Denver runs one of the largest urban park systems in the United States, but the leash rule is absolute: a dog is on a lead of no more than six feet everywhere in public, and off-leash is legal only inside the seventeen fenced city dog parks. Washington Park, City Park and Cheesman Park are superb walking grounds and none of them is an off-leash zone, so the fenced parks below carry the whole off-lead load. City dog parks ask for a current rabies tag and a Denver dog licence, a handler aged sixteen or over, a maximum of two dogs per person and a leash carried at all times; unlit parks run sunrise to sundown and only Railyard has floodlights. For genuine open running and water, the state park at Chatfield, half an hour south, is the trip worth making.
Flora House Denver
★★★★★ 9.7
Four Seasons Hotel Denver
★★★★★ 9.4
The Crawford Hotel
★★★★★ 9.2
Verified pet policies, live Booking.com prices from €120/night.
Live Booking.com prices, click any pin to see rates and book.
The best known dog park in north-west Denver, inside the larger Berkeley Lake Park at 46th and Sheridan. It is split into two fenced runs, one reserved for smaller or calmer dogs.
Off-leash zone: Both fenced runs are off-leash; the lake itself and the rest of Berkeley Lake Park are on-leash only.
💡 Use the small-dog side if your dog is under about 11 kg or unsure of itself. Leash up before you step out of the gate, that is where tickets are written.
A compact downtown run near 19th Street and Little Raven, minutes from Union Station and the Commons Park riverfront. It is the only dog park in Denver with lighting, so it works after dark.
Off-leash zone: Off-leash inside the fence only, open 5am to 11pm thanks to the floodlights.
💡 It is the natural release valve for anyone staying downtown, and the Cherry Creek and South Platte trails start a few minutes away for the long leashed walk afterwards.
Sixty-nine fully fenced acres of meadow and cottonwood at Littleton, roughly 30 km south of downtown, with two ponds dogs are allowed to swim in and miles of paved and dirt paths. It is the closest thing the Denver area has to a dog beach.
Off-leash zone: Voice control off-leash across the whole fenced area, including the two ponds. Dogs are leashed between the car park and the gate, leashed everywhere else in the state park, and banned from the human swim beach.
💡 You need two things to enter: the state park vehicle pass and a separate dog off-leash area pass, 3 dollars for the day or 25 dollars for the year, covering up to three dogs for one handler.
Our top-rated pet-friendly hotels, handpicked and verified.
Flora House Denver
★★★★★ · 9.7/10
€120/night
Four Seasons Hotel Denver
★★★★★ · 9.4/10
€120/night
The Crawford Hotel
★★★★★ · 9.2/10
€120/night
