Are dogs allowed in Pacific Spirit Park?
Yes! Dogs are absolutely allowed in Pacific Spirit Park. Located next to UBC (the University of British Columbia), in Vancouver, BC, Pacific Spirit Regional Park is a beautiful forest setting in an urban area. With over 73 km’s of trails, there is plenty to explore – and the best part is that 90% of them are off-leash.
The trails are well marked as “leash optional”, “leash required” or “no dogs” so do pay attention to the markers as you explore. Metro Vancouver asks that people keep dogs out of streams in the park because they are home to sensitive wildlife such as an endangered species of cutthroat trout, rough-skinned newts, salamanders, frogs and other freshwater species.
The trails are well groomed and suitable for beginners. Elevation gain and loss varies depending on the part of the park you choose to explore, but the entire park would be given an “easy” rating.
The park is home to many coyotes so be aware of your surroundings – especially when walking smaller dogs. Metro Vancouver Regional Parks do put up signage when there are aggressive coyotes in the area. The park is also home to owls which may swoop down and startle walkers in the park.
You will also find poop bag stations and red “poop” bins which are part of a dog waste diversion program.
Be sure to check out the official Pacific Spirit Regional Park website at Metrovancouver.org for the Pacific Spirit Regional Park off-leash map, closures, updates, park hours, accessibility, and more.
If you are looking to cool off after your walk in the forest Spanish Banks off-leash dog beach and Acadia Beach (also off-leash) are both located nearby.