Dog Beach at Belmont Harbor

Small but more than enough to accommodate dozens of dogs. My dog has a great time and loves to fetch into the water, run around on the sand with the other pups, and get nice and dirty. He never wants to leave when we come here, but he’s definitely nice and exhausted when we leave! Nice, clean place.

Pretty cool place. My pup likes to run in the water. My biggest complaints are that it’s fairly small, and there is only seating on the concrete along the fence. Other than that, it’s a nice, convenient place for my dog to expend some energy and get as sandy as possible.

We come here every month or so and its always a good time. I try to pick times that aren’t too busy, like early morning or late afternoon. I have a water baby for a dog, so this beach is perfect. It’s not montrose, but t a great alternative for a few hours.

It’s on the smaller side, but there’s plenty of room for dogs to run, most of the time there’s some tennis balls to throw around already there. My old dog loves it!

If the word «dog beach» brings to mind long stretches of shoreline with crashing waves, dozens of frolicking dogs, and a general atmosphere of contagious joy, alas you have come to the wrong place. (Go to Ocean Beach in San Diego, or Montrose Beach just up the road in Chicago.) The Belmont Harbor Dog Beach is just a small patch of sand on the flat Belmont Harbor, generally vacant in the winter but with a (dog) social atmosphere on summer weekends.
Still and all, if you think of this as competing in the «urban dog park» category, and not the «dog beach» category, it’s pretty nice. Dogs can splash in the shallow water, rummage around in the sand, and the whole operation is easily accessible from east Lakeview.
I come all the time. But I do sometimes wish I were at Montrose, or in San Diego.

Took my dog here for the first time and we both had a blast! I’ve never taken him to a dog beach before and didn’t know how he would deal with the water. He absolutely loved it. He loved playing fetch in the water and loved running around in the sand.
What I like about this place is that the the beach is completely fenced in. My dog likes to wander around and check out other dogs, so the fence definitely eased my mind.
I also liked how there was a ramp to the gate. My dog loves to greet other dogs at the gate and he gets obsessed until the dog comes out. Because there was gate there this made him not able to greet and eventually gave up on it and continued playing on the beach.
Overall, this was a great experience and will definitely take my dog to this beach again.

The problem with dog beaches and dogs actually. Are the people with them. If you enjoy having to leave because people dont dicipline their dogs and allow them to hump constantly. Then this is the place for you and your dog! Beware though these are the same idiots who will say its your fault if you dont leave and your dog decides to teach their dog a lesson because their guardian wont!

We took our dog here for the first time and loved it! It’s not a huge area, but it’s larger than our normal dog friendly areas on the northwest side, so I have no complaints.
We are reluctant to go to Montrose as the fence doesn’t extend all the way during low tide, and our greyhound can run fast. Belmont is great because the beach is actually several feet down a ramp from the paths in addition to the fence (double fence at the gate) so there’s no way for your dog to escape, unless they swam away into the harbor.
I’ve heard it gets dirty but at the start of the year the water was pristine and our dog had a blast. We’ll be back here a lot!
— As with all Chicago DFAs, you should have a DFA tag, available for $ 5 at Chicago vets.
— Dog beach is located at the northwest end of the harbor, not along the open water.
— There are two parking lots nearby for the softball fields, and it’s just a short walk south to the dog beach, if you can find a spot.

Never had any issues at this park. I’ve always gone in the morning so it’s been relatively empty. Enough room for my 20lb beagle to run around. A bit bare and I can see this being too small for larger dogs, but it’s good for small dogs. Didn’t notice any poop bags around so make sure to bring plenty. Only one entrance.

