Nate’s Point Dog Park – Balboa Park

Minus my dog being an asshole, I really enjoy this park. It’s scenic, secure, clean by dog park standards, and pretty large. Nice trees, views, etc. It’s nice to walk my dog around the trails or through Balboa Park afterwards when he’s too tired to continue is asshole behavior.

This is a tough one for me. It’s in a great location. Parking is reasonable given you don’t come at a busy hour (weekends and right after work) and a ton of dogs are always here.
I used to bring my puppy all the time until she was hit by a dog and the owner fled. After that I noticed other fights. A lot of bigger dogs come here so if you have a small skiddish one you may want to consider that.
There’s no grass. It’s all dirt. I think because of all the traffic it gets. More trees are being planted which is good because the area needs more shade for people and dogs.
You should come here though. Your pup will have a good time. Probably will be dirty afterward but it is the dog park :)

Great big outdoor place right near balboa, just a little muddy, but besides that overall great variety of dogs and big fences. Husky was loving the playful dogs all around.

Took my pup here for the first time since we got him! I love dog parks! A large variety of dogs come here everyday and seeing different kinds makes me all happy! Great friendly people. The location is in beautiful balboa park near the heart of San Diego! I also love that the airplanes fly kinda low and close hehe I enjoy that. It’s nice and big for the fluffy furballs to run around and meet other pups and get some exercise!

This is a great dog park if your pup gets along well with other dogs. It’s huge and lots of room to run around and play, but it’s designed for all sizes. They don’t separate big and small here. Make sure your dog is friendly!
There’s a few picnic tables to sit and relax and watch your dog run around. I brought my small dog here to socialize him a bit and to be honest the big dogs don’t even pay attention. They are too busy playing with toys to even bother.
There’s a drinking fountain for the dogs if they get thirsty. Honestly such a great dog park. It’s located right next to Cabrillo Bridge at Balboa park.
I suggest this if you want to let your dog have the freedom to run a few miles!
People are nice here too. Many are locals and they are very friendly!
Note: it’s mostly dirt so if you come after they maintained it or after it rains, be prepared for a muddy dog!

If you’re like us and bring your dog with you everywhere, this is a nice place to remember.
A really large, fenced space, complete with water fountains and bag-​dispensers.
Parking can be hit or miss up on the avenue, you may need to hunt around or wait for someone to pull out.
All in all, a great spot for your dog to roam off-​lead.

Great dog park, just wish it was grass. Awesome location and huge size, it’s a perfect place to bring the pups. Come here!

Balboa Park in itself is an amazing place with so much to see and do! So it made sense, that they included a dog park for it’s pet loving San Diego citizens. The dog park has a large expanse of property allotted just for the enjoyment of our canine companions. The whole area is securely gated to prevent wanderers and escapees from making some unwise choices. When you first arrive at the entrance to the park, there is a clever fenced in enclosure that allows pet owners to enter with their dog, close the gate so that other dogs can’t run out, then you open another gate to enter the park. There are shade trees, some people benches and doggie water fountains available for the comfort of all. Additional seating would have been nice though, since some people were left standing around in the hot sun.
Due to the devastating drought that California is suffering through, there was barely any grass anywhere. So be prepared for your dog to get dusty and dirty! However, the dogs were having a grand time running and playing without a care in the world! Ahhhh, to have a dog’s life!
My advice for what it’s worth in general is, it’s a nice place for dog’s to play. Just take into consideration the personality of your dog. Never take an aggressive dog to a dog park! Plus, make sure your dog is vaccinated and on monthly heartworm/​flea protection. Chances are high that they could contract a disease or parasite at a dog park! I know from experience…

My fur babies and I are new to the area and we needed to find a place where they could stretch their long legs. Nate’s worked well for this purpose. As it was a weekday, it was fairly quiet but the dogs (and their parents) were friendly. Just the two tables/​benches for the humans but several shade trees to stand under.
Listen to the advise of the other reviews on mixed sizes, temperaments and (most importantly) puppy parent responsibilities. A dog came into the park today that was charging other dogs before they were even in through the gate. It could have ended up with a dog pack squabble but, fortunately, several of us humans recognized the signals and were able to put or dogs in down/​stay or sit/​stay positions until things calmed down. It just put a damper on the visit. If your dog gets overwhelmed by other dogs surrounding him/​her, maybe this isn’t the right environment.

