11 posts tagged “lowcountry dog park tour”
Thanks to some misalignment in Google Maps, it took me a little bit of driving around Park West before I could find the dog park.
Located in the Mt. Pleasant Recreation Center in Park West, the dog park is a small fenced in area next to the tennis court. It's dominated by the retention pond in the center of the park, so there's not a lot of open field for dogs to run. However, if you've got a dog that loves water, that's not really going to matter much.
There are plenty of tennis balls around for dogs to run around and fetch, although most of them are in the pond so they'll need to be fished out.
One thing the dog park could use is a water hose to wash the pond water off the dogs when you're finished. There's also no water fountain for the dogs, so it's probably a good idea to bring your own water and bowl.
The IOP Bark Park is a decently sized fenced in dog park located just behind the IOP Recreation Center, and so far is the only dog park that features a separate small dog area.
The Bark Park isn't very large, about the same size as Ackerman dog park. It's fairly wide open though and offers a lot of room for dogs to run around. Benches provide plenty of places for people to sit, and several trees provide shady spots during hot weather.
The small dog area is a long narrow strip adjacent to the main dog park. There were no small dogs around when I was there, so I'm not sure how often it gets used. Looks like it would be a good place for people with smaller dogs that don't want to risk them getting bowled over by bigger dogs. Most of the small dogs I've seen though play just fine with big dogs.
There's no water fountain installed in the dog park, but a large bucket in each area provides water. The water comes from a hose running from the Rec center to the dog park. Filling the bucket requires walking out of the dog park over to the building to turn the water on.
There are a few sandy areas where dogs can plop down to relax, cool down or work out some of their digging urges.
See the rest of the IOP Bark Park photos in my photo album.
To be honest, I was a little bit disappointed with the dog park at Riverfront Park in North Charleston, especially considering how nice and spacious the rest of the park is. The Bark Park almost seemed like an afterthought in comparison. It's like someone took an area of the park that wasn't much good for anything else and said "Let's make a dog park out of it". However, I suppose it's better than nothing.
The Bark Park is quite a small fenced in area. There's a dog-lock style gate, but whoever put together the gates and latches didn't do it very well and I don't think they measured things out all that accurately either for the outer gate. As a result it would be pretty easy for dogs to push their way past both gates and get loose if the inner gate isn't closed properly.
Unlike all the other dog parks we've visited so far, there is no water fountain installed in the park. Instead, there are a couple of watering stations provided that are starting to look a little green with algae growth. They also collect whatever happens to fall from the trees. IMO the lack of water fountain is quite a significant oversight. Hopefully they're just temporary and a permanent water fountain is in the works. In the meantime, I'd recommend bringing your own water and bowl for your dogs.
There are benches along the side for people to sit on, and trees provide plenty of shade. They also drop lots of pecans for dogs to crunch on (probably not a good thing for dogs to do).
One very nice feature the dog park has are the agility type jumps and tunnel. Since there's not a whole lot of room for dogs to run, these provide a fun way for dog owners to engage and interact with their dogs.
Panorama view of the park from the entrance gate
Panorama view of the park from the other end
On the first visit to the Hazel Parker dog park, I discovered it was still being worked on. Today (being the first day of vacation), I decided to head back over there and see what progress had been made.
The dog park is open now, and doesn't really look much different than when I was there last, aside from having operational dog-lock gates. They aren't latched though, but that may just be a temporary thing. Several benches strategically located underneath the trees provide a spot for people to sit and relax, and over in the corner is a water fountain.
Although the park is fairly long, it would still be pretty easy to throw a ball too far and out of the dog park, especially with the aid of a Chuck-it. The park would be very well suited for smaller dogs and dogs that aren't that much into running around. People with more active dogs would probably find more satisfaction (as would their dogs) heading to one of the larger dog parks like the one at Hampton Park or James Island County Park.
The dog park at Wannamaker County Park is the third on the list of dog parks located in a Charleston County Park.
The dog park has been open for close to two years now, and provides a fairly large wide open space for dogs to run and stretch their legs.
The pond/mud pit that used to be open is now fenced off with a gate so you can let your dog in to romp around the mud/water if you wish. A sign asks people to keep the gate closed so people who don't want to go home with a wet muddy dog can keep their dog out of the water.
If you do let your dog play in the mud/water, there's a hose available to spray him off with.
Picnic tables provide plenty of places for people to sit down and watch their dogs, or you can hang out on the concrete walkway along the fence on one side of the dog park. The trees provide a bit of shade there for sunny days.
Admission to Wannamaker County Park is $1/person and once you're in you can make use of the dog park, go wandering around the trails afterwards or bring the whole family and have a picnic. To get to the dog park, just follow the road once you're past the entrance gate (the road goes around the water park). You'll see signs pointing to the dog park.
You can see the rest of the pictures here.
