After our excursion to some of Vancouver’s off-leash dog parks a couple of weeks ago Matt and I decided to go and check out what Richmond’s dog parks had to offer – and we were impressed! One thing I noticed right away was that all of the parks had an abundance of garbage cans located throughout them – no hauling around bags of poop, and absolutely no excuse for leaving a bag at the side of a trail. My next observation was that all of the parks also had poop bags, excellent for those times you find yourself in need! The following is a summary of the parks we visited.
WARNING: Richmond Parks are experiencing problems with Fire Ants. Dog owners should be aware and watch that dogs aren’t disturbing the ants.
McDonald Beach Park
Located at 3500 McDonald Road behind the Vancouver Airport – McDonald Beach Park is a large off-leash park with tons to offer. The park is located at the end of a road with very little traffic, making it an ideal location for an off-leash park. Next to the parking lot is a huge grassy area perfect for playing fetch or Frisbee and there is a large off leash beach area. The park also has a nice trail system if you feel like going for a long walk – but note this part of the park is on-leash only. With both grassy and beach area’s, plenty of garbage cans, complimentary poop bags, water for dogs and humans, benches and picnic tables this park is tough to beat! Definitely Avy approved.
Iona Beach Regional Park
Located at the end of Ferguson Road behind Vancouver International Airport – Iona Beach Park is a beautiful space complete with dog friendly trails and biking trails. The area is popular with bird watchers as it is an important stop on their migration route and there are lookouts set up for easy viewing. One of the best features of the park is an off-leash trail on a jetty that extends 4 Km into the ocean with beautiful views and great exercise – just watch out for the windy sections! The park and beach section have bathrooms for the humans and water for the dogs. There are picnic tables throughout the park and lots of information signs for interested park-goers. This one is another Avy approved location!
South Dyke Trail Off-Leash
Located at the South foot of Number 3 Road, the off-leash area of the Dyke Trail is the perfect location for a dog park. It’s location at the end of a road makes the area very safe for dogs and free parking makes it a great destination for dog owners. The park has a grassy area as well as a walking path, water stations, poop bags, garbage bags and bathrooms. Highly recommended and Avy approved!
Steveston Park
Steveston Park is a fantastic family park located at 4011 Moncton Street. This park really does have it all – a swimming pool, baseball diamonds, water park, tennis courts, playground, basketball courts, lacrosse box and more!
The off-leash park is located next to the tennis courts and is one of the nicest fenced off-leash area’s I have ever come across. The fenced area is divided into two sections – one for large dogs and one for small. The large dog area is quite large with plenty of room for the dogs to run around, chase or play fetch. There are some chairs located in the park and water buckets for the dogs.
The small dog area is considerably smaller but still has plenty of room. Both area’s have a double gate entry for dog safety and each has it’s own garbage can and poop bag station. A sign on the fence indicated that a “dog park improvement” program was in progress and a later release will include lighting and more seating. An excellent, well-rounded park!
Horseshoe Slough Trails
The Horseshoe Slough Trail starts at Woodwards Landing Park just off Number 5 Road in Richmond. Woodwards Landing Park has a small green space with picnic tables at the entrance to the trail – great for a family picnic before or after your walk (although this area is strictly off leash). The trail itself is completely off leash and is a nice place to go for a walk with your dog. There are garbage cans and poop bags available at the start of the trail and like all the other parks in Richmond parking is free!
Overall our experience in the dog parks of Richmond was extremely positive – I wouldn’t hesitate to make the drive with Avy to spend a few hours in any of these parks. With amenities that appeal to both dogs and humans and lots of family friendly space you really can’t go wrong.