Prairie Wolf Off-Leash Dog Area — Attraction in Lake Forest

I've been going to this spot for a few years and it's a great spot for your dog to run and swim! The non resident prices are a little high ($30 for a day pass). I didn't find it to be as friendly as any of the dog parks or dog beaches we frequent. I have a rescued pitbull mix who is very friendly to people and other dogs. He's never had any issues at any of the dog parks we frequent. He typically will greet other dogs and then keep to himself after that. I found a lot of folks at Prairie Wolf were keeping their dog away from mine as soon as they saw him. The moment we got to the close swimming hole everyone there took one look at him (he was playing by himself with a toy we brought and ignoring the other dogs) and cleared out to the other swimming hole. After a while he decided to go down there and the same folks left and went back to the close swimming hole. When we came back there again about 10 minutes later they all went back to the other swimming hole again. To be fair there were a few friendly people out of the 15-20 we ran into, but most of them were not welcoming. Fortunately their dogs were much more friendly! I've never experienced this around dog people at a dog friendly spot before. It was very noticeable and off putting! 5 stars for the dog park itself and the dogs, 1 star for the snobby people! Averages out to 3 stars. We will continue to go and ignore the...

Amazing and an absolute must go! Prairie Wolf Dog park is amazingly fun not just for the dogs but for the people as well. It's $20 for non-residents and you need to get your pass a couple of days in advance and you need to have medical information. We have come here twice with our dog and he loves it. There is so much room for them to run and play and really be off their leash. There are tons of little trails to walk with them. The biggest attractions though by far are the little pod entrance beaches. All the dogs collect there and they all have so much fun. There is room for them to run, wrestle, play, tons of tennis balls to chase and the lake for them to swim in. My dog isn't big on swimming but when we are here he loves the water. He chases the tennis ball out and brings it back. Everyone who comes here is incredibly nice and everyone is there for the dogs. The park is well maintained, plenty of shade, space, and things to do. The only thing about this park is that there aren't really any places for the dogs to drink water besides what you bring and the lake water. Besides that I highly recommend this place as a must go for...

Current pricing : $10 for Lake County, IL residents and $20 for those outside of Lake County, IL.

Can get very muddy, but also has a main gravel path you can follow to the pond. Mostly larger dogs (above 40 pounds). Bathrooms are essentially permanent porta-potty style (in a wood structure and not the plastic room of death) and they provide hand sanitizer. Wash area to rinse muddy pups off. A couple smaller training pens close to the entrance are great for letting a dog burn off some steam before joining in the fun with all other dogs. Lots of friendly people who keep an eye on their dogs (we only ran into one couple who didn't seem to realize their dog was a bit over excited, but one out of the 30 or so dogs we saw isn't too bad for such a large park).

Definitely being exact change if you're paying at the gate, remember a pen to fill out the little parking tag and payment envelope, and I strongly suggest a bottle of water for your dog since they'll be getting hot and thirsty having a ton of fun with their new buddies! Many people bring "chuck-its" to play fetch...