16 Amazing Off-Leash Dog Parks in Durham Region

Updated July 26,2023 to include Cordova Valley Dog Park in Oshawa

I absolutely love the outdoors and spending time with my dog, Nala. When I got her I was so excited to go exploring, and started searching for places we could go and visit together. I found lots of information about great hiking trails, but limited information on leash free areas and their amenities. So, I set out to visit all the off-leash parks in Durham Region and share them all with you! Here is an overview of each park!

These parks include:

• Grand Valley Off Leash Dog Park
• Dunmoore Off Leash Dog Park
• Balsdon Off Leash Dog Park
• Hermitage Off Leash Dog Park
• Greenwood Conservation Dog Park
• Audley Off Leash Dog Park
• Lion’s Park Off Leash Dog Park
• Cochrane Street Dog Park
• Jeffery Street Dog Park
• Harmony Dog Park
• Cordova Valley Dog Park
• Courtice Dog Park
• David Boyd Memorial Dog Park
• Newcastle Dog Park
• Uxbridge Dog Park
• Port Perry Dog Park

We’ve summarized and rated each location out of 5 tail wags based on size, amenities, terrain, parking availability and location.

Amazing Park! – 5 Tail Wags 🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕

Really Great Park! – 4 Tail Wags 🐕🐕🐕🐕

Good Park – 3 Tail Wags 🐕🐕🐕

OK Park – 2 Tail Wags 🐕🐕

Not-so-great Park – 1 Tail Wag 🐕

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City of Pickering

Park #1 – Grand Valley Off Leash Dog Park

Upper Park (3 tail wags) 🐕🐕🐕

Another beautiful sunny day means another opportunity to check out a fun leash free place for my dog. Today, Seaton hiking trails through Grand Valley Park in Pickering, and the two off leash dog parks!

We entered the gravel parking lot off of 3rd Concession, just west of Valley Farm Road and parked near the smaller leash free area. This smaller dog park is about 20m x 40m and is completely enclosed with a fence and double entrance gate.

It had free poop bags, a trash bin, a picnic table to sit and relax and a very unique pine tree in the corner, which we couldn’t help but want to climb.

Lower Park (4 tail wags) 🐕🐕🐕🐕

The larger dog park is located about 200m down the gravel Seaton Hiking Trail, which starts at the west end of the parking lot.

A short walk down the hill and around the bend, and wow… a huge open leash free area about 200m x 100m. Nala saw the few dogs playing and couldn’t wait to get in the gate and join the fun! This grassy spot is perfect for tossing a ball and playing fetch, so much space to run around! Forgot a poop bag, no problem! Free bags and a trash bin located next to the entrance gate.

Being a lab, Nala loves the water and after about 30 minutes of playing, we figured she would enjoy cooling off. We continued down the Seaton trail towards the creek. We followed the main trail for about 100m, and then where a small trail veers off to the left, we followed that down to the creek.

Park #2 – Dunmoore Dog Park (4.5 tail wags)🐕🐕🐕🐕_🐕

WOW…. welcome to the first Canine Activity Area park in the GTA!!! Brand new, and just opened September 24, 2022, and what an amazing job by the City of Pickering and Pet Valu to put this together!

Located a few minutes south of the 401 at Whites Road, this leash free area is the perfect location to give your pup a quick run and a break if driving through the GTA. In addition to two leash free areas, the park also has a children’s playground, softball fields, soccer pitch, tennis courts and only a quick walk to Petticoat Conservation Area. To access to the leash free area find the free gravel parking lot on the west side of Whites Road just south of Callahan Street. Walk down the gravel trail at the south end of the parking lot, next to the soccer pitch, to the entrance to the two leash free areas. If this parking lot is full, there is another parking lot at the end of Callahan Street.

