El Estero Lake Dog Park — Attraction in Monterey

It's a nice location for a dog park, as I didn't want to travel too far from the aquarium (where some of the people I'm visiting the area with are), but the size and setup of the park leave a lot to be desired. It is not well maintained (large holes on the big dog side and overgrown with weeds on the small dog side), both waste bag holders were empty (I brought my own, but it's always nice to have if you forget), and you have to leave the double-gated area for water. My biggest complaint is that the ground is covered in dirt and wood chips, which my dog tried running on but it was too painful on the pads of her feet, and because there were no other dogs present I couldn't even play fetch with her because of this...so she essentially burned off no energy. The dusty dirt also left her filthy even though she was just walking on it. To end on a high note, there is a good mix of shade and sun so I want worried about her...

Nice view of the pond, stocked poo bags the last 4 times I’ve been here (still ALOT of poo on the ground though, so it doesn’t seem to matter if the bags are stocked; people still don’t pick up after their dogs). There was a city maintenance guy here cutting the grass, trimming and emptying the trash this morning, but no trimming was done inside the dog park. It’s a smaller park but helpful if you have a dog that doesn’t have great recall, not very busy. My dogs like to run around the big mounds of mulch as an obstacle course and they have a nice cover of mulch, so no more mud or dirt on the dogs, just watch out for the poop! Public restrooms are across the street by the El Estero...

Hidden in plain sight. Went to the Monterey visitor center for directions to the dog park which was located across the street. Very sad to see this place. Did not expect this to be Monterey's dog park. Very poorly maintained and tucked in a corner under Eucalyptus trees next to the cemetery. I hope the city makes some changes. Would love to see a dog park located near the rec trail as many joggers/walkers take their pups along with them and would be...