Downs Park Dog Beach — Attraction in Riviera Beach

Lovely park, there is so much to do and see here. From the ranger station with all of its animal and historical displays to the pier where you can use the little coin operated telescope to see the bay bridge and the ospreys. There are shaded nature paths where you can see a river and pond full of snapping and box turtles of all different sizes (maybe even a water snake if youre lucky). Or can see a neat little bird sanctuary with two of the nicest little birds you have ever seen. (My favorite is Twirly who the rangers have been caring for since he was injured in the wild.) then there is the wooded eco trail near the entrance that webs off in all different directions and probably stretches for miles. (Just full of lovely shadbush plants, blue tailed skinks, and some neat looking oyster mushrooms) And of course, there is the dog walking beach where you can meet some wonderful people and see some of the friendliest dogs you ever did see.

I tend to frequent the park and if you happen to see me wearing a frog hat be sure to say howdy. Theres so much more that i could ramble on about with the insect and plant life at the park but i doubt it would all fit in here.

EDIT: I meant to post this for the park proper. The dog beach is still amazing and all but i figured this review may be better suited for the downs park general page....

It's a beautiful location and the new fence is a huge improvement, it's almost fully enclosed now with a stable, secure fence. I've been going there for years but just a point of caution, the novelty does seem to attract a number of people and dogs that are not familiar with dog parks, dog behavior, or basic dog etiquette. The park rangers are lovely but also forced to kick dogs out for the smallest complaint - or force them on a leash which is both a behavior hazard at a dog park and defeats most of the purpose of them being there. Given people's tendencies to complain for the smallest things such as, "dog kicking up sand while playing" and "dog play growling" and "dogs bumping into people while playing" their policy is to listen to the complaint without question and you may pay $6 to come in and be forced out until the complainer leaves. This is the rule even if there are many other witnesses and people to vouch for your dog. This was the first time in about 20+ visits that it has affected us personally, but it's not terribly uncommon to see here...

We love taking our pup here! It's a small beach, but the dogs don't seem to mind sharing the sand and waves one bit. We were a bit nervous on our first visit, as it does get quite crowded and pretty much all the dogs are off leash, but we haven't seen any scuttles break out and all the owners are very friendly. Bring a cheap ball or floating fetch toy to toss into the water; you'll be the most popular owner at the park!

We tend to park in the lot furthest from the entrance. From there, it's a quick walk on a paved and shaded pathway to the dog beach, with well-marked signage along the way. The beach is gated and down a set of stairs, which creates a nice area with some spots of shade.

For some reason, this is one of the few places I've been during the pandemic where people aren't wearing masks, but we've felt reasonably able to distance during...