Westminster Hills Open Space Off-Leash Area — Attraction in Westminster

My dogs and I have been coming to this dog park for over 7 years and have visited more than 1,000 times. It is by far the best dog park we have ever been to. We have seen this park explode in popularity so I thought I might offer some tips:

1. Avoid standing around especially by the entrances from the two parking lots. This is dangerous because the parking lots become very crowded and they are also by the street. In addition, whenever a person stands alone or stands and socializes with other people for extended periods of time, your dog(s) will often assume that the area in and around where you are standing is now yours and will attempt to protect it as such. The likelihood that an aggressive interaction will happen gets increased substantially by standing and/or sitting rather than when passing on the path.

2. Please do not bring treats to the dog park. You more than likely mean well but I have seen on several occasions dogs gather around a person handing out treats and become agitated. Also, I would assume you wouldn't show up to a park and just start handing out treats to kids? Yet, I have seen this happen more and more frequently at the dog park and especially people doing so without asking. If you saw someone do this to a human child, I would think at the very least, that would make you feel uncomfortable and suspicious of what exactly he or she just ate. Even carrying them with you and only giving them to your dog(s) isn't a good idea because dogs have an incredible sense of smell (at least 10,000 times more powerful than ours) and it becomes difficult to keep moving along the trail when dogs become infatuated with the smell of treats that are being carried on you.

3. As we start moving into the warmer months, bikes tend to become more prevalent at this park. While legal to ride bikes here (I believe horseback riding is also legal but haven't seen that done :)) packs of people will often come flying on their bikes through the park without any dogs with them. I have seen people on bikes kick at dogs for simply walking or running alongside them. There are over 260 miles of trail in Jefferson County and countless other areas where people can ride bikes. The same cannot be said for people that want to let their dogs run and play off leash. Just saying.

4. If your dog likes to play with a ball, frisbee, etc. please bring your own or at the very least, have the ability to get it back if your dog takes it from another. On that note, when we first started coming to this park, you could leave toys behind and come back along the trail and expect to find them, this is certainly not the case any longer. I used to put frisbees under huge rocks with, "Please leave where found" written on them but as time went on, that is no longer an option either. Having lived in Colorado since 1995, things have certainly changed.....but I digress :). Bottom line, people will take anything they can just for the sake of taking it (dog's interest not required :)) so please don't leave anything behind with legitimate hope of being able to find it again even just a few minutes later.

I hope this helps and we look forward to seeing you...

Look around, this is a wonderful dog park but it might not be for everyone. Some things to expect: this is NOT a suburban dog park with a lawn or super-secure double gates. Bring poo bags and an old towel for the car. The park can be dusty or muddy, our dog could get filthy. The open space is about 90% fenced. The fence has gaps where the stream enters the park and exits the park. The parking lots are fenced with split rails instead of chain-link (easy for a determined dog to get through). I keep my dogs leashed until we are a quarter mile away from the parking lots. The west parking lot may have one portapotty during summer months, don't count on it to always be there. There is a stream that dogs can get into. Some locals advise against letting the dogs drink from the stream. There is one dog water fountain that is turned on only in summer. You may want to bring water for your dog and have it in your car. Open Space means that wildlife are welcome (not removed). Stay on trails and watch out for snakes when it is hot outside.

All that being said: this dog park is enormous. Its easy to wander away from other dogs. There are plenty of trails to walk on, especially if you choose to walk up the hill. The views from the hill are beautiful. It's definitely worth a visit if you are prepared. If you stop at Pet Servant on Wadsworth south of 88th, they have self-service dog bathtubs for you to rinse off a dog. I do that to avoid getting mud and dog hair on my carpet, towels and bathroom. DIY dog bath is...

I should give it 1 star to keep it as undiscovered as possible but this place it amazing and you and yours will love it. Great place to bike, hike, run or chill in the sun with your pack. Beware the grey mud up the main hill and down to the left. It's like wet cement when you try to hose your dog down after and took me a good hour the first time I made the mistake of unwittingly letting my dog roll in it to cool off for a good 5 minutes.

NOTE: It's hilarious how many headier-than-thou dog owners post this line in their reviews for this spot:

"Don't bring your dog here if it's not (fill in the inane blah blah blah blah blah here)".

Does anyone think there are people reading these reviews and thinking "oh, I was totally going to take my new psychotic attack dog, Manson, to this park but wait, he is a complete maniac, hmmmm... Good thing I read that review, I'll think twice now!".

I also love this one: "Make the fence go all the way around!!!!! My dog won't listen to me because I never trained it so it's your fault it won't come when I call it and it gets run over." How about: train your dog instead of blaming a fence that's 200 yards away from the trail you're both supposed to be on?"

I do appreciate the heads up on the rattlesnake nests and the fact this is pretty much a super-fund nightmare radiation site. At least there's still "free fill dirt" you can pickup at Rocky Flats right...