Good sized dog beach for the skittish or uninitiated dog in your life. My wife and I moved here over the summer and had never taken our two dogs to a dog beach as in NJ they are not allowed. We wanted to get our girls acclimated to (a) playing with other dogs and (b) an open space where we weren’t right by their side. This place fits the bill.
As the Montrose Dog Beach seems to be more popular, this place in the 3 times I’ve been there isn’t as crowded as Montrose. This is good if you have a high stress dog like we do or if you want it to be easier to keep an eye on your dogs as they aren’t as far away from you end to end as they might be at Montrose.
Yes this is the harbor and there might be fuel remnants in there but if you keep an eye on your dogs and prevent them from drinking the water, you should be OK.
In the times we’ve gone there are various sized dogs ranging from Terriers to Border Collies to a Yellow Lab. Our girls both hover around 50 pound so they weren’t the biggest or the smallest so that was good.
Overall a nice place to go and quite convenient if you live in Lakeview like we do.

This place is pretty clean and although it’s small the dogs have enough room to run around. My dog loves it. Def a place to check out.

We were warned that it’s a bit dirty but I didn’t see much filth beyond the usual poo that some negligent jerks left on the sand. That said, most everyone was very nice and the dogs were so busy having fun that there weren’t even any disagreements between any of them. I do get a little dubious about people who insist on bringing very small dogs into a place where clearly larger dogs are taken to be exercised. Maybe it’s unfair, but yes, Labs and other big dogs like to run and fetch in the water. That’s not as true of Pomeranians or little terriers. As someone with a medium-​to-​large dog, I know the small dog people will freak out if my dog snaps at their yip-​yip, so please, don’t come in with a teeny dog if there a lot of big ones around. It’s just common sense. I wouldn’t come in if it was all Marmadukes, either. That said, a good time was had by all. One note– it’s not really at Belmont, but just north of it, between Addison and Belmont. I like it and wish there were more beaches like this one in the city. Won’t go to Montrose because of all of the horror stories I’ve heard about it (fights, dog snatchings, etc.)

This small fenced in area is perfect if you’re running or walking along the lakefront path and need a quick stop for your dog to cool off. The only thing I worry about and what other reviewers have mentioned is the fact that this is in the harbor so you have the possibility of fuel/​etc. in the water and there is quite a bit of regular old trash in the water as well. I’d stop again for my dog to cool off quickly, but for a true dog beach excursion I’d head up to the Montrose dog beach.

We have been here three times during the weekday and my dog absolutely loves it! I guess there is free parking during the weekday by the rec center so that allows a nice short walk before and after to get psyched up and cool down. There is also a bench not far from the entrance where you can switch shoes if needed. I appreciate it’s smaller size because my dog has issues with unneutered males (though he loves to play with everyone else) and I am able to keep an eye on him and the dogs coming in at all times. However, it is big enough to allow him to run, swim, and wrestle enough to tire him out (and he is an active and pretty big boy). The water has been pretty clean the times we went and it wasn’t as dirty as some people say (I think people are becoming more aware of cleanliness and I have overheard many discussion about them trying to keep the beach clean). The people have been very nice, very attentive to their dogs, and I have seen owners take their dogs out when they become too riled up which I greatly appreciate. Only once did I encounter a lady who allowed her dog to poop in the water and walk away, too busy talking on her phone. Boy, did she get some dirty looks, and I did clean it up. I have walked by Montrose Dog Beach, but it’s size intimidates me and makes me worry that my pup can get into some trouble there (or trouble will find him). Overall I think this is a great place, especially if you’re nervous with some dog interaction.

Although I’m a huge fan of Montrose Beach, it can be a little overwhelming and stressful because of its size. I decided to try out Belmont Harbor Dog Beach, despite less than stellar reviews from some of my friends, we decided to try it out. It’s completely fenced in and the double gate made me feel safe — even with my escape artist of a dog, Walter. I had heard from other people that the beach area was dirty, but with the exception of one small corner (where there is a random shopping cart!) it was ok by me! Walter had a great time with the other dogs and I had a great time with the other dogs and I had a great time watching him! Highly recommended.

