Grant Bark Park

My dog and I absolutely love coming here. There’s an abundance of tennis balls and toys, running water, and baggies in case nature calls. They also have a dog-​friendly water fountain, but that didn’t appear to be operating the only time I tried to use it. Hardly a big deal considering it was barely 50 degrees. Everything else was perfect.
The park is large enough for any sized dog to have ample running room, and they have two ways in and out of the park itself. Speaking of the entry /​exit doors, they utilize a double-​gate system for the safety of all the dogs.
But of all the features that I love about this park, its inclusiveness is my favorite. All breeds and sizes are allowed. As the owner of a breed that is unfairly discriminated against, that means a lot.

Great place to bring my dog in the city! Large space with gravel area and plenty of room to run. Always clean and great location!

This place is great. It’s a big enough place for my dog to run around and is really close to my apartment. My dog loves coming here and mingling with all of the other dogs.
There are a ton of regulars that come here and for the most part are very friendly.
My dog begs me every day to come to the park and already has the route memorized. We have been going there for a month.

I’ll continue to give this 3 stars because in spite of all the great owners and dogs that frequent this park, there are still losers who have no business bringing their aggressive dogs here while they go yak on the phone and assume no accountability. On the plus side: Three pools and plenty of hoses and water bowls and water fountains. This has been a life-​saver in the heat! And most dogs love it. But, you still have: Owners who don’t pick up poo, even after you point out that their dog just went and repeat violators who just don’t seem to get that their dog doesn’t belong at a dog park. We just ran into Paxton again (last time was November, when he attacked me and my dog and cost us a $ 146 trip to the vet). These owners must be mentally ill because today, the woman, who I didn’t recognize initially, was playing with this dog outside the of the dog park, but in full view of any dog in the park. I mean, really? You’re a distraction. Go somewhere else. Then she came in and that was when I heard her call the dog «Paxton,» so we got the hell out of there. I should have asked to be reimbursed for the vet visit but I just wanted to get my dog safely out of the park. Another dog that is a total menace is a Doberman called Aries. If you see this dog, either with its clueless dog walker or its equally clueless owner, grab your dog and leave. This dog has not started a fight yet, but it’s only a matter of time. It runs around and bothers (stalks) other dogs and never stops, even if you yell at it (since the guardians won’t). I even told the dog walker last week that the dog does not belong at the park (this was after it kept bothering my dog for more than 15 minutes) and she was just like, «Sorry.» Then he was there again last night! I’ve spoken with several other owners and all of them said they leave when Aries comes in. I really wish there was somewhere to report this to, but as in the rest of society, the law abiders always seem to suffer. This dog park is really the best one in the South Loop but you do need to be careful.

Beautiful Park! I walked down here after going to the Field Museum… just watch out for the dog poop and urine – I guess one of the downsides of being a dog park.

I came here several times over the past winter — people bring their dogs here in the winter because they need exercise, which is good because dogs are more likely to tire each other out. I haven’t been here in the summer yet but rumor has it that there’s a kiddie pool put out by the PAC for the dogs to play in — fun! My dog even played with a Great Dane here and loved it. People are friendly enough and tolerant of large playful dogs.
My dog loved running and even playing fetch on the asphalt. When she did run around in the gravel, it seemed to hurt her feet so… watch out for that if you have a dog that likes to run fast/​is heavy, which likely digs the little stones into their paws.
The park is huge and well cared for. Nice views. Finding it — first time I was looking for the park, it was kinda tough to find. Its on the west side of Columbus, south of Balbo and immediately south of the tennis courts and skate park there. Definitely no parking too close so don’t try it.

Romeo, Tofu, and Bella Bean loves this place! It’s nice, clean and has fresh water. There is a gravel area in addition to a larger concrete area for them to play in. There’s some small kiddie pools that we can fill with fresh water so the dogs can jump in! It’s very well kept and the people that go there are nice. It was kind of hard to find, it’s on colombus street between Balbo and Roosevelt, it’s right south of the tennis courts and on the same side as the tennis courts.

Love this place! Close to my place and my dog loves the walk over. Once we get there she isn’t much of the social type but she loves to walk around and smell everything.
The park is always clean and never had a problem with other dogs. They also have water and bowls here which my dog loves on a hot day
I’d stay away from the pools kinda dirty in my opinion. And also there is no grass just gravel and pavement. But grass would be pointless since it would probably be dead with dog urine.
I would recommend this place for sure.

Huge! Rambo freaking loved it. He loves to run and jump over things, and GBP had ample room for him to do all of this. When we first got there, we were the only ones, but a few people started to trickle in. Rambo tired himself out pretty quickly with the first dog to come in, so he was kind of over it when the rest of the crowd came.
The only problems I saw were that yes, it is hard to find. I know Grant Park pretty well so I was able to find it quickly, but only after extensive google mapping. Also, parking is a pain. I get a discount at Soldier Field so we just parked there and walked… Unfortunately not everyone is that lucky.
Great owners, great dogs. Can’t wait to come back again, especially when the pools are out!

This is a great little dog park. Nice owners who are chatty and watch their dogs pretty well. There’s a lot of room for the doggies to run, a bench, two double gated entries, and lots of random tennis balls floating around. We have subscribed to the bring a tennis ball and leave it method that others seem to adopt. I think in the summer there’s a pool and water fountains.
There’s a good number of dogs here in the after work hours around 6pm. Plus there are lights inside, as well as the bright lights of the tennis courts next door, so it’s okay to go in the evening/​dark!
Love this little park!