Only been there once but it was great! Lots of space for the dogs to run and there is water for them as well. There is not much grass but that’s typical for most dog parks. Great part of town to walk around as well

Our first visit to the infamous Nate’s Dog Park in Balboa Park. We like San Diego because it is a city friendly to our four-​legged children. The park is huge and pretty sandy/​dirt patchy — I would not recommend sandals — you will come out filthy (I know from personal experiences). This park mixes large dogs with the smaller dogs — and surprisingly — not doggie fights. It’s just an OK park — pretty minimalistic (no places to sit while your pooch goes a rompin’). The real bonus to coming here is that you get to walk around Balboa Park and to the local businesses (like DogHouse Bar & Grill).

This park is mehhh. My dog would give it 5 stars though. He had a blast. There was PLENTY of dogs to play with, ample space, and there was no need for a dog bowl because they had a doggie fountain.
BUT! Here are my concerns. I understand Marley, my dog, is 6 months old, so naturally he LOVES to play. So my question: if your dog is anti-​social and hates anything that breathes on him/​her, why bring them to a dog park? To endanger other dogs? To add to the aggressiveness towards other dogs, why bring their favorite toy, which they are also aggressive if it moves an inch from their mouth? I don’t understand your logic, human! Jesus! Take the ball from your dog and most importantly take your dog home if he/​she hates other dogs!!! As if it wasn’t enough that your dog bit another?
Also, I do apologize to the lady who was in her Sunday best in an effin DIRT DOG PARK, Marley is a loving dog, he didn’t mean to give you a hug to upset you, he just doesn’t have the understanding of what a real btch is.

My dog loves to run hard and play with every dog he meets. So Nate’s Dog Park is perfect for him. It’s the largest dog park I’ve found so far in San Diego and it does not separate the large dogs from the small dogs. So those of you that have small dogs that are fearful of large dogs, then this park is probably not for you. There is only one drinking fountain for the dogs, so they have to either take turns or just drink together. One time I met a lady who always brought a drinking dish for her dogs. She just filled it up at the fountain and put it down for them to drink from, it worked well. Dog feces bags can be found at a few places within the park. Love all the shade trees, one bench sits under a tree and the other is out in the sun. Wish they had a few more bench’s as they fill up fairly quickly. Most of the park is just dirt, at the far right end with the large shade tree some grass can be found. Two entry points that have double gates are at opposite ends of the park. My only complaint would be the few times I’ve encountered a truly aggressive dog. It’s scary, but if you know what to do and what to watch out for, it really helps.
I’ve found the following advice from ASPCA very helpful.
Sometimes, despite your best efforts to monitor playtime, dogs get into fights. These scuffles often look and sound ferocious. The dogs might growl fiercely, snarl at each other, bark, snap and show their teeth. However, most dog fights don’t result in injury to either dog. They’re usually the equivalent of getting into a brief, heated argument with a friend or family member. Even so, if a fight lasts more than a few seconds, the dogs’ pet parents should separate them. Doing this can be dangerous. If you grab a dog who’s in the middle of fighting with another dog, she might startle and reflexively whip around to bite you. To reduce the likelihood of injury to all parties, follow these guidelines:
Prevent fights from happening in the first place by actively watching dogs during play. If you think things are starting to look a little tense, end play for a while by calling your dog to come to you.
Have a plan and don’t panic. Remember that most dog fights are noisy but harmless. If you stay calm, you’ll be able to separate two fighting dogs more safely and efficiently.
Before you try physically separating two fighting dogs, make lots of noise. Clap and yell. Consider carrying a mini-​air horn or two metal pie pans to bang together. A sudden loud sound will often interrupt a fight.
If there’s a hose handy, you can try spraying the dogs with water.
If you’ve tried briefly (3 seconds or so) making noise but the dogs are still fighting, you and the other dog’s pet parent should approach the dogs together. Separate them at the same time. Both of you should take hold of your dogs’ back legs at the very top just under the hips, right where the legs connect to the body. (Avoid grabbing the dogs lower on their legs, like by their knees, ankles or paws. Doing so could cause them serious injury.) Like you’d lift a wheelbarrow, lift your dog’s back end under his hips so that his back legs come off of the ground, and move backwards away from the other dog. As soon as you can, turn your dog away from the other dog.
DO NOT grab your dog by the collar. It seems like the natural thing to do, but it might startle your dog and cause her to turn and bite you. This kind of bite is like a reflex that’s done without thinking. Many pet parents get bitten this way – even when their dogs haven’t shown any signs of aggression in the past.
After a fight stops, put both dogs on leashes and end the play session. Avoid giving the dogs another chance to fight. If the dog park is large enough, you can walk your dog to another area, far away from the dog she squabbled with. After she’s calmed down and relaxed again, try letting her off leash again to play with other dogs. If the park’s not that big, just call it quits for the day.