This was my gateway park to dog beaches. I took Samuel here for the first time with a friend and his dogs. It was great. I previously went to Montrose beach on a Sunday afternoon and was completely overwhelmed. When I went here this was a good place to restore confidence in dog beaching.
This is a small area that is fenced in at the harbor. There’s room for the dogs to run around and enjoy the sand as well as wade or full on swim in the water. This was a great way to introduce Samuel to the whole beach environment. The dogs are well behaved and the owners are friendly and responsible.
The one down fall of this beach is that it is in a harbor and there’s lots of boats around so there is some trash that collects on the right side of the beach. There’s also some type of plant life/​mossy stuff that collects there as well. I haven’t had a problem with it because Samuel stays away from there. He likes to be with the doggy crowd or just a few feet away from me.
Overall this park is on my list of places to go with the Pup. If want to experience the beach with your four legged love take them to Belmont Harbor as an introduction. Then when you’re ready you can work up the confidence to take on the big beaches.

This is the first dog park I’ve ever experienced in Chicago (I’ve only been to parks in Houston) and this one misses the mark on all fronts. The only pro: the owners are generally nice and friendly. I brought my Yorkie (a little dog) and when we arrived there were several other small dogs mixed in with big dogs. But once all the small dogs left, the big dogs took over. My small dog didn’t mind at all, running up and down the sand. However, this beach is very small (granted it’s a harbor beach) and there wasn’t a lot of room to re-​position my small dog to friendlier confines.
Would I return? Yes — only because it’s literally 5 mins. walking time from my apartment.
What the worst thing about this beach? It’s absolutely filthy. And there’s no water to hose off with after you leave.
People stopped by to watch the dogs playing, which was kind of nice. Everyone in the city seems to be very animal friendly

If you can, take your dog to Montrose. Montrose Dog Beach is amazing! If you can’t go that far, any dog beach is better than none!
Sure, it’s a little small, and yeah, maybe the water’s a little murky… but the pups will love it, and anything that makes my dogs happy makes me happy! :)

The beach gets four stars, with one star off for a run-​in I had today with one of the patrons. More on that later.
The space itself is small, but convenient if you live in the Lakeview/​LP area and don’t feel like driving up to Montrose. There’s enough room for the dogs to get a good run in, as well as lots of swimming. It’s not huge, and as other reviewers have noted, when the tide comes in, it brings all sorts of muck and trash from the boats anchored in the harbor. But overall, it’s a nice little patch of sand for the pooches to run around and play.

I’ve been meaning to take Jilly to a dog beach for a while now and tonight we finally decided to venture out and find one — a slight challenge since I am CTA reliant. Thank goodness for Google Maps! After doing a search for the phrase, «dog beach,» a few results popped up and one of them was Belmont Harbor, a mere 2 miles away. Can do! I got Jilly on her leash, made sure I had all the necessities (poop bags and peanut butter flavoured Buddy Biscuits) and we were on our way!
If you’ve never been to Belmont Harbor (we hadn’t), here’s a little nice-​to-​know: as Belmont Harbor Dog Beach isn’t an «official» dog beach and a little on the small side compared to other beaches along the shore, there are no signs saying «DOG BEACH OVER HERE!» so we wandered a while before we found it. Never fear, fellow Unilocalers who may read tis review; I am here to Unilocal!The «dog friendly beach» (as the tiny sign right by the entrance says) is on the north side of the harbor about halfway between Belmont and Addison. It’s a small gated area about the size of a stretched out baseball diamond just along the lakefront trail. Can’t miss it.
I’m sitting here now as I write. Does it smell like dog? Yes. And a little «fishy» too. Does Jilly mind? Not at all. It’s peaceful, pretty tidy and a few other dogs are meandering about with their humans. A couple of doggy bags were left along the ledge surrounding the beach and, I suppose, if I were a better samaritan, I’d do everyone a favor and put them in the trash bins that are less than a foot away.
Oh crud. I was going to ignore those bags and leave them there but I just can’t do it. Dang it. I guess I *am* a good samaritan after all.
Anyway, nice place, this little beach. I give it a 3… We’ll be back soon!