Kiesel Park — Attraction in Auburn

Beautiful and peaceful park close to Auburn University, but out of the city center so it is extra quiet. A large gravel parking lot greets you as you enter, with plenty of parking space. There are walking trails (almost 2.5 miles) with lovely views of trees, a small pond, and grassy fields. The paths are mainly gravel and well maintained, with a few areas of gentle inclines as well as exposed tree roots (these are easily avoided). Wooden benches are placed along the path to offer a place to rest. Blue, wooden sign markers help you to see how far you've walked. There is a separate dog park area, however, dogs are certainly welcome on the trails if they are on a leash or follow voice commands, per the signage. There are clean restrooms, a gazebo for gatherings, as well as plenty of green space to have a picnic or just relax on a blanket. A very enjoyable place to spend a few hours...

Lots of room to roam around. However do use caution if you are bringing your dog. This is the park for dogs, however not all dogs are friendly. Some people will let their dogs off the leash (which is allowed) and their dog will approach your dog without caution. This can go good or bad depending on the situation. Some dogs don't like to be charged and can react negatively, then resulting in a dogfight. Some owners are blind to this possible reaction.

This place is also good for trail running ! Lots of paths and courses to use. Again caution with dogs off leash, not all owners have control over their pets. Even if they are friendly dogs, sometimes the dogs see you running and want to play and...

Overall, a good park with some pretty trails and a nice off leash dog park. However…the trails are actually poorly marked in spots. My wife was walking the trails once and took a “wrong” turn at a confusing fork in the trail near the back of the park - she followed a trail that took her into someone’s back yard without warning, where she was chased off by some guy with a gun (!). Turns out someone made their own “trail” to connect their back yard to the park trails, but neglected to mark their own private trail and/or indicate that it was private property. This fork in the trail happens near the 3/4 mile marker in the back corner of the park…apparently you need to go left at that...