Was visiting Chicago for a wedding, brought my dog, staying at the Hilton on Michigan which is pet friendly. Found out that the Grant Bark Park is right across the street. It was a chilly day, but still a few dogs were there to help burn off my puppy’s energy.
Only complaint is that Chicago requires a DFA (dog friendly area) tag to use the dog park. Luckily no one was checking for them, but I don’t think visitors to the city will be expecting that. I had never heard of that before, either in NYC or Peoria (where I live now). I think visitors should just need a rabies tag.
Otherwise the park was great big enough and very well maintained.

We took our 6-​year old Boston Terrier, Daisy, here for the first time today and it’s safe to say we’ll be frequenting it a lot more often, now that we know where it is. I’d heard about it but the last few times we took her to Grant Park, I wasn’t sure exactly where it was. The easiest way to access the park is the 11^th street bridge. It nearly leads you right into the park.
I was pleasantly surprised by how spacious it is. I guess that’s because I’m used to the dog run (and I use that term loosely) in Coliseum Park. That’s much closer to our apartment but the Bark Park is definitely worth the walk. There’s just a lot more room and you can tell it’s better cared for and cleaner.
There were only a few other dogs there when we were there and they were bigger (I think a golden retriever and chocolate lab or something similar) but Daisy holds her own rather well. The dogs all got along just fine.

I got my first dog back in November and I’ve been going here since about March or so. My dog LOVES it here. She is crazy for other dogs and this is the perfect place for her to go wild until she passes out (usually while laying in a pool of water/​slobber… much to my chagrin). I have a Shiba Inu weighing about 20 pounds and there are small dogs to giant dogs here when I’ve gone, and I haven’t had any trouble (Harlow likes to get up in all dogs’ faces/​mouths for kisses, so sometimes I’m a little nervous). Obviously the people bringing their dogs here know their dogs, so I feel safe for myself and my dog. I love when the dogs form a «welcoming committee» when a new dog is about to enter. I live down by Michigan/​18^th, so it’s not that bad of a walk. Coliseum Park is closer to home, but I only go there when I’m feeling lazy because it’s pretty small especially in comparison.

I love this dog park! It’s large, clean, well-​maintained, and has a ton of water bowls and a pool and tennis balls. The dogs that come here (and owners) are typically well behaved; I’ve only had one bad experience since they opened. It’s also such a nice walk to get here… And sometimes, there are a TON of small dogs, which is just so cute.

The park is very nice. very clean and it gives you a nice view of downtown chicago. The problem is that because is right on Columbus dr (btwn lake shore dr & michigan ave.) its very hard to get a parking spot, very hard. Also its not grass, its concrete so that basically killed my dogs paws. yesterday we went there for a fun afternoon and he played and runned a lot, but when we got home he’s paws skin were pealed and had a little blood in them. now he’s having a hard time walking.

I really like this park! It is pretty clean and quite spacious for it’s location in Grant Park. In the summer there is usually a sprinkler going as well as a few water dishes for the dogs. There are a couple benches on the far side but I prefer the 200′ or more of brick wall that softly curves the length of the park. It is a couple feet high and about 12″ wide. It’s perfect for parking your butt while still being close & involved with your dogs. Yes people, you should have an eye on your dog at all times. How else are you going to know that he crapped in corner behind a tree? Which in turn begs the question, how else are you going to be able to clean up after him/​her if you never knew it happened in the first place? And speaking of dog crapping, there is a very large pea gravel area that is perfect such a duty. Besides being soft on the dogs pads, It makes for easy clean up. Most of the people are friendly, another good portion kind of keep to their own. If you forget a toy there is usually several balls laying around for a good game of fetch.

Really, really nice dog park. Clean and well kept. The stainless steel bowls were really appreciated by me and my french bulldog who easily overheats. The only thing that would make it better is if there were some more benches for humans to sit on. Will definitely be back.
One thing people, if you are going to bring your dog to the park, paying attention to your dog instead of reading, texting or talking on the phone would make it a better experience for everyone.

We have been frequenting this place since it opened. We live relatively close by, 1 mile or so. Our dog is normally tired by the time she gets up here, but she always has a blast. There is enough room so the dogs can do what they want, socialize with whom they want, etc.
They have these great little pools, bags to pick up poop, and little water fountains for the little ones. We have a pit bull (not an attack dog people), and she is generally accepted as she is just a playful dog. Love this place to wear out the dog.

This place is the Mercedes Benz of doggie parks. My afternoons and evenings will be spent here from now on.
–1 for parking

This park is huuuuuuge, shiny and new, and has all the trappings of a modern dog park. The double gate entry, the fountain, a shaded tree area and a paved area for running. The only thing that would make the park better is a grassy area, but I understand that’s way higher maintenance when you’ve got dogs all over the place.
It’s a hike to get to Grant, but I feel like the owners here are a little more «with it» than at Wicker Park, the space is bigger, and it’s just a pleasant place to be. There are always plenty of balls– and even some kong toys– laying around, and the fountain seems to always be on. The baggie dispenser is often empty, but we always BYO anyway.
Entry gate is to the south, near the 11^th St Bridge to Michigan, or on the east side, just south of the Columbus tennis courts. Remember, your pet needs BOTH a city of Chicago and a Chicago Parks tag to be in the area, technically.