Genesee Park Off Leash Area

The new dogpark manager has added so many great things recently. Lots of chairs to relax while the pups play. Shady areas to cool off in. Friendly neighborhood people here as well.

Nice little dog park. Kept pretty clean. I’ve only experienced responsible owners and their dogs. Plenty of parking nearby. It would be nice if they added a fenced off wee-​dog section for the little dogs.

Street parking. Entrance is located at the corner of two streets.
The area is grass on the perimeter and mostly DG (gravel) of the center and primary play area of the park. Great alternative if you are looking for a park without a lake or river to avoid a bath when you get home.
Dogs were both pure bred and lots of mixed breeds. Out of 30 adults 1 child present, and 3 couples, mostly single owners with dogs.
Pop bags is empty and not sure if finding is prepared to refill it. So bring poop bags or prepare to use a dirty pooper scooper.

Decent size and has water available for the dog. The only downside is that the majority of the park is gravel and there is no shelter for shade or rain protection.

This is a great little dog park. It’s not as giant as Magnuson, nor does it include a body of water in which dogs can frolic, but for a place close to home, it sure isn’t bad!
There’s a huge open area, some full of gravel and some covered in grass. There are some nice perks I haven’t seen elsewhere, like a pump for water (I was kicking myself for forgetting our dog’s portable water bowl; she’s too snooty to drink from communal bowls) and a box of various toys to play with. There are also tennis balls strewn about so there’s no shortage of things to throw.
When I came, there were quite a few dogs. My dog is a weirdo and although she LOVES other dogs, doesn’t always want to play when she’s surrounded by them. Because she was being shy we didn’t stay too long, but we’ll be back, especially over the summer when it’s nice out!

This is the closest dog park to my home so we’ll defiantly come by more often to socialize. The area is very open and large. People are very friendly as are the dogs. There are no trails, just a large open area and a couple of seating options if you just want to sit back and enjoy the view of dogs playing in the mud.

only off-​least park close to Beacon Hill. Not many dogs to play with though.

Double gated and a great place to let your dog run! They even provide metal chairs in the shade for you to sit. Plenty if grassy area to run but the main center is gravel. There is a water pump with a water dish but I wouldn’t recommend letting your dog use it – crows drink from and bathe in that. A minor con is that there are acorns everywhere so be mindful of your dog if they like eating random things.

This place is fairly large. We were visiting and stopped by for akoya and were happy to see other pups playing.
Akoya usually plays on grass or mud (if/​when it rains) so she didnt run, play, or chase as much as she normally would have due to the gravel that dominated the main areas.
We still enjoyed plAying with the locals here and had fun meeting new friends during our stay.

It’s just ok. It’s smelly and small, not super interesting. I don’t mind, but for those with little dogs they don’t have a separate small dog area. I come only because it’s a local spot. Go to west crest if your looking for something larger and more exciting.

I have been bringing my beagle mix here for a couple of months. The other dogs have been social and friendly. There is always plenty of street parking.

Very easy access off-​leash park, close to home, lots of parking either in the lot or on the street. Lots of open space for the dogs to run and play, benches, highly visible so easy to keep track of your dog at all times, and plenty of spare bags to pick up poop. Only drawbacks are that there is not a separately fenced small dog area, even if a big dog is friendly and good with other dogs if they run or roll over a small dog it could cause serious injury to the smaller dog, so I always feel like I have to be hyper vigilant and keep an eye on each of my two dogs which is not very easy. Also when it has rained it is a real mud pit, and when it has been dry for a while it is a dust bowl so bark/​mulch might be a better option for the central area and more grassy area as well. Otherwise it is always my second option after Westcrest which is the best around.

We’ve taken our little 22 pound dog here a lot over the last year we’ve had her. She absolutely DIGS it there… no pun intended. She gets along with the other dogs and loves to run and play off leash with anyone willing. Because it is adjacent to the rest of the park and play fields, it makes for a nice walk, too. I wish there were a few more natural spaces with trees and such, but it does the trick for our energetic girl!

Years ago, when I lived in the Seward Park neighborhood, I brought my Great Dane to this park on a regular basis. He loved it. It’s been a long time since then, he has passed on and I have moved out of the neighborhood, but when I got a Golden Retriever puppy last fall, it was only natural for me to start bringing him here once he came of age and had all his shots and what-​not. Although there are other off-​leash areas closer to where I now live, I find myself usually coming to Genesee Park because it is fully fenced, and the people and dogs are generally very friendly.
Occasionally we run into an overly-​aggressive dog who is not being controlled by their owner, and then we just leave and come back another day. This situation can happen anywhere, I figure. But on the whole, Genesee Dog Park is the best for us, especially while he is still a puppy.