The next stop on the dog park tour takes us to the second of three dog parks located in a Charleston County Park: Palmetto Islands County Park in Mt. Pleasant. The dog park here is relatively new, having opened in 2007. It's a fairly large fenced in dog park located next to the fenced in area used by the Lowcountry Dog Agility group (this area is not part of the dog park). Dual dog lock type gates provide good flow for dogs entering and leaving the park. The park is somewhat narrow but very long giving you plenty of room for long ball throws and lots of room for dogs to run around in.
For people, a couple of bleachers provide plenty of seating space as do several picnic benches around the perimeter.
Two sandy areas serve as nice soft spots for dogs to wrestle, dig or plop down to rest.
The park is pretty near to the marshes, so as a result the water table is pretty close to the surface. This means when the ground gets wet, it tends to stay that way for a while and things can get a little muddy in spots, especially near the fence. Fortunately there's a hose positioned near the water fountain so you can hose off muddy dogs if necessary.
Admission to Palmetto Islands County Park is $1/person. Since the dog park is within the park, once you're in you also have access to the rest of Palmetto Islands County Park, which is quite large and has plenty of walking trails.
See the rest of my pictures of the dog park here.
The dog park at James Island County Park is what I would consider the crown jewel of CCPRC's three dog parks.
The JICP dog park is the largest of all the dog parks located in the Charleston area, providing ample space for dogs to run around in and perhaps best of all, a lake for dogs to go swimming in.
Two beach areas provide plenty of room for dogs to run around and jump into the water. On hot days, the lake is where you'll find most of the dogs.
Two dog lock style gates for entering and exiting the park provide for smooth flow. A water fountain to the left of the gates as you enter provides water (although most dogs will just end up drinking from the lake anyway) and there's also a hose so you can hose down a muddy dog. A couple of picnic tables and the retaining wall provide a spot for people to sit down, and for some of the dogs, a bit of shade. While the dog park isn't fenced in, trees and bushes lining the perimeter of the park and the lake serve as natural barriers, although some especially motivated dogs have been known to escape the park by swimming across the lake.
Admission to JICP is $1/person, but once you're in you can avail yourself of the dog park and all the other facilities contained within the park. The dog park is the only area where dogs are allowed off leash though, so if you decide to go for a walk around the rest of the park, you'll have to put Fido back on the leash.
One of the main disadvantages of the dog park is the lack of any kind of shelter or shade. If you're there on a hot sunny day, you'd better have plenty of sun screen on. A walk through the water helps cool off the feet, but you'll have to be on the look out for dogs barrelling by, and prepare to get wet from dogs shaking off. However, if things get too hot, you can always head out and go for a walk along the many miles of shaded trails within the park and then head back for more dog park fun.
A piece of advice before going to this dog park: make sure you have a reasonably reliable recall on your dog before going. The park is a really fun place for dogs to go, and sometimes they can be reluctant to leave. If you don't have a good recall on your dog, then you're liable to end up chasing your dog around trying to catch him long after you originally planned to leave.
The next stop on the tour takes me and the dogs up to North Charleston to the Mixson neighbourhood (near the Park Circle area), an area still under development but with a dog park already.
The dog park though, is a tiny little fenced in area that would probably fit in most back yards, so I don't know that I'd really call it a dog park. However, as the fine print on the sign says, it's only a temporary dog park. Hopefully as development of the area continues it will be replaced with a much larger more permanent dog park (one where you don't have to worry about tossing a ball outside the fence.
This one I'll have to come back to in a year or so to see if anything has changed.
The dogs and I headed off downtown in search of the Hazel Parker Dog Run, the third in my list of city-run dog parks (the other two being Hampton and Ackerman).
Located on the peninsula just a block or so down from Tradd and East Bay in Hazel Parker Playground (70 East Bay St), we wandered around the playground area, but didn't see anything resembling a dog park or dog run.
There was a smallish rectangular fenced in gravel area that I suspect is the dog run, but it's currently closed off. I'm guessing the city is renovating the area.
This looks like it will be a dog-lock style entrance for the dog run.
So no dog park action today. Hazel Parker dog run will have to go back on the list to be visited again in a few months time when the city is finished their work.
Located in West Ashley on Sycamore Ave just off St. Andrews Blvd (Highway 61), Ackerman dog run is a smallish dog park, but with lots of trees that provide ample amounts of shade for those hot sunny days.
There are three dog-lock entrances to the park located at the corners, with a poop bag station at each entrance. A water fountain is located in the middle of the park.
The dog park isn't very large, perhaps 250 m2 or so. There's plenty of room for dogs to run around, but if you have the kind of dog that likes to tear around wide open spaces or go after those long throws, Ackerman may not be the dog park for you.
With an abundance of benches and shade, Ackerman dog run certainly makes for a nice spot to go hang out while the dogs run around and play.
