Minnehaha Off-Leash Recreation Area

Finally! A place where dogs can go and let their humans run around and play with other humans!
I AM DOG!
I AM MASTER!
I AM THE GOOD BOY!

Margot got an off leash license and this is her favourite park, now. She was scared at first because some dogs are way bigger than she is. They were nice, though, and she got happy. She runs really hard on the flat open spot near the river. Sometimes she gets burrs stuck to her fur, but I remove them.

Beautiful place quick little walk to be by the river. The volunteers keep it up well. Definitely worth checking it out. Bring poop bags and clean up after your critter!!! It’s not the volunteers jobs to do it. Thanks!

This place deserves all 5 of the stars it has. Everyone who has been there feels they’ve found a hidden treasure. This area is great for a work-​out, a leisurely stroll or spending time with family & friends. While you don’t need to have a dog to go, you do need to be comfortable around them, because there are a LOT of dogs running around here. I’ve joked that if you’re thinking about getting a dog, this would be a great place to go to see a hundred different breeds in person at one time. One other note of caution, this is a LARGE fenced in property with the Mississippi river running along one side, if your dog likes to run way ahead of you & isn’t reliable about coming when called, I wouldn’t recommend bringing them here — it could be nerve-​wracking trying to keep tabs on them.

Other reviews are not exaggerating. This park is a dog nirvana. I can’t believe I’ve lived in the Twin Cities this long and only just found this place. It’s amazing and super clean. I’ve never seen my dog have so much fun. It’s a great hike for humans too. Parking is 50 cents an hour.

Seriously, one of the best dog parks around. It is not one of those small cramped little fenced in dog parks, there is a lot of room for the dogs to run around. Its even nice to simply go there for a walk or hike. My dog and I come here pretty often. Great area!

Amazing dog park. Had no idea how great this place would be. Huge area to run your dog off leash in the woods and a huge beach to run them in the water. This has to be one of the best dog parks in the Twin Cities.

While it’s a little walk from the light rail station (1.6 miles), it was well worth it! I don’t have dogs, but the trail was fun and the beach area is very relaxing and well-​kept (AKA I didn’t see any poop). If you’re scared of dogs, I would avoid this place as lots of dogs will approach you from out of nowhere, but that should be kind of obvious.

This place is seriously great. There’s a ton of space for dogs to run and it’s also just a good place to walk around. I take my dog down here quite a bit, but I’ve also gone there just to hike around off the main paths.
The only thing I don’t like about this park is a lot of people bring their little kids down there. I have a boxer who has a ton of energy so it’s really cool that he can run around and burn some of that off, but when your kid who can barely walk is wobbling around carrying a stick my dog thinks it’s play time. My dog is super friendly and wouldn’t hurt any people or dogs, but he will knock a kid over, so if parents are of the sort that they get in a panic every time their kid falls down, maybe take them and the dogs on a leash down to the Falls.
Oh, and I forgot you had to pay for parking there. If you turn west on Hiawatha and 54^th instead of east into the park there’s always free parking.

The best dog park in the world! We spend most of our summer mornings here & my senior dog gets his laps in before the young pups arrive.

I really don’t like taking my Thor on walks. Doing the same round of my neighborhood is mind numbingly boring to me. But I love coming here so much (and so does Thor) that I’m willing to make the drive a couple times a week.
Plan to spend at least 30 minutes here (which is basically the walk to the first swim spot and back), but there’s enough trails in the park to spend 2+ hours wandering around. If you get on the right path, you’re basically hiking.
It can be really wet and muddy in the spring and really icy in the winter. Plan your footwear accordingly.
My greatest qualm with this, and any, dog park is that all the dogs are having too much fun running around so I don’t get to pet them :(
Side note: know your dog. If your dog doesn’t get along with other dogs, maybe think twice about bringing them to a dog park. If it’s your first time, keep them on a leash for a while to see how they react.

Dayumn! Were some scenes from Lord Of The Rings shot at this off-​leash park? The only things missing from this majestic dog sanctuary were walking trees and journeying hobbits. Ooh, and Legolas, cause he’s kind of cool.
*****
I feel bad for my girlfriend last weekend. I was probably the grumpiest I’ve ever been this year, and the peak of my jerk-​ness occurred sometime around Saturday afternoon. Throughout the day, she insisted that we visit Minnehaha’s breathtaking dog park, so we could bask in the glory of this immaculate Minnesota fall. After several debates/​fights, I finally caved and decided to go with her.
I’m an asshole. This. Place. Is. Heaven. All 6.58 acres of it.
Finding a parking spot near the entrance is nearly impossible, so consider coming on a weekday or early on the weekend to help ease the search-​pain. After you do, though, it’s mostly smooth sailing. *Note: Parking is $ 1.50 for two hours!
You can find the entrance on 54^th avenue/​Minnehaha Avenue. Once you enter, let your four-​legged friend off his or her leash and follow the trail down to pure awesomeness. Also, be careful of the wooden steps that will come up during the first five minutes of your walk, and bring some comfortable walking shoes!
Luckily, during my first visit, most of the trees had already turned red, orange, or yellow. With a slight breeze, the leaves slowly fell to the ground all around us, like if we were in some Disney movie. (It’s sort of like this, but not as corny:
) I’ve lived in Minnesota for most of my life, and this amazing walk definitely ranks in my «Top 5 Minnesota Nature Thingamabugs.»
If you stay on the path, you’ll travel through the forest. If your pup enjoys the water, try walking along the river’s shoreline. We took the main path, and it ended at the river’s bend. At the bend, you can witness tons of doggies go crazy for one another. #lotsofbuttsniffing
Other things to love:
–Never saw a piece of trash on the ground. Super clean park!
–There are trash cans scattered throughout and free doggy/​plastic bags.
–Did I mention that the river is included?
–Free.99.
I can’t wait to come back! My dog never loved a place so much.