We visited on a sunny fall morning a few days after the grand opening, hoping it would be a bit less busy. As soon as we got out of the car, Nala was so excited!!! I’m surprised the photo isn’t blurry her tail was wagging so fast. She could see the other dogs and was ready to play!! We visited on a sunny fall morning a few days after the grand opening, hoping it would be a bit less busy. As soon as we got out of the car, Nala was so excited!!! I’m surprised the photo isn’t blurry her tail was wagging so fast. She could see the other dogs and was ready to play!!

I will say, this is one park we will definitely be visiting again!! I can’t wait to share some future videos of her completing the activities.

Few notes:

If you forget poop bags… no problem… there are free poop bags and a trash station next to the entrance. There is also a dog water bowl next to the gate for any pup needing an extra drink.

Park #3 – Balsdon Dog Park (2.5 tail wags)🐕🐕_🐕

Located near Liverpool Road and Krosno Blvd, Balsdon Dog Park is the smallest of Pickering’s leash free areas. Although there is no parking lot for this park, there is street parking available on the local streets and access to the park is through the walking paths around the space. We entered the path on the south side off Krosno Blvd.

The fully fenced area is in the south east corner of the green space. The entrance is through a double corral style gate on the east side of the park. As always, Nala was very excited to get inside and play with some new friends. The park has a shade structure, water bowl and some park benches all located on an adorable bone shaped concrete pad. The rest of the park is an open grass field for the dogs to run and play. The park has dog poop bags and trash bins available for pet owners.

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Town of Ajax

Park #4 – Hermitage Dog Park (2.5 tail wags) 🐕🐕_🐕

Located in Ajax, just north of Highway 2 at Church Street is Hermitage Park. With approximately 20 acres of beautiful forested walking trails, tennis courts, baseball diamond, playground and an off leash dog park. This park is a great place to visit for the whole family. I wanted to share visits from various seasons, as the park changes throughout the year.

We arrived at Hermitage off leash dog park around 7:30am on a crisp fall morning and had the park to ourselves. It was absolutely beautiful and peaceful to watch the sun rise through the trees as Nala played.

The only parking lot for the park is a small area off Griffiths Drive. With the leash free area located in the middle of the park (at the blue circle), I decided to park at the Village Community Arena, and follow the walking trails towards the dog park.

Hermitage dog park is a fully fenced area has two entrances, one on the north side (by the basketball court) and one on the south side. They’re both a double fence, corral style entrances to allow safe entrance and exit. Nala is always so excited to get in and start running around when we visit dog parks!

The entire leash free area is about 30 m x 70 m, with mature trees along the fence and a picnic table in the middle. We arrived just after sunrise and had the entire park to ourselves.

The entire area was very clean, but please note there is no poop bag dispenser here, so be sure to remember to bring your own. There is a garbage bin by the entrance.

Park #5 – Greenwood Conservation Area Dog Park (5 tail wags) 🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕
CLICK HERE FOR THE GREENWOOD PARK BLOG

• Several acres of open trails through forest and open field
• Small parking lot with additional street parking
• Picnic table in field
• Trash bins at parking lot
• Creek down hill from dog area

Park #6 – Audley Dog Park – (2.5 tail wags) 🐕🐕_🐕

Located in north Ajax, at the Audley Recreation Centre, we visited on a cool September weekday. Parking in the main lot is free, and with no softball games or swimming lessons going on, the lot was almost empty.

We started walking north along the west path, close to Audley Road. The off leash park is about 150m north of the parking lot, with the entrance just off this path. There were 2 other dogs playing when we arrived, and Nala, my social butterfly, was excited to run around with her new fur friends. The grass park is about 75m x 45m and is completely fenced in with a double entrance gate so your pup can’t escape while others are entering.

Park #7 – Lion’s Park Off Leash Dog Park (3.5 tail wags) 🐕🐕🐕_🐕

• Two fully fenced areas (about 20m x 60m and 20m x 20m)
• Free parking next to entrance
• Next to Trans Canada Trail
• Chairs and bench to sit
• No poop bags, trash bin by entrance
• Mature trees along the outside of the fence
• Few water bowls

Travelling through Durham and looking for a quick stop for everyone. Check out Lion’s Off Leash Dog Park, located about 1 km south of the 401 at the Westney Road exit. The parking lot for this large leash free dog park is located just across the road from Tim Horton’s. I have included both a fall and a spring time visit, as the park looks very different throughout the year.

