Fairhaven Dog Park

Fairhaven Dog Park makes use of the hilly terrain to provide a natural, enclosed area with a cliff that wraps around half of the park. This isolates it from the street traffic and probably provides a nice noise-​free barrier for home owners in the area. The other barrier is a fenced industrial building that you hardly notice because of the trees and shrubs that obscure it from view. If your dog likes to wander off and is not good with name recall, you might not want to take your dog off-​leash here because this is not a fully fenced/​gated park.
There are about 5, free parking stalls on 4^th Street. This is also the beginning of a flat trail to the park which winds along a shaded canopy of trees with lush greenery on either side. The short, dirt trail leads you to a wide open area with tall grass. On the perimeter is a crushed-​gravel loop that is probably about a quarter of a mile long. Park benches can be found along the way… some in the sun and others shaded by trees.
There is another entrance further up the hill on 4^th Street, but you have to find street parking. Plus, the dirt trail is steep at this entrance and descends at a 30% grade into the far-​end of the park. Not a problem for young spry dogs, but something to consider for seniors with achy joints.
There are usually just a few dogs here at any one time, and I’ve not yet ran into any aggressive dogs or unconcerned, dog owners. Some dogs play with each other in the tall grass, but there is plenty of space for dogs that don’t want to play to enjoy exploring the smells in the flora and fauna along the path.
I love that this park takes advantage of the natural landscape. The dogs seem to like it too because it provides a nice break from suburbia with an opportunity for both physical and mental stimulation.