Grape Street Dog Park — Attraction in San Diego

I could've sworn I gave a detailed review of this park before but something must've happened to it. Well, it's kind of annoying and I don't have time to get into all the details right now, but this place is so great, I want to make sure to re-review and let others know, this is hands-down the best dog park in San Diego. It's gigantic and is always chock full of other dogs for yours to potentially play/socialize with. The poop bag stations are always filled and there's a couple water stations for dogs, although, that's probably the one thing I'd say could potentially be better; it's so big here, sometimes it's kind of a walk to one of the water fountains. Not big enough of a deal to knock any stars off though in my opinion. And they finally actually erected a decent fence along the parking lot side of the park to prevent any runaways, albeit the back side of the park is still open. That said, I've never actually seen any of the hundreds of dogs here runaway from back there. Not saying it's impossible that it could've happened though, but I think due to the sheer size of the park and all the other dogs here, dogs are typically more interested in playing with each other than they are in running far away. They only other possible negative things I could say, and wish they would add here, is there no lights at night. Even just a few could make a huge difference. This park doesn't officially close until 9pm I believe, but since it gets dark at around 5pm during the winter months, it kind of cuts the time short and for anyone who can't being their dog(s) here until after getting out of work at 3 or 4, that's kind of a tight window of opportunity for them, and impossible for anyone who can't get here before dark. But that's kind of an issue with most dog parks, and for me personally, it's not a problem anyway. But it would be nice. Also, it could help with keeping homeless out at night probably. That said, I've actually never personally seen any homeless here (albeit I'm never here after dark) and there's no evidence like trash or anything that might indicate any have been around, so it's probably not even necessary to...

UPDATE - April 2024 I initially gave this place 4 stars, but just upped it to 5 because they opened up the grassy area a few months back and it makes allllll the difference! This has become my (dog's) favorite park to go to. I've gone on weekends and weekdays, usually sometime between 1pm-5pm. There is always a good amount of people here. Even if you can't get a parking spot right in front of the park, you can street park within a 1-block radius with no problem.

My dog gets the zoomies here because there is sooo much space and she just loves to sprint around & around. She is a ~13lb mini poodle mix and I have never really had to worry about prey drive with the larger dogs because 1) there is TONS of open space 2) owners are very attentive.

I would say 97% of people here are great with cleaning up after their dogs. I don't feel paranoid walking around as if I am in a poop landmine. I do see a few kind people on occasion just walking the park and cleaning up dog waste that was left behind by the few irresponsible owners. I've also picked up waste that wasn't my dog's just because I enjoy this park a lot and want to contribute to its cleanliness and upkeep.

A lot of people come here to train their dogs. You'll usually notice them off in a corner near the park outskirts away from most of the action. Other owners are really good with respecting and giving those people space to work with their dogs.

Initial Review - Oct 2023 Just moved to SD and adopted a puppy so we've been trying all the dog parks and beaches. Came here early afternoon on a Wednesday and there were a good amount of people with their dogs. Owners were very attentive to their pets and since it's so spread out, there's a lot of room for everyone to enjoy. Also lots of shade!

I would like this park more of it the grass area wasn't closed off and the park was...

Winnie the Poodle loves Grape Street dog park in Balboa Park, on the east side at Grape Street. We live closer to Nate's Point dog park in Balboa Park but in the last 10 years it has gone from being having a fully developed, lush, green lawn to being a huge dust bowl. We make the drive over to Grape Street dog park many times each week because it ismake the drive over to Grape Street dog park many times each week because it is so beautiful compared to the other dog parks in the area! There's a vast expanse of running area with roughly 60% grass coverage. Combined with the statuesque and very tall trees around the perimeter, it makes this a very enjoyable and popular place. It is not fenced in fully, and if you're looking for that, the only place that I know to find it is Nate's Point Dog Park at 6th and Laurel. Here a Grape Street, you will also find restrooms, multiple fountains, a dog calisthenic area, and various hiking trails. I would not generally advise traveling down some of the hiking trails though, as there are those few odd people that choose to live in the underbrush around here and some of them have mental illness and can be dangerous. Otherwise, here at Grape Street Dog Park, you will find plenty of parking and plenty of dogs for your pup to play with. Lots of people leave balls and various toys behind, and there are also plenty of large bowls if your dog doesn't know how to, or chooses not to, drink out of a fountain. Furthermore, there are about eight picnic benches, a "little library", and various old benches set off around the perimeter adjacent to the wilderness areas. All in all, I have almost nothing negative to say about Grape Street Dog Park, it's a...