Winnie W.

We took our dog to Downs Park Dog Beach for the 1st time today and had a good time. He usually doesn't like water, but he was brave and waded around! He enjoyed himself and the other dog owners were watching their dogs carefully, so we were at ease. You walk through a fence down to the beach. It is small (see pics) but we appreciated that we could see everything happening. A few areas for improvement: -Have a rinsing station near the dog beach. We found out there is a hose/spigot outside the visitor center, so we will use that next time, but would be nice to have one right as you get out of the beach. -Fence off the right side of the park in the water. Our dog considered swimming away but came back. Having a fence would help prevent this. The rest of the park has lovely paved trails and bay views so you can do other things besides the beach (we weren't sure he would want to go in the water). And there are clean bathrooms. Overall, worth the $6 admission fee and we'll go back again!

Sylvie C.

What a lovely park! Water that sparkles like blue topaz, beautifully kept ground, quietness that I don't experience often in DC?! Plus friendly polite people?! What not to love at Downs Park? How did I not know about this gem for the nearly 2 decades I've lived in this state?! I was blown away by the quietness and the lovely scenery here upon arrival. I was able to enjoy and walk with my dogs without bikers and mobs of runners passing by. A lot of regional parks in my area feels like there's Boston Marathon of sort going on just to walk through the trails. NOT HERE! It has close to 7 miles of beautifully maintained wooded trails that also allows for the ocean view for parts of it. The park also has a dog beach with fences around it. It is a bit smaller compared to Quiet Waters Dog Beach but it offered a beautiful view regardless. Another great feature that I really enjoyed was the friendly folks walking their dogs or with family. I appreciated people being conscientious about social distancing without the awkward pause, stares, and odd waltz we sometimes have to do in the narrow streets and trails of DC parks. I forgot what it's like to actually have ENOUGH spaces to walk in a park and be able to exchange quick pleasantries during passing. I visited in the morning hours and my oh my. I had no idea how much I actually enjoy sitting on the bench by the Chesapeake Bay, and all I hear is the waves clashing and my dogs happily panting. The parking area also has bathrooms, fishing pier, boat pier, scenic overlook benches and a small theater. Although it's $6/vehicle for entry, you can get an annual pass, or senior citizens pass for a discount and/or enter for free with a military ID. All in all, I can't recommend this beautiful park enough!

Reane S.

It's located within the park with a cute little beach area ! A little small but it's fenced in so no worries letting your pooch go and just have fun! Some shade and a bench and a long driftwood to sit on as well. Your dog will definitely have fun! Just go! We'll certainly go back and take advantage of the hiking trails and bring a picnic with us.

Lauren M.

Took my frenchie here for her first water experience. The sign at the first parking lot says the dog beach is to the right, so we parked there. However, we soon discovered after continuing to walk and follow signs, that the dog beach is closer to the second parking lot and I wish we'd parked there instead. Once we found it, it was easy to get into, but could stand to be bigger. There were at least 12 other dogs as well as their owners, and most of the owners were in pairs. If we go another day, we will stay longer and do more walking around the park. We really only went for the dog beach and $6 per car isn't a bad price to pay when you're also supporting the parks.

Emily K.

Small, but perfect place for dogs to be able to splash around in the water. The area was clean, and all the dogs were well behaved. Was worth the hour and a half trip we took to get there!

Sonna T.

Downs Memorial Park (3.5 miles) So much fun! We biked a short 3.5 miles around Downs Memorial Park Trail($6 per car to enter). The park had a very small amount of hills. It was mostly flat or downhill. This park has beautiful views of the water, tons of shade, and fresh air along the trail . This is a very quiet trail with bikers, walkers, and runners. Take your time and enjoy the serenity. We took our bikes to the dog beach located along the trail . There were only 2 dogs there. They were so cute. We were able to social distance from the 2 dog owners but eventually they left... leaving us to have our own private beach experience. There's no swimming in the water. We just played and relaxed in/near the water . It was amazing . The dog beach is fenced in so you don't have to worry about your dog running away in the park. The beach, however, is not fenced in so you will have to watch your dog to make sure they do not go out too far while swimming. I will say that the few dogs that were there naturally stayed in the shallow portion of the beach near the shore. The beach does have a few random toys for the dogs to play with such as frisbees and tennis balls. FYI: the beach is very small but there are a few places to sit or bring your beach blanket. I would recommend bringing swim shoes for obviously reasons such as possible poop and rocks . Also, I've heard that their are several issues with ticks in this area. Be sure to bring bug spray and check your doggies for ticks.

Morgan K.

Cute little dog beach off the side of the park. Well maintained, no garbage seen. The water was very blue when we went. Park entrance via car was $7-8. It is busy during summer peak but empty on the off season.

Claire W.

This is one of my favorite local parks and will soon be one of yours too! Yes, there is a $6 entrance fee, but the scenery and atmosphere of Downs Park is simply the best. It provides an absolutely stunning view of the Chesapeake Bay, with many benches by the water to watch the waves and reach inner peace in. The perfect place for picnics as well, with shady areas, a garden, and various trails to wander around in after snacking on a charcuterie board. If you are more of a meal person, they also have grills and tables for your convenience. Come here as soon possible--- You're missing out!!! And did I mention the breathtaking pictures you'll get here?

Cori B.

We had a good time visiting the dog beach portion of the park. Most of the dogs were very friendly and our boy had a blast. The beach is quite literally covered with rocks and sticks so it was very uncomfortable to walk around on. I even cut the bottom of my foot on a rock. The fencing definitely needs repaired, but thankfully our dog didn't try to run off. Would probably visit again, but disappointed in the condition of the beach.

Nikki J.

Love this spot! Hubby enjoys and Toffee loves the dog beach. This park has beautiful views of the Magothy. Many trails, playground, and clean restrooms.

Ally T.

This review is for the doggy beach. Not sure why this park has such average/bad reviews, it's honestly beautiful, huge, and the doggy beach is pawesome (see what I did there?). We have a 7 month old puppy that we've been dying to take to a beach, and it hadn't occurred to me to look in nearby Maryland (we live in DC). I'd been pestering my husband to pick a weekend to go to Dewey or Rehoboth, when a neighbor (and mom to my puppy's best furfriend) suggested we take a day trip to this park. Well, what a great idea that was!!!! We went this past Saturday, about an hour and a half (or so) drive from DC. It costs $6 per car to get in, and then once inside the place is huge. The doggy beach isn't very big but man, is it fun!!! It's fenced in, which is obviously necessary for dogs, and there's a small, but very good little stretch of beach. We spent about 2 and a half hours there! There were lots of dogs but not SO many that it wasn't fun. All dogs there played very well together, shared their toys, and overall everyone had a blast. I definitely want to go back this summer. My dog LOVED it, it was his first time swimming and he was really into it, we were so glad!! We came with 3 other dogs and their owners, so 4 dogs total, and it was just an awesome time. After all the dogs had swam till their hearts desire (one didn't swim, he preferred digging holes in the sand, which we then covered, don't worry), we had a little picnic at some nearby shaded picnic tables. Oh, they also have a hose where you can attempt to clean your dog post sandy beachy mess (we tried but our pup is a goldendoodle, and no chance a little hose action will get rid of the sand embedded in his fluffy hair!). All in all this park is lovely and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a doggy beach.