Point Defiance Dog Park — Attraction in Tacoma

This dog park is MASSIVE! The trails feel like they go on forever, and the views of the Sound and Tacoma Narrows Bridge are absolutely stunning. My dog had a blast exploring, and it’s a great spot if you love long walks in nature.

That being said, there are a few things dog owners should be aware of:

The large dog section is not fully fenced, so if your pup has no recall, they could easily run out to the street.

There’s no signage, which makes it super easy to get lost. Some trails even lead straight to the street with no warning.

Some trails seem to be on-leash only, which isn’t well-marked and could be confusing (or dangerous if you run into off-leash dogs)

There are cliffs and drop-offs, so keep an eye on your dog, especially if they like to run ahead

Only one water station and one poop bag/trash can, so plan ahead

Overall, it’s a gorgeous place, and we had fun, but it’s definitely not the most user-friendly or safest setup. Just be prepared, and you’ll have...

This park is beautiful. Unfortunately, some of the " regulars" not so much. They have dogs who are aggressive and mean. They don't watch them, as they sit at the table and gab. They even say things like...oh he just thinks he owns the concrete part, while the sharpei is biting and attacking dogs. One dog trying to hump all the other dogs and then they get mad when ypu push the dog off . It's not fenced. So you face your dog in the road, woods or off the cliff. Hopefully, ypu don't have a runner. There is no water provided except a rain barrel. So they bring water and because of that they don't wash the dog bowls, just keep adding water. Several dogs have gotten Giardia that we know played there. It's too bad, our dog likes it there and we could look past the no fence as he is a good dog who doesn't run off . The aggressive dogs arent ok... nor is all the dogs drinking out of a dirty bowl. I'd rather go to rogers park where your car may be stolen or...

It's kind of a mixed bag, but it COULD be awesome.... with lotsa money. The good: it's BEAUTIFUL in the forest, there are plenty of trails in the off-leash area, there are cool cliffs at one end, and it has a very long open area with a fence at the far end which is great for fetch. The bad: Not fenced, there's a fenced small dog area but the huge off-leash area is marked with signs; parking is on mud just off the main road or a half mile hike; and it's not very popular - I don't know if people don't know about it or if the no fence thing keeps them away but there's only maybe one other dog if you go at an off peak time. This last thing isn't the park's fault but it's worth mentioning: there are a lot of yuppies that don't let their dogs play. Like they go there to run the trails or for a walk, but won't let their pet play with other dogs. In fact, they'll give you side eye for letting your dog sniff theirs. I haven't noticed this at...