These Are the 10 US Cities With the Best Dog Parks, New Report Finds

For social pups, these are the places to be.

July 19, 2024

Your pup’s well-socialized, up to date on dog park etiquette (as are you), and desperate to frolic with some new pals in the summer sun. It’s time for the dog park. In some cities, finding a quality spot for your pup to explore will be a breeze; a new report by LawnStarter found the 10 best cities in the United States for dog park fun.

If you’re not in these cities, it might be worth fitting them into your summer travel plans. We know they don’t have a job, but your dog still deserves a vacation.

The 10 best dog park cities in the U.S.

LawnStarter compared 101 of the biggest cities in the country find which one has the best park offerings for your pup. They ranked each city based on three categories: access (the number of parks per 100,000 residents), quality (how highly the parks are rated and how many ratings they have), and climate (the weather conditions in the city). Below are the 10 best cities for pups in need of some playtime.

10. Sacramento, CA

In sunny California, Sacramento scores pretty well on all three qualifications. The city has a ranking of 12th best when it comes to access, the 17th best when it comes to quality, and the 24th best when it comes to climate.

9. Las Vegas, Nevada

“Great dog parks” might not be the leading Vegas reputation, but it turns out the flashy city has a lot to offer pups. Sin City comes in 10th place for access and climate and 46th for quality.

8. New York, New York

New York takes the lead for quality — the Big Apple’s dog parks are much loved and highly rated. New York’s access rank is 34, but its climate rank is a little lacking at 80.

7. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque had a pretty competitive score, coming in 10th for access, 19th for quality, and 30th for climate.

6. Arlington, Virginia

Arlington has an impressive access ranking; it’s the 6th best in terms of availability. Its quality rank is great, too, at 12 — but its climate ranking lags behind at 65.

5. Tampa, Florida

In Tampa, there are plenty of highly-rated dog parks; the city comes in 6th for access and 7th for quality. Its climate rank is 37 — in Tampa, there are 88 very hot days per year.

4. Henderson, Nevada

Back in Nevada, Henderson outranks Las Vegas. It comes in 3rd place for access, 25th for quality, and 10th for climate. Though there are a lot of very hot days in Henderson, it has very little rain or snow, with .45 monthly inches of precipitation.

3. Portland, Oregon

Taking home the bronze medal is Portland, where there are 5.8 dog parks per 100,000 residents, giving it the second best access ranking. The city comes in 5th for quality — but 59th for climate, thanks to its 3 average monthly inches of precipitation.

2. San Francisco, California

In second place is gorgeous San Francisco. San Fran has the second best quality ranking, the 5th best access ranking, and the 25 best climate ranking. San Francisco has the fewest number of very hot days out of all the cities (only two!), but its climate score is balanced out by its amount of precipitation.

1. Boise City, Idaho

Finally, the big winner is Boise City. It’s number one in terms of access, with 7.6 dog parks per 100,000 residents. Its climate ranking is 39; Boise has 48 very hot days each year. Boise’s quality ranking is a little lower than its access ranking at 11 — but with so many options available, there’s sure to be something for everyone.

Some more findings

The city with the highest climate ranking didn’t make the top 10: Long Beach, California, the mildest city on the list, comes in at 38. In fact, Henderson, Nevada is the only city to make the top 10 in both climate and overall scores.

The lowest scoring city was Newark, New Jersey; it has very few dog parks, and they aren’t well-rated. Santa Ana, California has the fewest number of dog parks. Four cities are tied for lowest quality parks: Newark, New Jersey; Santa Ana, California; Garland, Texas; and Laredo, Texas. But Texans, don’t despair: Austin came in at number 12 overall, narrowly missing the top 10 list — and its dog parks are the fourth best in quality.