ball and splashing in the water. Recommend your dog have good recall to come here since there is no fence.

This is the best dog park so far for the type of dog that loves the wilderness! There is a space where your dog can play with others or trails where you can walk all up and down without a leash. There is no fence, so make sure your dog is trained and will stay in your vicinity.

Nice unfenced dog park with wooded hills and a stream to romp in. Easy to walk to from WOD trail. Only downside is that there are deer in the nearby woods so if you have a dog that is inclined to chase, be aware.

Great space for people who don’t mind unfenced areas. The streams act as a barrier on 2 sides so the dogs can run free and hang out with other puppies. It’s never too crowded and you’ll almost always run into a few other dogs. The people are friendly, and it’s an awesome spot to get some exercise in, as there are a ton of paths through the park. My dogs love it and so do I.

Fun park that my dog loves. I like it because it’s less crowded than Shirlington and it’s more peaceful for me. Make sure you drive down into the park vs parking on the top of the hill. We made that mistake the first time.

LOVE this park. I was nervous about bringing my dogs to an «unfenced dog park,» but it is located in a pretty secluded area and there is usually enough excitement near the water to keep the dogs from wanting to run up into the hills.
We tend to spend most of our time in the water, but there is also a flat dirt/​sand area where many other dogs run/​play fetch, and we have explored some of the trails nearby. It’s a nice escape from the city.
If your dog has solid recall and doesn’t stray too far, you’ll love it. If your dog is a big explorer, there are plenty of trails you can hike (on leash if you prefer) or head for one of the other dog parks in the area that is fenced in.
From what we’ve seen, people here are more attentive to their dogs than other parks in the area. I suppose the people that are willing to hike and splash around with their dogs are more involved and generally not the type to plop down on a park bench and read/​get on their phone/​not watch their dog.
Only semi-​downside — there is no water fountain here. We try to bring our own water bowl, since we prefer the dogs not drink ALL of the creek water.

It’s a hike from parking to the dog park but on a brutal summer day this is the only park that works for us because it has a CLEAN stream running through it. When we can’t go the Annandale due to the lack of shade and running water we drive to this park as our second favorite park in Virginia.

LOVE THIS PARK! For a park in the «city» this has the best of all worlds– a place for the dogs to swim, off leash, a flat sandy area for chasing and fetch, and a great wooded area above with a little trail for exploring. Occasionally glass by the water, but not common, more so after heavy rain.

This park is beautiful, ample parking, well kept paved trails along with nice wooded trails. The dog park here is perfect. Dogs are allowed to go on trails and in the creek off leash with no issues. Love love love!!!

Ah. A dog’s dream come to life. Off leash park area is plentiful for running and the stream is great for warmer weather. Everyone is always friendly and there are trails you can jog/​bike around and even some hiking.

If you have a dog that is friendly and does not go into attack mode as soon as it sees others of its kind, then you should definitely look into bringing your dog here. This place is an amazing dog park. It is definitely the best one that I’ve been to. There is so much room for you and your dog to do your thing. It’s located in a quiet wooded area next to a stream. Every dog that I’ve seen here looks like they are loving life. A huge plus is that every time I’ve been here, the other dog owners have all been really friendly and courteous. If you live in the area, do yourself and your dog a favor and check this place out. You will not regret it.
Oh and the parking lot is a little tricky to find the first time you’re there. Do not turn down the first road that goes into the park. Continue on the next road that looks like it is going down into the park area. The road is right before a dead end and another small gravel parking lot that overlooks the road leading to the dog park. You’ll then continue down this one lane looking road until you can drive no further. There, you will find yourself in the parking lot closest to the dog park.

Fun little dog park. The common area has just one picnic bench. There is a ¼ mile steep trail that loops around the dog park. Bring your own bags and Beware of poos hidden in the fallen leaves.

This is our fave park in the area. As long as you fully trust your dog off leash, you’re good. This park is NOT fenced on any side. The stream that runs through it is much cleaner than Shirlington. It’s naturally filtered through the woods, and not direct runoff from Arlington. There’s a long enough run area if your dog only loves to chase balls too.

This isn’t a dog park at all. The stream is nice, but if you want to take your dog swimming and socializing, Shirlington is MUCH better. There is no fence, so dogs can run anywhere, no fresh water (besides the stream — who knows whats in it), nowhere to sit, and practically no one else there. It’s more for hiking off leash, if that’s what you’re going for.

Great amazing park but still could not find the dog park portion. Great walk though for us. Update I found it. Take 4^th street up. Parks great and low key

Another awesome dog park. A great stream /​creek for the dogs to play in. And plenty of just space for them to run around. It’s a nice wooded area, so there’s a lot of sniff and explore and find.
My one big complaint is all the dog poop everywhere. It’s a shame that people aren’t picking up after their dogs and making things messy for everyone else. And this is the one thing that makes me give this 4 stars instead of 5 stars.
It can be a bit tricky to find, but we managed. Take the 2^nd entrance and drive down the small path. And just keep on driving past all the parking lots and picnic areas until you literally can’t go any further. And then that parking lot is the one closest to the dog area.
Everyone there was friendly. All the dogs were well-​behaved. My little guy had a total blast. Excellent dog park and worth the drive and hunt to find.

Highly recommend this as a dog park. It is quiet, somewhat tucked away, and an awesome pooch paradise. Sort of hard to get to but even if you park in the wrong place like we did the hike to get to the dog area is pleasant.
Slight warning — last time we were there our dog had an encounter with an angry raccoon who seemed to wake up from its slumber to hiss try to bite dogs.

Love this place. Difficult to find at first, but once you get there, it’s an amazing park set away from busy roads and in the back of a neighborhood. The park has no fence, so your dog will have the opportunity to run around into the trees as if you are on a hike. The park is separated from the bike/​walking path and the small parking lot by a creek. Patrons supply grocery bags for poop scooping.
I prefer this park to the fenced in parks as it allows my cattle dog mix to run and explore the wooded area and play with other dogs in the same place.

Best dog park in the DC area in my opinion. This dog park is basically a off-​leash walk in the woods with your dog. There’s a creek for your dog to play in, and plenty of room to run around. The best part is that its a relative secret right now. It may just be that its location is off the beaten path (literally), but theres never a crowd.
Negatives include no fence, and its very rocky. The open dog park area is quite large, and it is surrounded by a creek (which is good for keeping dogs contained) and a hill with walking paths. Any wanderlust-​y dog like my beagle will probably try to explore the woods and trails and you may have a hard time getting him or her to come back. Second, because its in the woods and near a creek the place is littered with rather large rocks. Small dogs may have problems running around near the water especially; slipping on the rocks.

I shouldn’t be writing this review. I should keep this not so secret place to myself and not share it with anyone.
That said, this is one of my favorite places in the DC area. I grew up in NC, and while I don’t miss the culture, the accents, or the constant sweet tea references I do miss terribly the state park system and just the nature areas that are offered there.
I love DC, I live in Arlington near the Pentagon, and while I love the urban offerings I do sometimes miss sitting in the middle of the woods by a quiet stream. Luckily, while riding my bike along the Four Mile Run trail I found this place. After a long day at work I’ll go for a ride and found myself here, sitting on this bench that’s situated where another creek joins Four Mile Run.
There’s a dog park there too where you’ll find people with their beloved animals hanging out, often messing around in the creek, and just enjoying the day if it happens to be nice.
It’s a happy place, and one that I’d keep all to myself if I was a selfish individual, but alas I am not, and so I hope if you’re looking for a quiet peaceful place to take a deep breath in to the soothing sounds of water over rocks… then this is the place.