James Hunter Park

Place is amazing! They have plenty of setting area, a water play area with water fall. They have baggies and foe grass. It is mostly made of gravel pebbles similar to kitty litter which in my opinion is the best for picking up poop!

This is a nice size dog park. While the county clearly spent money on it, I think a bigger dog park would be better. The major problem I have with the place is the sand that gets kicked up when the dogs run around. Make sure to wear a hat or hoodie otherwise you’ll get sand everywhere.

This used to be the Clarendon park but they re did it recently and it’s pretty nice. It’s mostly sand with some fake grass. Plenty of space for dogs to run. Bunch of chairs and sitting areas. There were dog bowls for water, no toys though. Secured fencing all around. Double fencing for in/​out entrance.
The only bad thing is that it didn’t have any shade at all which was kinda sad since it’s hot outside. But otherwise great dog park!

Disappointed in this park. I thought maybe the negative reviews were exaggerating but they are correct. It’s almost comical the money that was spent to create this. I give it three stars because it does look nice. It’s large but the dogs stay towards the area with none of the dust/​sand stuff they decided to put in ¾ of the park. Your dog will be a mess when you leave. Maybe they can replace the sand with mulch or something else and this place would be much better.

This park is very disappointing. So much money poured into it, and yet it’s mostly covered in what I can only describe as «sandy grossness». My dog is long-​haired and simply can’t visit a park like this without a bath immediately afterwards. This park is just no bueno.

Mixed feelings about this park. Two pups in the car with us after a three hour drive from Virginia Beach. I know they’re scratching to make some new friends. It’s a bit cold outside and jumping into a coffee shop while the four legged kids are in the car just wasn’t a good idea. Driving around, we spot a dog park. Yes, it’s cold outside but we wanted to tire the dogs out and see a few pups.
As with the park. I would prefer real or fake grass… I wasn’t fond of the soft gravel all throughout. Our shoes got real dirty and the dogs seemed to hang around the entrance that was on the concrete instead of running all over the place. They had a few water stations and some dirty ass toys laying around.
I loved the surrounding neighborhood. This park was in a great area. It wasn’t the best park I’ve been to but it served its purpose for a 30 minute visit to wear out the doggies.

I was excited to take my dog to this park, but I was disappointed when we got there. There seem to be mostly big dogs and there is no separate place for small dogs. For some reason they have kitty litter for a surface in one area. I can only imagine what happens there. The owners seem a little less attentive here than other places too. My dog got in a few scrapes with larger dogs and I didn’t see their owners do anything. We left after about 10 minutes. My wife went once before me and had the same experience. I figured it might be different at a different time, but it was apparently the same. It’s a shame because they spent a lot of money on it and it looks nice, but it’s not much use to me and from reading other reviews, not much use for quite a few other people either.

Lots of bags left in park sitting on walls or near benches, at least 8 mounds of poop not addressed, smells like urine in the early morning
Very disappointed that a nice area like Clarendon doesn’t have citizens to clean up after their own
Really amazed about the smell, yesterday and this morning, makes me think it’s unhealthy

Why is there no area for the smaller dogs? Everytime I try to go here there are tons of big dogs and no area for me to bring my smaller dogs with out being bombarded or nearly attacked.

I read an article some 6 months ago describing a $ 1.2 million dog park in the Clarendon area for local pets. Resident pet-​owners complained that gravel would get stuck in their pup’s paws and that the water was «dangerous.» I finally found the gravel pit about a month ago to see what all the fuss was about. I was greeted by local «foliage» (chickweed, dandelions, white clover), sustainable fencing and park furniture, solar panels, and a doggy water fountain. Numerous signs describing the sustainable features of the park, rules for pets, and advisories to pet owners NOT to allow their furry friends to drink or wade in the water were displayed throughout the park. In sum, this place is FINE. I don’t know why a dog park needs ratings in the first place but anything less than 3 is absurd.

It hasn’t gotten any better since the first review. It’s basically a bunch of gravel that dogs aren’t even fond of walking on. There is absolutely no shade whatsoever… so when it’s hot, it’s hot.
Overall, my initial impressions stand.

Frequently stop by. The facilities are nice when he waterfall is working the gravel is like kitty litter and makes a post-​dog park bath a requirement. Unfortunately there isn’t much shade and the waterfall is only on like Arlington county pools (Memorial Day — Labor Day)

This dog park is designed very poorly. There’s no shade inside the dog park, so the summer is really brutal. The gravel pit makes fetch a game of «do I want my dog eating rocks?» The fountain is an absolute nightmare if you’re trying to keep your dog remotely clean. And why surround the fountain with a 3 – 4 inch high concrete wall? This makes me cringe every time a dog runs into it awkwardly while jumping in and out of the fountain.
I’d suggest driving out to Shirlington. It’s a much better dog park.

