Fort Steilacoom Bark- Off-Leash Area

WATCH OUT FOR THE OLD MAN WITH WHITE HAIR AND HIS GREY OLD DOG.
They always show up kinda late in the afternoon and his dog WILL attack yours and bite. The old man doesnt even care or keep his dog on a leash. Aggressive dogs arent even allowed in the park in the first place. Today this man’s dog attacked my dog and bit him. Wish there was a number at the park somewhere to call to report people who clearly violate basic park rules.
My dog is only 10lbs and very passive, he never growls or bites. Just look at my profile picture if you want to see him.

This is my favorite dog park. So many enclosed areas for the dogs to play and for you to walk around. There is provided water and water dishes and poo bags. It’s beautiful and my puppies love this place!

We always have a great time at this dog park. Being from Texas, where the dog culture is way different, this park was a big surprise but in a good way!
Three separate fenced areas (although not necessarily for different sized dogs, except for the smallest area), with the big part being HUGE. There’s a small agility course in the largest area that I use to work on obedience when the park is empty. Plenty of trees, ome benches here and there, and a covered sitting area. Only one watering hole, so it would be wise to bring your own water in the warmer months.
My 7 year old beagle, who wasn’t properly socialized, got the hang of things pretty quickly and now lets puppies climb all over her without as much as a grumble– but prefers hunting in the briar patch with the other beagles over playing. Then, on the other end of the spectrum is my coonhound who has to say hi to every dog he sees.
I would recommend that you only bring your dogs if they are spayed/​neutered. Every scuffle I’ve seen has been caused by an unaltered male putting his nose in places he shouldn’t (literally). Plus it’s just downright annoying when an unaltered male won’t leave a fixed female alone. Have respect for other people’s dogs, and if you see that they are trying to get away from your dog GRAB HIM PLEASE. Same goes to those who let their dogs mount others and think it’s funny, it’s not– it’s rude and you are further reinforcing bad manners. I broke my dog of that behavior in a week, you can too.
I (a 115lb girl) had to pick my 70lb dog up and walk 50 feet with him just to get away from a rottweiler and a pit mix who were trying to assert dominance. All while their owners were laughing at their dogs who were jumping on me to get to my dog. No.
Don’t be that person.
End rant.

This is an amazing dog park. It has several fenced sections for the dogs. The largest has more room to run than the dogs know what to do with. The ground doesn’t get very muddy. And they have several water stations. There are 2 covered picnic table area for the humans.

This is by far the best dog park I have been to here in Washington. We like on the military installation close by and the one we have on there is a joke. This past summer most of our days consisted of loading the dogs up and heading to the dog park to run them tired. We would do two laps around the whole thing which is about 2 miles so we were all tired afterwards. Everyone is also friendly and picks up after their dogs which si nice. I have not had problems with other dogs being aggressive either. its so open so it gives all the dogs the space they need to roam around freely without being to close or crowded.

Best dog park ever! Large open fields and always friendly faces. We take our lab mix here weekly and it’s her absolute favorite place in the world. Always pleasant people never had any problems aggressive dogs. And unlike other parks, people pick up after their dogs.

This place is what I imagine heaven looks like. Or at least I hope this is what heaven looks like! A huge well maintained gated field full of grass, trees, and winding trails. There were so many people there with their dogs and everyone was so friendly and trusting. Dogs were playing happily off leash, children running around laughing, and adults smiling and talking with complete strangers while admiring the simple happiness that comes from everyone and their pets just playing and enjoying life. There are plenty of clean up bags, garbages and watering holes for the dogs. My dogs went home exhausted and we got to socialize with new people.

This dog park is AMAZING. There are three or four large fenced off areas that are all linked together, so if your dog is not getting along with another dog you can just move on haha. Fresh water and poop bags supplied. There is a meadow in the far back park with a huge open space and trees everywhere. My dog was loving it! Everyone keeps a pretty good eye on their pup and is respectful to others. This is a safe and fun place for our dog to play! Totally worth the 40 minute drive from Federal Way every once in a while, just wish it was closer.
Also, pictures do not do this place justice. When we had our dog at Wapato dog park in Tacoma a lady recommended this park to us. When I looked at the pictures on Unilocal I was a little hesitant, but I’m so glad I went!

Place is pretty nice. A small pen area for tiny dogs, medium dogs, and a huge area for larger dogs. My only complaint is that some people bring their big dogs into the medium dog area and it spooks out my medium sized dog, but other than that this place is awesome.

I’ve heard that this is the best dog park in WA and I believe it! It’s somewhere between 17 – 22 acres… several different areas for all sizes of dogs. Beautiful walking paths, tall trees, volunteers that keep the water stations clean and full of fresh water, a shelter with picnic tables, several benches throughout the park. My dog loves it here and so do I! I’ve had no problems with aggressive dogs or owners who don’t correct aggressive behaviors. Really wonderful people with really wonderful dogs! Love it!
(the pictures don’t do it justice at all… there are large grassy areas, tall wooded areas, brushy areas, and Mt. Rainier as a backdrop… what could be better)?!

