Minnehaha Dog Park — Attraction in Minneapolis

Absolute Dog Heaven! No other way to describe it. It is the best dog park you have ever been too. Doesnt feel like you are in the city. It feels more like a state park full of dogs. That is the way I describe to people. There's room for hundreds of dogs.

If your dog likes water at all, they are gonna get wet.There is no way around it.

Make sure you have your Mpls dog license and dog park license. Although, I have never been checked, you technically need both to use the park.

Plan on paying for parking. It is around a dollar an hour in the small lot across the entrance or the frontage road next to the bike path.

Wear appropriate clothing. It's a dog park,. Realize there is a decent chance a dog is gonna jump on you, shake water off or you might fall down and go boom and get get dirty.

I think you should know the park is not technically fenced in 100%. It would take some work by your dog to get out but it could happen. I dont know anyone who has lost a dog, but If you have a dog that likes to wander, just know it is not all fenced in. There is a bike path on the top of bluffs that runs along the river as well and there is not a fence at the top of this bluff.

Keep a towel in your car to wipe off sand, dirt, mud, or to just dry them off before they get in your vehicle.

You can get by wearing tennis shoes, but stay on high and dry ground and you will be fine. I suggest to wear some water proof boots so you can explore more the park with your furry best friend.

It has everything a dog would want. Dogs have the option to swim in the Mississippi river, or a much calmer shallow backwater. It has a large open dog beach where many dogs can play in the sand and river. Or they can run through open areas or through the many trails through the woods.

After you walk in, 99% of people unleash their dog here. Technically, you are supposed to wait, but 99% of ppl dont, so dont worry.

There are many trails and be sure to go explore different trails the more you come. They take you many different paths through the park but almost all lead to some kind of water. Some of the "skinnier" trails can be slippery so be aware. None of the paths are really marked but you are not gonna get lost. Just follow your dog.

If the river is up and the water is high, some of the trails will be under water but there are other trails you use in these times. If the river is low, you can also walk down the beach to the end of park instead of walking through the woods.

It takes about an hour to walk from the entrance to the tip of the bottoms where the land meets the river back to the entrance allowing normal stop and play time with other dogs. You could walk for over 4 hours and not cover all the trails.

This is a GREAT spot to take a date. It's free, its romantic, pretty and if they love dogs, I promise they will love it.

It is open in winter, but once there is snow on the ground, I highly suggest getting some YakTrax or other slip on traction for your boots. The trails down the hills can get slippery due to all the people and dogs hardening the snow. You will be happy you have them. I keep a backup pair in my car and they have saved me more than once.

There is also another entrance to the dog park if you go down the bike path 200 yards. There is a large hill with the fence on the left side. It leads you to the river and the dog park but has no dog park signs.

I take all of my dog loving friends and family when they visit and everyone is amazed it is in Minneapolis.

Go and enjoy it. Your dog will thank you, by sleeping on the couch the rest of day...

We visited this dog park over the weekend. We bought a permit ahead of time online. It was very convenient.

It was so difficult to find a parking space, people were parking illegally and waiting for a spot to open up. Two cars ahead of us almost got into a fight when they were deciding on who should get one parking spot.

Luckily a couple was walking out and we asked them if we could have their spot. Unfortunately, an SUV refused to let us take it and took it from us.

We drove all up and down the street, in the parking lot, and out of the parking lot. We tried the street parking again and saw another couple leaving so we asked them if we could have their spot. This time, they told us the model of their car, so we could signal for it right away.

Some entrances to this dog park are very human un-friendly because they are so steep with loose rocks and gravel, you might slide down. This is the entrance we used and I almost twisted my ankle. When we left, we did see a woman fall.

The on-leash dog park part was just an extension of the off-leash dog park because nobody had their dog on a leash. I considered following the rules, but a regular assured me that nobody else does it. Plus, with the pathway so strewn with rocks and at such a dangerous angle, I imagine that walking with your leashed dog might be very dangerous to your body if they should decide to run, stop, jump, or pull.

The stairs are at an awkward level and angle: no stair is the same as the other, so if you have bad ankles, weak knees, etc. this is not the dog park for you.

The water access point was great. It was about ankle high in some spots and thigh high in others. A human could walk the entire thing while your dog swims next to you.

I enjoy the shade that the trees gave out, it allowed me to walk without sunglasses or a hat.

My dogs had a lot of fun. We will definitely make this a...

I have to shadow all the other 5 star reviews! Most people (and this was me before I heard of the dog park) believe Minnehaha Falls to be just the trail to and from the waterfall with a food stop and lots of people. That is still a lot of fun, but there is a hidden secret to the right of the falls which is the Minnehaha Falls dog park.

This is hands down the best dog park in the twin cities. The dogs have river access which you don't find at dog parks anymore. There are trails that stretch on for miles up hills and down, and through the woods. Most dogs are pretty well-behaved here and we haven't run into any issues with our pups.

You do have to pay for parking, but we have to pay for parking anywhere we go in Minneapolis. On the plus side, it's like $2 for 3 hours so it won't cost you an arm and a leg to go.

My boyfriend and I have come here simply to hike in nature without the pups too. Winding through the trails, you can head upwards towards the cement path that runs right by the dog park and find trails on the other side that connect to a more isolated nature park at the very end of the drive. I forget the name of the park, but if you pull in towards the Minnehaha Fall Park and make a right - just keep going until the drive ends and you'll see another park sign with more trails.

This is a must see for...