Best Dog Parks in Austin, Texas

I often joke that Eric had to work hard to win me over when we first starting dating a decade ago. At the time I was super busy finishing school, starting an internship and working full time to pay my bills. But Eric worked hard (at the time I even thought he was being somewhat annoying) to win me over! He took me on fun unique dates, where he listened to me ramble nervously on about my self and then surprised me at work with some of my favorite things.

Slowly he won me over, with his constant jokes and kindness. But I also joke, what sealed the deal wasn’t the days spent on the lake that summer or him remembering my favorite summertime treat, but when I met Eric’s dog Mojo. Yes, I feel in love with Mojo at first sight! LOL!

Not only did Mo win my heart over, he quickly went from Eric’s dog to my dog. If we walk in the front door, who is it that Mo first runs to… me! At the end of the day when we are trying to watch a little TV who does Mo go to rest his head on… me!

Unless you are another pet lover, it is hard to image how much love you can have for a pet, especially a loyal dog like Mo, but I love that dog sooooo much! Because I love him, I try to pamper Mo as much as I can. This means the occasional toy (although he usually doesn’t play with them much), special treats, evening walks and carefully selected dog food.

Several years ago we started to be more conscious of what we feed Mo. We have never allowed him to eat table scraps, but started carefully reading the labels of the food we bought. I always purchase our pet needs at H-E-B because it is so convenient since I am in there almost daily. On a recent H-E-B run for dog food, I noticed the Purina® Beyond® Grain Free Dry Dog Food (click here for some valuable coupons) on the pet aisle. Not only does this food have natural premium ingredients, like white meat chicken and eggs, it is has no added artificial flavors, colors or preservatives; and has no corn, wheat or soy (which are common allergies in dogs). This not only made me happy, but Mo was pretty happy with his new food too!

In addition to feeding Mojo carefully selected dog food, like the Purina® Beyond® Dog Grain Free Chicken and Egg, I love spending time with him at the dog park. I love that Austin is such a dog friendly city, with not only many local restaurants being dog friendly, but Austin is also home to a ton of beautiful dog parks! Since we love to head to the dog park at least once or twice a week, I thought I would share a round up of some of the best Austin area dog parks, you know, so you can pamper your pooch too!

Best Dog Parks in Austin, Texas:

1. Georgetown Bark Park- While this dog park is a bit of a trek for most, it is totally worth it! This is a gorgeous, fenced in six acre dog park with a ton of trees and shade! Not only does this park have separate areas for large and small dogs, there is plenty of benches for “Mom and Dad,” an agility course and drinking fountains for both dogs and people.

• Location: 151 S Holly St, Georgetown, TX 78626
•  Parking: Plenty

2. Round Rock Dog Depot- This is a very popular dog park and there is lways at least 4-5 other dogs running around. Even though this is a popular park it is a smaller park with only 1.85 acres of fenced in “off leash” area. This dog park has an assortment of agility elements and is divided into three parts, a large area for large dogs and two smaller areas for smaller dogs. Depending on the time of year and day of the week, one or two of the small dog areas may be closed for general upkeep and maintenance. While this is a favorite dog park, there is only a few benches/picnic tables and very little shade (no big trees, just a small wooden awning over several picnic tables that provides a little shade). This park has watering stations for pets only.

• Location: 800 Deerfoot Drive, Round Rock, TX 78664 (Behind Lake Creek Pool)
• Parking: Some
• Hours: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 1 – Oct. 1
  6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 2 to March 31

3. Harris Ridge Off Leash Dog Park at Stoney Creek Park- The Harris Ridge Off Leash Dog Park is part of the massive 50 acre park in Pflugerville, Texas. While the park as a whole is large and offers things like playscapes, barbeque pits, picnic tables, a sand volleyball court, and hike and bike trails; the fenced-in off leash dog area is rather small. The dog park is divided into two areas, one for large dogs and one for small, and there are a few benches and some trees to help provide shade. While there is some agility equipment, we like this dog park for all the hills it has which the dogs have fun exploring. It is within walking distance of many homes and neighborhoods in the area.

• Location: 14400 Harris Ridge Blvd, Pflugerville, TX, US 78660
•  Parking: Some
• Hours: Dawn to Dusk

 

4. Red Bud Isle- This dog park is very popular with local Austinites! This unfenced, leash free park, is over 13 acres and is a peninsula that lies on Town Lake, just below the Lake Austin dam. While there is only a handful of benches and only a half mile of trail, there is plenty of room for dogs to run and swim in the water! This park is heavily wooded which provides a ton of shade. Since this is a very popular park, with limited parking, you may need to have a backup plan and visit another local park, if parking is unavailable.

• Location: 3401 Redbud Trail, Austin, TX 78703
• Parking: Limited
• Hours: 5:00 am – 10:00 pm

5. Auditorium Shores- Auditorium Shores is another local Austin favorite! This unfenced, off leash dog park is in the heart of downtown Austin and has perfect views of the Austin skyline! The leash free area (carefully marked by signs) boarders Lady Bird Lake, giving dogs the opportunity to play in the water. If planning to visit the other areas of the park, dogs must be kept on a leash. There is quite a bit of parking in the area, however, since this is a popular park and part of town for special events, parking may be limited at certain times.

• Location: 900 W. Riverside Drive, Austin, TX 78704
• Parking: Limited free parking available near the park, as well as a parking garage (for a small fee) across the street at the Palmer Event Center.

6. Bull Creek District Dog Park- This is a gorgeous park in northwest Austin that covers 48 acres and is full of unique terrain, including limestone rocks, cliffs, trees, waterfalls and trails. This unfenced park is a great area for dogs to swim, play and explore, but dogs must be kept on leashes.

• Location: 6701 Lakewood Dr, Austin, TX 78731
• Parking: some
• Hours: 5:00 am – 10:00 pm

7. Shoal Creek Greenbelt/Pease Park- Deep in the heart of Austin is the Shoal Creek Greenbelt. The beautiful tree filled park, is filled with splash pads, walking trails, and plenty of scenic spots for a picnic. The off leash dog area of the park/trail, runs from from 24th Street to 29th Street.

• Location:
  • Pease Park: 100 Kingsbury St, Austin, TX, US
  • Shoal Creek: 2631 Shoal Creek Boulevard, Austin, TX 78705
• Parking: There are a very limited number of parking spots located near Pease Park, however, most likely you will have to park on the street.

I’ve shared how I love to pamper my pup, now I want to hear how you connect with and pamper your pooch! Share your favorite ways in the comments below!