TOTAL DOG HEAVEN. My pup Otis and I frequent the dog parks in town around Charlottesville a few…read moretimes a week, and decided to take a little winter adventure up to Chris Greene Lake this past weekend. Despite being VERY muddy (everywhere is muddy right now because of all of the rain and snow!), it was absolutely awesome. As soon as we arrived at the dog park area at Chris Greene, which is a short and pretty walk through the woods from the parking area, Otis went NUTS! There's a ton of space to romp, and I think the dogs really love the added fun of dodging in and out of the many trees. I've never seen Otis run so much at a dog park, and despite the cold and ice on the lake he jumped right in. This place will be perfect when the weather is warmer and the dogs really want to swim! It also offers what no other dog parks have: total shade, which will come in handy in July and August! I did get a little turned around leaving the park - there are two paths and I couldn't remember which one we came in on. I took the wrong one, but it just took me on a pleasant little loop before arriving back at the parking area. For the direct exit, take the path on the right. I also think it's important to note that this park is big and your pooch can get pretty far away from you at any given time. I try to stay pretty close to my guy just in case he encounters a grumpy-pants-pup, and that feels pretty hard to do here. Still, like most dog parks around town, the owners were all pretty keyed into their dogs behaviors and we didn't have any problems.

Nice park with many activities. However the dog park is not…read morefenced properly. Our dog got through the fence and ended up miles away and hurt herself doing so. Fortunately she had a name tag with phone number and we got her back that night. If they don't fix the fence you need to stay right with your dog, which defeats the purpose of the park.

This park used to be our neighborhood park. We lived just down the road, so when my husband and I…read morefirst moved to the neighborhood, we would walk down and intersect with the Rivanna River trail which goes through Azalea park. Or we would loop around the garden plots that are down there at the far end of the park and see what folks were growing. Or we would go use the big spread of grass to throw the frisbee around. The playground is pretty cool, too. (Admittedly, around sunset when the kiddies had all gone in for dinner and bath time, we'd utilize the freedom and play on some of the playground equipment--lots of exciting things you can spin on/in!) Kid (and "big kid") approved. Then we had a baby, so I would stroll the babe down to the park and loop around the park's paths and back home, or I would sit on a swing and hold my babe and swing with him for a bit. Ah, the circle of life. Now we've moved and I already kinda miss Azalea Park. (Note: There's also a dog park; just a fairly large gated in area of grass where you can let your dog off the leash.)

Azalea is our preferred dog park in Charlottesville. It has two large fenced-in areas that share a…read morefenced entry pen. We bring our sheepdog Appa here at least once a week when the weather is cool/cold enough for him, less often in the summer (Charlottesville's summer heat is pretty brutal on our fluff monster). In all of our visits we've only run into a few dogs that aren't very well socialized and are aggressive towards other dogs (we've encountered this multiple times at Darden Towe). For the most part all of the owners are very responsible, friendly, and approachable and their dogs follow their example. There are always tennis balls laying around that are up for grabs, several picnic tables for humans (and sometimes for dogs to climb on), poop bags/trash cans, and water bowls (and a pump to fill them). Overall it has just about everything you could need. The one major downside about Azalea's dog park is that it has very little shade. There's a single large tree on the west side that casts some decent shade in the evening during the summer, but for the most part the sun scorches down and there's no hiding from it. It would be fantastic if the town could plant a few more trees here. There's plenty of parking, and trails and a stream nearby. Appa's a better socialized dog thanks to Azalea. We're very glad we found this park.

Great place to bring your dogs to get out of the house and make some other friends there. There is…read morea little trail you can go on too! I am not sure if you can bring dogs on the trail but we do!!

It is a wide open space but you need to keep your dogs on a leash, unless you decide to take them…read moreinto a ball field (the only fenced in space)

Fantastic trails and so well groomed. Love the amenities- water bowls for dogs and restroom…read morefacilities for humans!

Cute, wide ipen spaces for your dogs to run and play. Trails and an off leash area. Two parking…read moreareas, one upper and a lower one next to a creek. There is a picnic area at the lower parking lot.

I'm not gonna lie Staunton is the lost city. I would see this nice of a park. Beautiful trees…read more Ducks are super cute in their little zoo place. A good walk. Looks safe.

Just past where I'd been during previous visits to Staunton, this park is still close to the…read moredowntown area. It has a lot to offer, including a natural stream, manicured areas, various playground and athletic facilities, and a stage. It is easy to get to and park at, and is free.

Spacious fenced in area for dogs to plays! Fun equipment and obstacles as well. No well water or…read morewaterline option on site for dogs. Human amenities by the facility, including Pickleball court basketball court and trail system to pond. Only drawback is limited parking.

Very fortunate to have this park so close to home. It is well maintained by staff members, as well…read moreas dog owners. Have only had pleasant experiences thus far with both owners and pups. Often times, we have the place to ourselves and can practice agility tricks. Other times my puppy likes to run around like a wild man with the other dogs.

It was a nice park! Pet friendly and the kids can play. Great activity on a nice day.read more

It's a dog park, plus a spot for little ones. My son is now a teenager, so the playground equipment…read morefor him is a non starter. Yet for kids 10 and under a neat concept. This is set up like an obstacle course. If you want your little one tired, this will be quite challenging. There's a lot of cool designs and thoughtful construction took place. Parking is plentiful. It's right off of New Guinea Road. The car traffic will be heard unfortunately. Yet for the dog park, good idea to have two sections. Ones for puppies and little dogs, the other is for the big K9's. A very smart decision. There's plenty of room in each fenced area for them to run in. Friendly dogs and most part decent people.

We were staying at a cabin in Shenandoah and wanted to give the pups some off leash time. This was…read morethe best dog park I've ever been too. It was clean and had lots of room! I have a deaf shepherd and a small Maltese. They loved it and it wasn't as crowded and pup owners were respectful of each other.

So many dogs here on a late Friday afternoon. Weather around the 60s in early February…read more Friendly dog owners. Friendly dogs. Will be returning !

This is an awesome dog park!!! You can run and play or let your dog play with other dogs,this is an…read moreawesome dog park!!!! Me and my mom loved it,and so the dog!!! I really do recommend coming here

Great paved path, well maintained, that runs along the river. Couple of notes that they have some…read moreoff leash areas for dogs and many owners allowed their dogs to approach our without recall. Additionally there are some homeless encampments along the path.

Fabulous trail! Quite busy even on Thanksgiving but we found parking quickly! The wonderful part is…read morethat it rained heavily the evening and morning for our hike. The trail is made of asphalt so easy assess for handicap and no muddy paws