With lots of free parking, this area has two fully fenced leash free areas and is also an entrance to the Trans Canada Trail.

The large area, about 20 m x 60 m, is for all dogs and the smaller area, about 20 m x 20 m is for smaller dogs. They both have separate double gate, corral style entrances and are all grass / dirt. Nala was so excited to get in this morning, she’s always so excited to see another dog to play with.

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Town of Whitby

Park #8 – Cochrane Dog Park ( 4 tail wags)🐕🐕🐕🐕

Check our our blog, “Cochrane Off Leash Dog Park & On Leash Hiking at Heber Downs Conservation

• Fully fenced
• Large dog park (about 90m x 105m) with a small dog area (35m x 60m)
• Paid parking lot ($6 flat fee or $75 annual fee) or free street parking
• Few picnic tables
• Metal water bowls
• Few trees, mostly open grass field
• Poop bag dispenser and trash bin
• North edge of Heber Downs Conservation area and hiking trails (on leash area)

Park #9 – Jeffery Street South Dog Park (5 tail wags) 🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕

If you’re travelling through Whitby and looking for a large off leash dog park, Jeffery Dog Park is highly recommended. Conveniently located just south of the 401 near the Lake Ridge Road exit on Jeffery Street.

This fully fenced dog park has a double corral style entrance with a small dog exercise area and a larger dog area. In addition to trash bins, there is also a poop bag dispenser at the entrance. There is free parking for about 30 vehicles and the entrance is located just north of the parking lot.

The total size of this off leash dog park is about 115 m x 100 m with a small forested area. In addition, the park features a hill, lots of picnic tables and chairs and even a few metal water bowls. The small dog area, located in the south west corner, is about 20 m x 40 m. I appreciate that the small dog area sign clearly states what dogs are allowed in that area. As always, Nala was very excited to get out of the car and start playing with some new friends.

Even though we arrived just after a huge rain storm in December, the grass area was relatively dry. The drainage here is great and the gravel path through the park made it easy to keep your feet mud free. Furthermore, the grassy hill in the middle of the park was completely drained and even the forest trail was fairly dry.

Overall, a great park with lots of space to run and play chase! Nala loved it, a definite come back and visit this location!

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City of Oshawa

Park #10 – Harmony Valley Dog Park (5 tail wags) 🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕

CLICK HERE – HARMONY VALLEY

Park #11 – Cordova Valley Dog Park (3.5 tail wags)🐕🐕🐕_🐕

CLICK HERE – CORDOVA VALLEY BLOG

This fully fenced park has a double gate corral style entrance. There is a concrete pad, which extends from the parking lot into the corral style entrances. Definitely a welcome feature in a high traffic area to help keep the area dry in the wet weather. There are two sections to this 0.29 hectare park, a smaller section for small dogs and puppies and a larger section for all dogs. Both areas have their own separate entrance. I love that there is a safe area for puppies to play and wish this was available when Nala was a puppy! The park has free parking and a trash bin at the entrance.

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Municipality of Clarington

Park #12 – South Courtice Dog Park (4 tail wags)🐕🐕🐕🐕

Located at the South Courtice Arena property, on Prestonvale Road, is the South Courtice Off Leash Dog Park. The South Courtice Arena has a huge free parking lot. We drove around the back and parked near the field. The off leash park area is about a 120m walk along the gravel path behind the artificial turf to the entrance gate. The 1.5 acre dog park is a fully fenced grass area with two separate areas. There is a larger dog area, approximately 105m x 47m in size. In addition, a smaller area, 30m x 30m, in the north east corner of the park. The double gate corral entrance is on the north side of the park, Nala couldn’t wait to get inside to check it all out.