Best dog park ever! Seriously. We’ve been coming here in the winter and summer for the last two years and it is wonderful! You can walk along the river or in the woods!
Tips: wear shoes you don’t mind wrecking. I usually wear old tennis shoes because my dog gets wet and sandy and shakes all over me and we usually leave pretty dirty. In the winter they take away the garbage cans so be prepared to have a poo bag under your windshield wiper (I think the parking lot still has trash cans year round, too). For some reason the parking lot pay machine won’t take my credit card, so either bring quarters or park at the meters (or across Hiawatha for free!).
This dog park doesn’t get as congested as smaller dog parks so (generally) it seems like dogs are enjoying themselves more and can get some space if they need it. This dog park is our absolute favorite way to spend the day.

This place is awesome for the pups to romp! unless you don’t want a wet dog that is

Best dog park in the city. It’s a hike for you too, which is much better than standing around in a dirt lot.
If your dog loves to swim, this is right on the river. Watch out though — he or she will jump right in the water — and then love a romp in the dirt. Tons of fun though! In the spring, the lower areas do become a bit of a swamp.
People also really take care of this park and pick up after their pets.

Aside from our family cabin, this spot is my summer mecca. There is just something so soothing and refreshing about being there… maybe it’s the mighty Mississippi, or maybe it’s seeing the huge smile on my dogs’ faces. Either way, I’m at peace when I’m there. After the 10 minute trail walk to the beach, we find a sunny spot where I’ll kick of my shoes and just watch as my fur kids leap in and out of the water. Then we’ll walk all the way down to the point, stopping to greet other dogs along the way, before turning around and making the journey back to the car. If I get a friend to come with, there’s nothing better than topping off the dog park with a visit up the road to Sea Salt for some fish tacos or a po boy. Perfect summer night.

SUCH A WONDERFUL PLACE! You don’t need a off leash pass really, I’ve barely seen the park police down there. You actually get to go for a walk instead making small talk with weirdos at other DP’s.
DONT GO IN THE SPRING if your like your dog clean.

What a wonderful spot in the big city to bring your dog (s). Parking is easy and close by if the lot is full, and the wooded area is perfect. I’ve been here once with a friend and her dog, and just took my little guy for his first day. There weren’t that many dogs, but that was okay, because Mick really likes to just greet dogs and keep running. His face told it all as he ran ahead of me on the trails at full speed, stopping once in a while to either catch his breath or check in with me. He looked so happy running freely. While at first I had some anxiety because I’ve never brought him here and know that it is not really fenced in, Mick stayed close by and listened pretty well considering his brain was probably on overload.
All the people we came across were really friendly and understood that he isn’t a huge people person. They asked questions about him because lets face it, he’s weird looking. But Mick was so incredibly happy, which made me happy, to see him run free and take in the beautiful park. It was the best decision of the week to spend an hour at the park. It took about 30 – 35 minutes to get to the end of the park where the water from the Mississippi engulfs the park, and then we headed back. Mick was pooped by the time we got to the car, practically falling asleep before we pulled out.
I’m thankful this area exists. and if you have a dog that loves other dogs, loves to run, loves to explore, loves to fetch… this park has it all.

Best dog park in the city. Not a dog park where you sit at a crappy old table and are forced to listen to some other person talk about how great their dog is. Plenty of space to get out and hike around.
Bring Quarters for Parking.
Very fun after fresh snow.

It is a dog’s heaven, if my dog was to write this review it would get about 512 stars!!! From the paranoid doggy mom perspective though, it needs a very important caveat. If you dog does not have *perfect* recall (not ok, not sometimes, perfect!), you need to use a leash or treats galore until you both are comfortable. There are many areas where a dog could get lost, hurt, or in a dangerous part of the river here. My dog has good recall, not perfect, so we will be extra super careful until we both are comfortable.
That said, it is a beautiful park with trails, trees, water access (dirty water, but water none the less), and a bunch of wagging tails!