Perfect for our little girl. She loves playing here with the other dogs. Love the setup. Love how clean it is.

This park is always full of dogs! I hate nothing more than going to an empty dog park. It offers three separate sections (one section is very small and normally has a family in it, the middle section is great, but the larger section is the best)! Haven’t had any issues with bad owners, people are pretty good about picking up their dogs poop.
Only bad thing is when it rains… Which it rains a lot here… It gets bad mud puddles. Which wouldn’t normally bother me but my pup loves to lay in them and drink from them. We have had to put off going there lately because she caught Giardia from there !
Other than that, it’s great!

First time today: was a beautiful park with lots of grass to run off my pup’s energy & natural grasses, bushes, trees to sniff & hide in. Dog paradise

Nice park, lot of space to walk and sniff around, with open areas, trees and bushes. Safe for all dogs, waste bags available and parking.

This is such a great dog park. I love bringing Iniki here whenever I am in Lakewood. There is the HUGE general park and a smaller section fenced off just for the wee-​little dogs. There are multiple access points with gated waiting areas to make sure the dogs cannot get out before leashing them back up. The park provides poopie-​bags and containers throughout the park. It’s very clean and well maintained. Most of the owners are pretty responsible with their dogs. Every time I come here, I notice improvements.

Hands down, the best dog park around! At 22 acres, it’s a dog-lover’s heaven! I love bringing my dog here — she can run, sniff butts, pee, chase other dogs and steal balls from other dogs and by the time we are done, she is pooped!!!
The dog park is comprised of two sections — the main, larger section and section for smaller dogs such as your cute little silky terrier.
Personally, this is just a walk down the street for me and I’ve become a bit spoiled by it. Knowing that if I move away from here, I most likely won’t find a park remotely close to Fort Steilacoom unless I go to Marymoor.
If you are in the Tacoma/​Lakewood area and you have a 4-​legged best friend, visit Fort Steilacoom! You won’t regret it!
Oh yeah, please clean up after your buddy. It’s not nice when you’re walking along and you run into icky poo. Ew!

I’ve been to three dog parks in the Tacoma area and I have to say that this is by far my favorite one. I love that all three spacious parts of the off-​leash park are gated. It keeps it safe for everyone.
My pug loves it here. He can run, walk, or smell to his hearts desire. If he wants to be a loner, so be it and if he wants to play with others, the merrier it will be (for us). We’ve had a positive experience with other dogs so far. I also like that many of the dog owners who come to this dog park picks up after their dogs, although it would be nice if ALL owners did that. It’s not that hard considering that bags are placed at all the entrances of the dog park.

I love this park, there is something for everyone here. The dog park is what we started coming here for but once we saw all the full park has to offer we just kept coming back. We love to run our dog for awhile off leash before walking him around the lake and hiking on a few trails. There is an amazing playground for kids with clean bathrooms close by.
I love this dog park because the owners are very responsible and everyone is good about picking up after their dogs. We drive about 35 minutes just to come here. There is a great watering area with lots of trash bins close by so you don’t need to carry fido’s business around with you the whole time. The park has lots of trees and benches.
There are two parking areas for the dog park – one just outside the park and one in the park. We like the one in the park because it makes walking to the lake and trails more accessible. Be sure to pack water for yourself because there isn’t a fountain near the dog area. But there is one by the playground.
The full park itself is huge so you could easily spend a full day here. And the old buildings make for a great background for a photo shoot. Especially with your dog!

My new favorite place to go for a run with my dog, Toby! Not just my favorite — OUR favorite — that is Toby just loves it here. There’s plenty of space to run around the perimeter. Plenty of friendly dogs & friendly dog owners to meet & greet.
P. S. Bring your own doggy bag — if you can. Significant decrease in funding affected the park’s ability to provide doggy bags.

Think Discovery Park-​minus the puget sound!!!
There are SO many reasons why I love this park. First and foremost, it’s exactly 1.3 miles from my new house so I get to jog here in the am.
Now, here are the other perks: Waughop Lake. It is located in the SW corner of the park and is 0.9 miles around. It is paved. There are ducks, geese, turtles and tons of wildlife. They are all easy to reference as there are about 5 placards on stands around the lake listing the wildlife that are common in the area. I see Hawks on a daily basis.
Trails. Tons and tons of trails. You can take a wooded trail, climbing trails with steep inclines, tall grass trails and there is even an area with wide open spaces with trails intertwined as well. It’s beautiful. Plus, if you like bike riding/​BMX trails, this park has those too with ginormous jumps.
There is a huge dog park too. It is long and wide but sort of L shaped. It is off leash so you can let your fury friend get all that energy out, with tons of benches if he/​she gets you too exhausted.
On top of all this, For Steilacoom park has a great Annual festival. It just occurred and won’t happen again until next June but if you are in the area you should check it out.