I used to bring my dog her a lot, but unfortunately I started seeing far too many aggressive dogs and irresponsible owners and decided to take my overly-​social golden retriever to a quieter park out of town. My dog is often a target because he provokes even mild-​mannered dogs, and he turns everyone against him with his puppy-​like behavior. Basically, he needs very patient playmates.
It does tend to be a little messy and muddy (typical for any northwest park), but its overall a nice atmosphere in the middle of a park, and street parking is usually very easy to come by. Fresh water and plenty of doggie bags are a bonus.

I just wanted to add that I’ve became a regular at this dog park since it is the closest decent one to me. Since the first day we’ve been to this dog park, Kai has found lots of doggy friends here. I think the first day I went was an off day. I usually visit after work, which is between 5:30 — 7:00 PM. Monday is always the slowest, Wednesday being the busiest (so busy that it becomes borderline dangerous at times because tensions starts building between the dogs).
The one main thing I wanted to add to my update was that this dog park is DEAD when it is dark. There are no lights on the dog park, you get it from the street or the football field/​soccer field next to it. I came here on a Tuesday at around 5:30pm, there were only 2 dogs visiting and left within minutes. I was sadden by this, what do people that work 9 – 5 do with their dogs during the winter when it becomes dark quickly???

Syd approves… Which is all that really matters for us.
While Marymoor is hands-​down the best off-​leash dog park in the area, it’s far. And while Plymouth Pillars is barely blocks from home, it’s small. Having driven by Genessee a time or two in the past, yesterday we decided to pay a visit and check it out.
Lunchtime on a Monday saw peak dog occupancy around ten or twelve canines (and fortunately none of the problematic ones Clover A has encountered). The layout of the park is nice: yes, it’s just a big square, but that’s good for running because not much can get in the way. There are people chairs and benches scattered around the edges of the very large circular gravel area in the middle, and then grass (or grass-​mud) extends to the fence line). As other Unilocalers have noted, there’s a slope downward toward the fence in places, but you shouldn’t have any trouble keeping an eye on where your dog is (pooping) unless you’re irresponsibly not paying attention.
Most COLA visitors already know this, but Seattle Parks & Rec has cut funding for MuttMitts, so be sure to take your own bags with you. There were copious amounts of plastic grocery bags stuffed into a few receptacles near the community board in this park, but I find them to be unwieldy for such occasions.
Overall, we were happy to discover that Syd liked the park, that parking was easy, that the drive wasn’t at all long, and that he was sufficiently tired after running and playing that he went straight to bed on our return home!

This is my ‘local’ so I’m here more than any other park. Unfortunately, it’s the people, not the dogs or the park itself that I take issue with most of the time.
People bring dogs here that are clearly aggressive and anti-​social as all getout. There was one dog that when I heard his owner begin yelling his name as they approached, I’d just leave immediately as it would end badly with my dog or someone else’s hurt within 15 minutes of them arriving. I’ve been there with a 150lb+ Mastiff, unneutered and out for some action was allowed to run loose terrorizing dogs and owners alike. Today I actually witnessed a near-​physical altercation between two women, both dog owners, over picking up poop.
It’s not really fair to rate the park lower than I would for the facilities alone (4 stars) or for the convenience (5 stars) but what is a public area but a place for the public, and this public often isn’t my cup of tea.

Crowded and muddy in the winter (unless you stick to the middle area), but its a dog park and its close at hand!
There is another, lesser known dog park close to this area — off MLK and Massachusetts. I wanted to review it because I LOVE it, but it does not appear to be listed. It is big enough and has hills, so you and your dog can both get exercise walking the perimeter. It is never over crowded, so if you want a lot of playmates for your dog, this is not the park for you. However, if your dog is a fan of the chuckit and tennis ball and occasionally wants to also engage in a game of chase with another dog, check it out!

Genesse Dog park is one of the places I bring my dogs afterwork when I don’t have time to head over to Green Lake.
This is a great dog park for letting those 4-​legged children get out and run wild! :) Run Dogs Run! There is an information board where you can find out what is going on in the dog community. There are lots of regulars but I still only know the dogs names. How does that happen?
Very big enclosed space convienantly located off of Rainer Ave & Genesse. There are dogs of all ages and sizes, There are several benches and seats for the dog owners. Also, there is fresh water hole in the enclosed area. There is plenty of street parking so parking has never been an issue for us.
The downfall for this park… there is no lights for the night time use. That is something that limits the use of the park for the winter months so bring a flash light and put some blinkers on your doggies.
I’ll see you at the dog park!
Cheers!
Marcelle Stenzig, Realtor
Coldwell Banker Bain