First of all I don’t have a dog.
Second, I have a love-​hate relationship with this dog park. I live right next to it. So you know that old saying «Wake up and smell the coffee!». «For me it’s more like «Wake up and hear the puppies play.» Then I can make my coffee.
At around 6 AM the urbanites start to take their dogs over to the park. At least that’s what it sounds like, but I’m also super groggy and trying to squeeze in some extra snooze time
I was around to see the old dog park which was pretty much just a field of grass maybe a couple weeds and lots of dog poop.
After a long bout of construction and enough banging that made me feel like I was living in Brooklyn again. The dog park was finally open!
To me the park looked pretty cool. I think my old pup would have enjoyed playing in it and making some new friends. The park looks modern and chic. What really cracks me up is go down the street and take a gander at the kids park and the tennis court, they are kind of shabby and run down looking compared to the dog park. LMAO.
As for the practicality, I’m not really sure how that goes. The fountain looks cool and is a nice thoughtful concept. I’m not sure how sanitary it is. Of course they also lick each other’s butt on occasion, so a dirty water might not hurt. I’m not sure if the water is slightly chlorinated or not.
From my perspective the park has its ups and downs like everything else. Of course I hear dogs barking but what’s worse is I can hear the owners over top of the dogs!!! WTF.
For one thing some of the dog owners really need to step up their game and properly train their pups. I hear a lot of rough doggie play which is normal but a lot of «No’s» and over-​the-​top shouting from the owners. Mostly than usual rookie dog owner mistakes. A good dog trainer could definitely make some bank picking up new clients here.
In conclusion: I can see how puppies could be a little frightened and older dogs get irritated at peak hours. If you have a healthy, friendly, energetic, happy-​go-​lucky medium-​size dog this is probably the park for you. As always use your best judgment.
Now, I’m going to give this park 4 stars. Just because I don’t want the county getting an an idea they want to build a playground next to the bar strip. Or worse another high-​rise or bar!

When the weather is warm, the park reeks of urine soaked in the gravel. Owners commonly don’t pick up after their pet and try to cover up dog poop with gravel. A couple of pit bull owners regularly bring their untrained dogs and don’t pay attention to them while at the park, which is an accident waiting to happen. Someone keeps throwing tennis balls into the park which soak in urinated and feces soaked gravel which dogs then put in their mouths. This park is a magnet for everything a dog park should never be.

I went there all the time with my 13 lb mini schnauzer/​yorkie mix in September — but not after the $ 600 vet bill. One of the larger dogs at the park ripped off my poor dog’s dew claw. We won’t be going back — They spent $ 1.7 million? the least they could have done is add a small dog area — instead of that chlorinated fountain.

The Good
— location
— size (decent for a park in the heart of Arlington)
The Bad
— the «gravel» makes our dog really dirty, especially if he jumps in the fountain. we have to rinse him off when we get home most times
— chlorinated water fountain — wtf were they thinking?!
— no shade! killer in the summer

I read about the renovation of Clarendon Dog Park and on a beautiful sunday I took Charlie the Tzu on a date to Clarendon Dog Park.
Street parking if you can find it.
Big grass area and benches if you so please
Big gated park area for the pups to run around, play and make friends in
Dog owners are pretty nice, observe their dogs and quick to step in if there is a «situation», pick up after their dogs (for the most part)
2 Water fountains
Bags for pup poop
Swimming pool which is only meant for swimming and playing. yea Charlie is not allowed in there because I’m afraid he might get thirsty and the pool has chlorine water no bueno so caution!
Lots of seating for humans although I had my eye on Charlie like a hawk and followed him around like a puppy dog myself while he probably thought, «not now mom, I’m making friends! I wanna play! water! ball! squirrel!»
I will definitely take Charlie back!

I would love to know why it took so long and where all the money went in re-​doing this dog park. I went this morning and was less than impressed. It is just a big open area, with no shade and black dusty gravel that covers 90% on the ground, and will cover 90% of your dog by the time you leave. Then, there is a «water fountain», that is standing, murky water, which the dogs will jump into and then go run through the dusty gravel, and in seconds you have one dirty dog.
If you live in Clarendon or Courthouse and are looking for a nice dog park to take your dog, the drive out to the Shirlington Dog Park is well worth the drive.

I stopped by here today for a bit of playing and maybe a poop. I had been checking in every few weeks to see when the renovations were done. I have to say, I don’t really understand what the humans were thinking here.
The first thing I noticed is that there’s no grass or dirt. The whole thing is covered in kitty litter. It was a cool day so it was pretty warm and a laid down in it. Not too bad today, but since it is dark grey I am thinking there’s no way I am coming back in the summer. It’s going to be a little dog frying pan. Maybe the builders know something I don’t know.
Well, I was pretty warm by then so I went over to the big fountain. The water was murky with grey dust, so I didn’t want to get in. So I take a sip just to see what it tastes like. My owner gets all worked up because apparently the humans put chlorine in the water. Hey, I am a dog. It’s my natural instinct to drink water, so again I am not sure what they were thinking.
Well, we didn’t stick around long. But when we went home I laid down on the floor and left a giant pile of grey dust! I thought it was cool. like a grey snow angel but my owner didn’t seem to happy about it.
Well, probably not going back. they should put in some grass or dirt! What’s wrong with dirt? I am a dog!