USMC CPL David M. Sonka Dog Park

This is a beautiful and spacious dog park with lots of room for pups to run, play, and explore. The large open areas are well-fenced, with agility equipment and benches spread throughout. There’s also shaded seating and covered picnic spots, which make it comfortable for both dogs and owners to spend time here. What makes this park extra special is the heartfelt memorial to USMC Cpl David M. Sonka and his service dog, Flex. It’s a touching reminder of their sacrifice, and it adds real meaning to the space—it’s not just a park, but also a tribute. The park feels safe, clean, and thoughtfully maintained. My dogs had a great time and came home tired and happy. Definitely one of the best dog parks in the area!

We love this dog park. Beautiful memorial dedication for the soldier and his K9. Large and small dog areas. Several poop bag and can stations throughout. Not much shade in the open space of the park, but covered benches at the front in the large dog area and a smaller one in the small dog area. It is small gravel pebbles vs sand. They just put in a walkway along the perimeter of the park for those who enjoy getting their steps in (it is MUCH easier to walk around the park and not lose your footing because of the sand). Also disc golf area next to the dog park. Water fountain with several dog water bowls inside the big dog area. Sometimes the “Tennis Ball Fairy” (only because I’ve never seen anyone do this myself) comes and drops a TON of tennis balls in the park. There are pit toilet bathrooms outside of the park that are clean and doesn’t stink as bad as others i have used. There is always toilet paper stocked in the bathrooms as well as hand sanitizer. I have heard of recent in-the-middle-of-the-day break ins in cars in the parking lot…no matter how close or far, which is sad to hear… so take any and all valuables with you!

Great dog park with friendly visitors. Most dogs play well with others. Owners are usually friendly too.

UPDATE JULY 2024: We were in the area and had reason to visit this park again. It looks like it's undergoing a bit of change. They are adding a walking track around the perimeter, which looks to be halfway complete. Not sure if it will remain the black gravel or be paved eventually. Also, if you look at the pictures from a year ago, the park was pretty green. Since then, gravel has been added to the great majority of the park (or somehow the green was overgrowing it, but I don't believe that the case). The gravel is similar to very small aquarium gravel. Not sand. Certainly not the easiest stuff to walk in if you're off the main path, but the dog seem to do fine. There are well spaced trash cans and doggy bag facilities around the park. As with my last visit, I found that the doggie bag dispenser was mostly empty this morning, but the others around the park were full. Understandable given that it's right at the entry. But they almost need a second dispenser. Seating for humans is quite limited to the front of the park, however. The back side of the loop has next to no bench seating, and certainly no shade on the walking path. Just keep that in mind on these hot days. Otherwise, this is still a great park for the puppies. Very large with plenty of space to explore. I imagine it gets quite busy on weekends as many of the big parts do. There is plenty of parking, along with bathrooms, so that's not a problem. AUGUST 2023: This is a decent dog park. This was our first time as we don't live close to here, but it was convenient given our errands and was a nice surprise. Pros: * big, lots of room to run and play. * decent walking track around the circumference of the park. Easy to walk either direction. The path is worn in from use, so sections are "single track," but no big deal. * more than typical doggie bag and trash can installations. * dog agility ramps/structures. *separate area for dogs that may need to stay away from "the pack" * nice covered patio area with a few tables and a water station. * main park is covered with green 4-6" weeds, but given the rain they were soft. No prickles. * nice humans about. * good parking right at the park, and I think I saw bathrooms (but could be wrong about that). The parking also services the trails, so it can full up, buy wasn't a problem this day, so I assume OK in general. * for morning sun, the entry has 6 or so large aspens that provide a nice shade area. * nice heavy gates so dogs don't go in/out by themselves. Someone added a bungie cord so the main inside door closes by itself more readily. Cons: * busy on a Sunday, which was great! But they only have a single doggie bag station at the front, and it was completely empty. Probably needs a second one. The station at the far end of the park was packs with three full rolls, so we snagged one and brought it up front. Seemed like maybe the park wasn't serviced before the busy weekend/Sunpriceless. * the downside to the 4-6" main areas is that it's the perfect height to hide poop landmines that don't get picked up. Tread carefully. * water is only at the entrance to the park. Given the park size, keep that in mind.

We love bringing the dogs here. There a ton of room to run and play, usually other dogs to socialize with, and even a small dog pen if you don't want your pup getting run over by some of the bigger ones.