Van Vorst Park Dog Run

There was a time when I had to build my schedule around taking my dogs to the dog park at Van Vorst. We frequented the park at least once a day and on particularly nicer days we would come back a second time.
There are two dog run areas, one meant for smaller pups and the other for larger breeds. Although I will say most times everyone just heads straight to the large breed section.
The dog run is a quite large in size, perfect for the little ones to run around and around to their little hearts content. There are two seating areas for pup parents, a circular bench and a bench along the side. In addition there are two garbage cans and a few rakes to clean up any messes made.
I’ve never had a bad experience with pups here, everyone is very friendly and keen on watching out for their babies. On some occasions when the owner feels that their dogs may not play well with others they take them to the smaller play area away from the others.
Few words of warning, the area does not drain well so take caution after any type of rain — even a little rain tends to pool. It can takes a few days for the area to fully dry out so I would recommend steering clear, that is unless you don’t mind a muddy paw prints!
While the majority of my time is spent at the dog run, the rest of the park is quite pleasant with trails that wind around the park, well kept fauna and not to mention a great play area for the kiddos!

NOTE, this review is for the DOG RUN only, not for the surrounding park.
Yikes. I’ll give it one star for having adequate double-​gate system and access to fresh water (when they decide to finally turn it on for the season).
One additional star for showing a little foresight in creating separate runs for large and small breeds. The benches are nice, but the park is so dirty looking that I never want to sit on them.
This place leaves a lot to be desired by dog owners. WAY too small for bigger breeds to get a good run. The lime gravel surfacing, if they choose to keep going that route, needs to be replenished. Or replace with pea gravel. Or add drainage some other way. But bottom line is this place reeks of old urine and feces, and I think twice before trying to throw a tennis ball around in there. I don’t want it rolling around in that mess and then getting into my pooch’s mouth, ya know?
And I dunno what it is about this park in particular but… I swear, I’ve never run into so many neurotic dogs that come with up-​front disclaimers from their owners. «Oh be careful, my dog has RAAAAAAGE issues.» Uhhh, thanks for the heads up I guess?!
Jersey City should convert Morris Canal Park into a dog park. It’s the perfectly sized area and, considering the land is a peninsula of sorts, would only require one fencing line to be constructed.

I don’t own a dog but came with my friend and his dog. I like that they have two dog areas, one for big breeds and another for smaller breeds. The space was large enough for dogs to run around and get their exercise. All the dogs seemed to get along great.
They had some benches for the dog owners and all of the people seemed really nice and chatted while their dogs played.

Nice little park. Quiet and relaxing.

Nice little run in a decent little park.
Things it has going for it:
— Separate large & small dog runs
— Plenty of shade during the summer
— Great fencing, gates and entry area
— Has dedicated dog water fountain in both runs
— Has poop dispensers in both runs but both were empty when I went
Things it has against it:
— No bathrooms near run for humans
— Crushed stone ground cover, gets in a wet dogs hair
— Both runs need some more elbow room
— Limited seating
— Drainage issues in some areas of run
This run isn’t bad, but a litte on the small side. Upgrade the ground cover, fix drainage, add seating and this could be a 4 star run in my opinion.
Dog runs/​parks I have been to so far: