El Estero Lake Dog Park

Nice view of the pond, stocked poo bags the last 4 times I’ve been here (still ALOT of poo on the ground though, so it doesn’t seem to matter if the bags are stocked; people still don’t pick up after their dogs). There was a city maintenance guy here cutting the grass, trimming and emptying the trash this morning, but no trimming was done inside the dog park. It’s a smaller park but helpful if you have a dog that doesn’t have great recall, not very busy. My dogs like to run around the big mounds of mulch as an obstacle course and they have a nice cover of mulch, so no more mud or dirt on the dogs, just watch out for the poop! Public restrooms are across the street by the El Estero Park Center.

This place probably needs a little help here. Lots of leaves and overgrown weeds on the ground and fences. Trash is also everywhere on the sides where dogs can eat em... At least its in the shade...? But then again its next to a mausoleum that doesn't allow you to bounce balls off the backside...

Beware when you bring your dog here. I brought my dog home after coming here and she had ticks on her. I'm pretty sure it was from this park. My advice is to check your dog after you leave. 3 Stars, not because of ticks but because of the park itself. It doesn't have a lot of amenities like a drinking fountain for dogs. The pens are not too big and the big dog pen is covered in vegetation. At least seating benches are present.

It's a nice location for a dog park, as I didn't want to travel too far from the aquarium (where some of the people I'm visiting the area with are), but the size and setup of the park leave a lot to be desired. It is not well maintained (large holes on the big dog side and overgrown with weeds on the small dog side), both waste bag holders were empty (I brought my own, but it's always nice to have if you forget), and you have to leave the double-gated area for water. My biggest complaint is that the ground is covered in dirt and wood chips, which my dog tried running on but it was too painful on the pads of her feet, and because there were no other dogs present I couldn't even play fetch with her because of this...so she essentially burned off no energy. The dusty dirt also left her filthy even though she was just walking on it. To end on a high note, there is a good mix of shade and sun so I want worried about her overheating.

Come here 2-3 times a week, very serene spot next to a beautiful cemetery and little duck lake with awesome humans walking dogs everywhere and lovely eucalyptus trees. I truly love it and so will you.