With fall weather feeling like it’s finally settled in, everyone’s excited to get a little outside time. Count our four-legged friends among that group! We’ve gotten well acquainted with neighborhood walks during our stay-inside time, but we also yearn to get out for some social-distance dog socializing, right?
Mecklenburg County has you covered with 6 different Dog Parks where Spot can stretch his legs without being on a leash. Just remember, their vaccinations need to be up-to-date, you need to clean up after them, and they respectfully request that female dogs in heat stay home. Also, you can’t bring children under 12 into off-leash areas — that’s for their safety. https://parkandrec.mecknc.gov/Places-to-Visit/Dog-Parks
These parks are located around the county, so there’s probably one within a few miles of where you live:
1. South Charlotte – Davie Dog Park, 4635 Pineville-Matthews Road. This is a really beautiful park with shaded trails for some on-leash exercise, and two divided, fenced-in areas: one for dogs over 20 lbs., and one for smaller dogs. Partners for Parks helped expand this dog park a few years ago to a full five acres, and made sure pups on both sides of the fence have some cool, fresh drinking water.
2. Uptown Charlotte – Frazier Park, along I-77 near West Trade and Sycamore Streets. A smaller urban park at 1.3 acres, Frazier Park also has subdivided areas for big and small dogs. The larger 16.5-acre park it’s in is connected to two popular greenways (Irwin and Stewart Creek), and is popular for uptown dwellers who need an off-leash break for their dogs.
3. Lake Norman – Swaney Pointe K-9 Park, at Ramsey Creek Park on Nantz Road in Cornelius. A 4-acre fenced-in area is divided for big and small dogs, as part of this 43.7-acre beachfront park. The beach is closed this summer, but the rest of the park is open, and you don’t need to pay to get in if you’re going to the dog park.
4. University Area – Barkingham Park, at Reedy Creek Park on Rocky River Road. If nothing else, you’ve gotta love the name of this dog park — elegant, yet dog-friendly. Barkingham Park is four acres of a much larger (146 acre) county park that also includes a nature center, athletic fields, ponds, picnic shelters, and 2 playgrounds. It is adjacent to a 727-acre nature preserve with 10 miles of on-leash hiking trails if you need to wear your pup out with a walk first.
5. Near Matthews – Ray’s Fetching Meadow, at McAlpine Creek Community Park. The dog park here is small — just one acre — but the larger park around it is scenic for a nice walk with your leashed dog. Home to a 5k Championship Cross Country course, there is also a 3-acre lake, 2 trails, and an outdoor fitness center. McAlpine Creek Greenway runs through it and connects to Campbell Creek Greenway at one end.
6. Mountain Island Lake – Shuffletown Park, on Belhaven Blvd., near Brookshire Blvd. and I-485. This is a big park with a 4-acre area divided for big and small dogs and a few athletic fields, adjacent to Long Creek, about 15 miles from Uptown.
Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation is also installing another dog park in west Charlotte, as part of a plan to provide the kind of amenities people ask for as our county expands.
“As Mecklenburg County continues to grow and the population grows, and we’re not making more land, we’re being urbanized,” says Alex Rohleder, the South Region Park Manager for MCP&R. “You have to have that alternative space for humans and their pets.”
Rohleder says even if there isn’t a designated fenced-in area just for dogs at a county park, our four-legged friends are always welcome as long as they’re well-behaved and on a leash. Just remember to bring baggies and clean up!
All of the dog parks have fresh water, drains, and a hydrant, and amenities may be added to future parks as they’re needed.
“We’re always adjusting to the environments we’re in and the people,” says Rohleder. “It’s good to provide services for the needs of the community we live in.” And their dogs, of course!
Mecklenburg County Park & Rec also includes a way for you to help improve dog parks through Partners for Parks. The link to donate is on their Dog Parks web page, just make sure to type “Dog Park Fund” in the designations field. https://partnersforparks.org/#funds