Both the large and smaller areas have benches and picnic tables. In addition, the entire leash free area appears to have solar power lights. There is a trash bin next to the entrance. Although it’s been raining for several days, the ground was fairly dry and very few wet muddy spots. Nala had a fantastic time running around and playing with us.

Park #13 – David Boyd Memorial Dog Park (4 tail wags) 🐕🐕🐕🐕

• Fully fenced
• Large dog park (about 130m x 105m) with a small dog area (45m x 40m)
• Free parking along the road next to the park
• Lots of picnic tables and benches
• Poop bag dispensers and trash bins
• Solar lights
• Few trees for shade
• Grass field

There are plenty of free parking spaces along the edge of the road adjacent to the park, which are designated for dog park and waterfront trail users. This fully fenced off leash dog park is huge, at approximately 130m x 105m and the smaller area, located in the north east corner, is approximately 45m x 40m. There were no dogs in the smaller area on our visit, but this grass field area has several trees, benches and picnic tables. There were poop bag dispensers, not only at the entrance, but also along the fences throughout the park. In addition, there were also trash bins at both the entrances. Overall Bowmanville dog park is a great off leash park! I’m sure Nala can’t wait to come back for another play date.

Park #14 – Newcastle Off Leash Dog Park ( 4 tail wags)🐕🐕🐕🐕

If you are looking for a large area for your dog to run, this place is enormous, with plenty of space to play chase or fetch! The entire park is about 125m x 50m with two areas, one for large and one for small dogs. The small dog park is located in the north east corner and is about 50m x 20m.

First time visitors may find this park a bit tricky to find. Enter the Diane Hamre Recreation Complex and drive to the far west parking lot. In the south west corner of the parking lot, look for the dog park sign. This is the entrance to the path that leads south to the dog park. Follow the path between the chain link fences about 200m to the entrance gates.

The sun sets fairly early in the winter and I’ve visited both during the day and at dusk. This large parking lot is all well lit in the evening.

When you reach the entrance, you will find a double gate corral style entrance. One main entrance into the corral and then a separate entrance for the large and small areas. As soon as I opened the gate, Nala ran right in. She loves visiting the dog parks with me.

There are no poop bags at the entrance, so please bring your own. The trash bin is located along the path between the off leash area and the parking lot. The park has several metal picnic tables and benches to sit and relax. In addition, there are plenty of mature trees along the outside of the west fence for afternoon shade. Of course, Nala found the perfect stick to play fetch with.

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Township of Uxbridge

Park #15 – Uxbridge Off Leash Dog Park (2.5 tail wags) 🐕🐕_🐕

The fenced in area has two sections, a small one for small dogs and a very large one for everyone else. Here are pictures of the small one. The large one is very large and has covered seating area as you can see in the top right picture. This is the only place that has any shelter from sun or rain. Since this a very large field surrounded by roads, the wind at this time of year will go through your bones. There are several seating sections with a water bowl in the center (and all the water bowls were full, although partially frozen). On a beautiful day, it would be a wonderful place to sit and be social for humans and dogs.

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Township of Scugog

Park #16 – Port Perry Dog Park (4 tail wags) 🐕🐕🐕🐕

Dog parks are pretty much cut from the same pattern. The Port Perry Off Leash dog park is able to boast all of the best qualities of a dog park. Located just by the arena, across from the baseball diamonds, it has everything.

There are trees for shade, lots of wide open space for running, and chairs for humans to hang out. Here are some pictures of the area.

There are two different areas for dogs, the main area above and then a smaller area for smaller dogs. Here are pictures of the smaller area.

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We are very fortunate living in Durham Region and having so many options as to where we can take our furry friends to run and stretch their legs and meet and greet other furry friends! If you are looking for similar summary blogs on other areas of Ontario, check out our South Eastern Ontario Blog that covers from Kingston to Cornwall.