Dog Park Heaven on Whidbey Island, Washington State

Enter Whidbey Island dog park heaven, where dogs can run for miles or acres. The parks are easily accessible just 35 minutes north of Seattle and a 20 minute ferry ride at Mukilteo to Whidbey Island in Washington State. Each park's characteristics and terrain are quite different from one another with five choices from Clinton to Oak Harbor, the south and north ends of the island. Whidbey Island is a forty-mile long island nestled in Puget Sound, just north of Seattle. Tourists flock to this beautiful paradise and it is heaven to their canines.

Locals are very protective of their rights to these beautiful dog play areas and proper etiquette is mandatory. Dogs should be dog friendly and voice reliable. We are fortunate to have these wonderful canine playgrounds.

MARGUERITE BRONS MEMORIAL PARK for forest trail walk lovers. Located in Clinton, Washington, just twelve minutes from the Clinton ferry and off Highway 525 on Whidbey Island.

Thirteen acres of meadow and woods this is a coveted local park. The wooded area is completely fenced so you can feel secure Fido won't get distracted and disappear into the leaves. The trails are constantly being maintained and new trails added for an amazing 11-acre walk for tongue hanging out exercise.

The 2-acre meadow has seating, a picnic table, a newly installed solar panel for night lighting and a water well to keep dogs hydrated. There are also balls and other toys available for play. My dogs love to run on the wooded trails. The trails are big enough to stay away from clumps of dogs, and wide enough to meet doggie friends under the forest canopy.

How to get there:
From SR 525 head south on Bayview Road about 1/2 mile. The park entrance is on the left (south) side of Bayview Road.

DOUBLE BLUFF for ocean beach bums. Located north of Marguerite Brons Memorial Park, and between Clinton and Freeland and about 20 minutes from the Clinton ferry. It is just a few minutes south of Freeland, Washington on Whidbey Island.

Waves rush up to the shore while your dog races to catch them. Double Bluff dog park bumps up on Puget Sound and stretches for miles. It is doggy paradise at anytime of the year. This park is located south of Freeland, just 20 minutes from the ferry dock. It is one of the most unique and best dog parks in the United States because it is an off leash dog park with spectacular beach access, ocean views and miles of walking. While your dog is playing on the beach with doggy friends, you can collect sea glass, shells and agates. Occasionally you'll find a sand dollar or special debris washed up on shore. The dog park rules hold, and access is on-lead past a public beach. Release into the dog park can occur at the wind sock, not before. Be respectful of the on-leash boundary or pay $500 penalty. One of my pet peeves are people who let their dogs off-lead BEFORE they get to the wind sock. Freedom comes with a price, so keep them on lead through the public beach, pick up after your dogs and keep this beach pristine. You'll soon come to appreciate this great find.

To have a dog park of this caliber is unique to the United States, let alone to the Northwest. Fido can run and play to heart's content on a two-mile-stretch of salt water beach with a steep bluff on one side and Puget Sound's Useless Bay on the other. Whether you go when the wind is high to watch wind surfers, our favorite time, or when the tide is out and the sun is high, each day will be a new experience for owner and dog.

Soul inspiring and a place for inner reflection, quiet contemplation or a beach jog, it is a way to let a dog be a dog for a few hours. On a clear day you can see Mt. Ranier, always spectacular no matter how many times it is viewed. You'll see the Seattle skyline, the Olympic Peninsula and cruise and cargo ships coming down the shipping lanes. The bald eagles nest in the trees and the Great Blue Herons tease the dogs standing in the sand at the edge of the water and near the rocks.

All the doggy amenities such as poop bags, a rinse station are available and there is a picnic area, restroom and drinking fountain for humans.

How to get there:
From SR 525 in Clinton, Washington and coming off the ferry, head north to Double Bluff Road on your left until the road dead ends at the beach. Watch for Double Bluff coming up just a few miles past the Whidbey Telephone Company.

PATMORE PIT for field runners and a fun agility course, located south of Coupeville, Washington on Whidbey Island. This dog park is about 10 minutes north of Freeland.

If you like to have wide fields and social time with friends then Patmore Pit is the place. It doesn't look like it, but it spans 40-acres and is a wide open meadow recently expanding fencing to surround the entire park for safe walks. There is a separate inner area beyond the woods where locals donate agility-type obstacles. This is the place to go for a game of Frisbee.

Across the street is Rhododendron Park for on leash walks with even more wooded trails for outings that will leave Fido exhaustingly happy.

How to get there:
Patmore Pit is to the west of the Naval Air Station Outlying Field. From SR 20, turn onto Patmore Road, go past Keystone Hill Road and turn left onto the drive leading to the parks maintenance facility and Patmore Pit Off Leash Park at the dead end.

CLOVER VALLEY in Oak Harbor is on the northend of Whidbey Island. It is home to the military bases and the metropolis of the island. Along with the dog parks, you'll find plenty of shopping and fast food and restaurants.

Oak Harbor is home to the military Navy base. The Clover Valley dog park spans 3-acres and was a U.S. government donation to the City. It is fully fenced, but is one of the smaller dog parks on the island albeit larger than the Oak Harbor Dog Park mentioned below. This is for dogs who can handle closer proximity with other dogs and people around and so make sure your dog's social skills are something to be proud to display.

How to get there:
This park is next to the Clover Valley Baseball Park located on the northwest corner of the intersection at Oak Harbor and Ault Field Roads on the north end of Whidbey Island in Washington State. The park entrance is off Ault Field Road west of the baseball park.

From SR 20 go west on Ault Field Road approximately one mile. Turn right into the park just past the intersection with Oak Harbor Road.

OAK HARBOR DOG PARK

A less than fancy name, this completely fenced dog park is the smallest, with just over an acre of land. It is less crowded and a good introductory park. Still, it is small and space limited. Go in off times, on rainy days or when you know the number of dogs will be easily tolerated by your family canine.

How to get there:
Oak Harbor Dog Park is north of the Oak Harbor city limits and about seven or eight miles south of Deception Pass, a scenic view of Puget Sound drawing millions of visitors yearly. From SR 20, go west on Ault Road approximately 3/4 of a mile to Goldie Road. Turn left (south) and go approximately 1/2 mile to Technical Drive. Turn left and go all the way to the end of the lane. The park is just past Whidbey Welding and Machine.

Dog park rules and regulations are important to know before using these areas. Respecting other dogs and their owners tops the list. If your dog is voice controlled, has a reliable recall, is dog friendly and you are a responsible owner, then you are ready for the Whidbey Island, Washington State dog park experience. Enjoy it.

Whidbey Island dog parks are maintained and provided by F.E.T.C.H., which stands for Free Exercise Time for Canines and Humans.

If Fido could talk, his first words would be, "Whidbey Island dog park heaven. Please take me to Washington State."