Good size. Mostly dirt. Completely enclosed. Street parking, but pay attention to the signs because we’ve been ticketed.
The regulars during the week are great. Good owners. Great dogs.
The weekend crowd is a bit harder to gauge. Dogs left unattended. People not cleaning up after their dogs. Unneutered dogs running amok.
Overall, I prefer Grape Street, but this park is convenient if you don’t want to make the drive down to South Park.

My favorite dog park in San Diego :)
It’s a decent sized fenced dog park with a bench for us humans to sit at thats where us humans chit chat & talk about our babies and meet new babies theres also two water fountains.
Pros:
1.) parking is fairly easy to find
2.) two way fenced door
3.) water fountain for the doggies
4.) bench for us humans
5.) big hill for me to run up & down for HIIT training
6.) friendly owners & dogs (big & small dogs)
7.) has poopie bags
Cons:
1.) no grass, all dirt (wear closed toe shoes)
2.) public restroom is really far from here & not clean.
4.) on a weekend a lot of tourists visit balboa park, so parking can be difficult to find.
Last week, it was like heaven for me. There ws 7 pugs in the park And my babies love coming here :)

My dog loves this park! This dog park is huge. There’s no separation of a small dog and big dog park but there’s so much space that that shouldn’t ever be an issue here. If you have a large dog that needs to run then this park is for you.
There’s plenty of dirt to dig and there’s also areas of grass for them to play on. There are two tables for people to sit on as well as a water fountain for the dogs. The tables and fountain are rundown but I guess they are supposed to be fixed soon. There’s a couple plastic chairs for people to sit in. Also, there’s a huge beautiful tree at one end that people could literally sit in.
The views here are gorgeous. The park here has plenty of squirrels so if you can do it without park rangers seeing, your dog will have plenty of fun outside the dog park as well.
This is my regular dog park and I suggest this spot for anyone in the downtown San Diego area.

I really love this dog park. It has a lot of dirt but I like that cause not everybody picks up after their dog. No dingle berries under my feet. Plus the big dogs are out with the small dogs so there’s a larger variety for us to enjoy

Nate’s is the (almost) perfect place to take my little nugget when she needs to run around & go crazy.
I like that it is an enclosed park where dogs can really be free. There are some awesome dog parks in SD but some fail to have ample space or surrounding fences, which worries me a bit with my dog.
Plenty of space to play fetch and get some exercise in. My dog weirdly loves the big tree at the bottom end of the park too, haha. Even when it gets pretty busy on the weekends, there is still plenty of space to feel like you are the only one there!
The only draw back is that I wish there was more (or any) grass. I always have to give my dog a bath when we come home from Nate’s because of course, she literally rolls around in dirt. I understand that the sun hits the center of the park pretty hard so I think they should consider adding shaded areas for dog owners… besides the shade from the trees haha.
Overall, my dog loves it and that’s the only opinion that matters to me on this one :)

Meh… this dog park is okay. There’s a ton of room for the dogs to run around and play in so that in itself earns the dog park 2-​stars since real estate is precious in San Diego.
Most people pick up after their dogs so that’s good. They do always seem to be out of bags though so perhaps they should install bigger bag stations or more bag stations?
However.I will never bring our dogs back to this park. There are too many irresponsible owners that go to this dog park. If your dog is an asshole. well maybe you shouldn’t bring it to the park so that it can attack my dog. Also, if you own a large male dog (like oh. a 100+ lb Presa Canario) and it attacks my 50 lb lab mutt to the point where she’s squeaks… Please do try and pull it off of my dog instead of just standing back and telling me «omg he never does this» and letting it bite my boyfriend when he’s trying to save my baby.
I’ve also encountered quite a few other irresponsible owners with untrained dogs that jump on petite females.
Also…there are too many irresponsible parents that bring their wild children to this park… It’s a dog park. NOT A PLAYGROUND. If your kid is a jerk. chances are. your kid is making the dog uncomfortable.
So in conclusion. this park is fine if you don’t have a yard or if you really want a large fenced area for your dog to run in, but enter at your own risk

You ever get that «stuff» in the crevices of your shoe?
Like YOU GOTTA be freakin kiddin me… poo in my shoe…
Yeah. I didn’t experience that here, just a lot more dirt than grass…
A lot of athletic dogs here and then… there was… my piggy in a blanket, mighty bulldog himself. represent
Wonderful park, right off that huge bridge entering Balboa park, to the right side, you could probably find parking off Sixth Ave, metered or non-​metered parking. Get your Urban Dog on Gina.