I'm a huge fan of Fort Washington. We take our dog there every single day. Other owners are great and the park is very nice and well-kept. There are openings on all sides, so only well-trained dogs enter the park and roam off-leash. This is nice and means that most dogs get along and are well-behaved. Be respectful and pick up after your dog after they do their business in the park. Trash cans and free poop bags abound. The area used to be kinda rough with some homeless people sleeping near one of the entrances, but the construction crews removed the giant cinder blocks they were on, so that hasn't been an issue lately. Also watch out for the uber-protective guy who comes and salutes the park (he uploaded some pictures) -- he's more of a nuisance than anything. read more

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"Let no unpatriotic hand destroy this revolutionary relic, now known as Fort Washington." In the "History of Cambridge, Massachusetts 1630-1877" by Lucius R. Paige, on Page 422, "Let no unpatriotic hand destroy this revolutionary relic, now known as Fort Washington." The Erecting of the Dog Fence, approved by the Cambridge Historical Commission in 11/2005, on the 230th anniversary of the building of Fort Washington Earthworks, has in my opinion severely eroded the 231 year old Earthworks and turned the Parade ground in a frozen mud pit. Dogs borrow holes in the 231 year old Earthworks with impunity, as there is no protection for these fragile revolutionary relics, our forefathers so bravely constructed under British cannonades while suffering sickness and death in the Camps and Barracks of Cambridge. --- Read "1776" 1776: Books: David McCullough I am glad Cambridge preserved the 149 year old fence in the 1902, 1976, 1986 etc. around Fort Washington, but the Fence was built for the purpose of providing protection to the 231 year old Earthworks. Washington and his Volunteer Soldiers, who toiled so hard to build the Hundreds of Siege fortifications around Boston that, with Knox's Ticonderoga Canon on Dorchester Heights, Forced the British Evacuation of Boston on March 17, 1776. Fort Washington Earthworks are the last remaining fragile revolutionary relics of these Hundreds of Siege fortifications built, that resulted in Washington's Improbable Victory. I believe these 231 years old Earthworks deserve at least the same protection afforded the Earthworks at National Battlefields such as Petersburg. FROM PETERSBURG VA, NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK --- CIVIL WAR EARTHWORKS LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES 2 States: c. Minimize the deleterious action of natural phenomena on the earthworks, e.g., windthrow of trees, burrowing of animals, or invasion of plant species that reduce natural diversity and erosion controlling cover. I do like dogs, but as a USN Veteran, DAV, and American Legion Member, I feel this not the proper place to allow dogs to run free, just as dogs are not permitted in Mt Auburn Cemetery. BRIAN D. CAMPBELL PEARL STREET CAMBRIDGE, MA 02139 CAMBRIDGE CHRONICLE Letter: Dog park needs improvements Wednesday, February 14, 2007 - Updated: 12:36 PM EST I have been a resident of Cambridgeport for more than nine years, and I have enjoyed using the dog park at Fort Washington and respect its historical significance. In the past year, I have become increasingly alarmed at the abuse that the park has suffered. Today the site is little more than a large dirt lot. The green grass has long disappeared and the mounds are eroding. Large holes mar the site, and gravel litters the ground where grass once grew. I think it's important to have a dog-friendly dog park, and I appreciate the effort Cambridge has made by installing fences to enclose the park. However, Cambridge's magnanimous effort to help dog owners has attracted abuse, especially by dog walkers. At some times during the day, I have seen dog walkers carry 10 dogs to Fort Washington. Some dog walkers are responsible and do not allow their dogs to harm the park. However, others are not so respectful. Some dog walkers release their dogs where they wildly run into the park. Sometimes they run around with leashes dragging in the dirt. Some dogs become bored or anxious and dig large holes in the mounds or in the grass. The sheer volume of dogs (between 10 to 30 dogs) is detrimental to the space. I would like to propose that drastic measures be taken to protect the park. First, I would like to see the park closed for restoration to grow new grass and rebuild the mounds. This would include restoring topsoil that has either blown away or eroded off the site. During a restoration period, the dog walkers would have to find a new place to take the dogs. Secondly, I would propose limiting the dog park in the amount of dogs that one could take to the park. This limit would prevent or discourage dog walkers from bringing large packs to the park. I fondly remember going to Fort Washington with my dog and being able to sit in the grass, throw a ball or just enjoy a summer's day. I hope Cambridge will find a way to save this special park so that others will be able to do this in the future. George Washington once walked this ground. Soldiers stood ready to protect Boston there. Now it's our turn to protect the land that once played an important part in our country's history. CLAIRE DANIEL Cambridge BRIAN D. CAMPBELL PEARL STREET CAMBRIDGE, MA 02139 read more

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Correction: The mounds form a half-moon, but the park is square. THIS IS A DOG PARK and it's heaven on earth for responsible dog lovers. Retrievers frolick with Schnauzers. A little gargoyle-lookin' thing named Diesel reigns supreme. The flag bellows above and looms very large. The cannons serve as great back stops for sprinting dogs and runaway tennis balls. The humans try awkwardly to fit in, but the dogs are doing just fine. It's the highlight of my weekday and the reason for being for my chocolate lab, Belle. She's leash-free and fancy free when we're here. Some sort of unwritten ethical code is in effect where a good majority of owners clean up after their pets, leave tennis balls behind for communal use and poo bags and trash cans are conveniently located along the park fences. If you drive here, there's always parking available nearby. read more

Very nice area. It's obvious that a pet-conscious person went around the park and blocked off all the areas where a small dog could escape. Nice hills, neat cannons, good shade. Now, doesn't that sound like a sleazy pick up line? read more

This park is the point on that map which marks the RR crossing for pedestrians (god send for getting from Albany to Vassar by bike/foot). It's kind of fun to ride my bike or run over the big mounds, but are the creepy cut-out silhouette metal people reeeeeally necessary? read more

Yup, this is a dog park, and a sweet one for well-behaved doggies. But for any history fan with an imagination, it's sweet for another reason. Those earthwork bumps were there about eight months before the Declaration of Independence was signed, so they're older than the USA. And for any fan of urban parks and urban planning, it's a sweet park because of the amount of thought that's gone into making it both a place of the past and for enjoyment here and now. Just google: "Cambridge Chronicle" "Fort Washington" and you'll find a huge amount of amazing stuff in the newspaper's archives about this park from the 1800s. Don't look at the Wikipedia article, current web sites, or the YouTube videos because they're dull. Go to the original newspaper articles to see all the thought and appreciation and arguments that have been made about this park since the 1850s. The ups and downs of the past 30 years are boring compared to the nostalgia that people in the 1880s had for the way the park and its surroundings looked in the 1850s. A letter supposedly written in the 1850s was printed in the Cambridge Chronicle in 1884 that said about the earthworks, "The place should be visited by all strangers who visit Boston as a real thing handed down in a primitive freshness direct from Revolutionary times." Maybe that's still true for those bumps that the doggies romp on, but don't tell too many tourists because primitive freshness really doesn't look very impressive, and there aren't enough places in easy walking distance for tourists to spend money. read more

best dog park in Cambridge - by far. Great off-leash space, TONS of dogs and a great group of owners. Our little pup loves meeting his friends at Ft. Washington every night. read more

What we have here is the oldest surviving Revolutionary War earthworks in the country being used as a crapping-grounds for barking, drooling poop-factories since 2005. Unbelievable. I first visited as a kid in 1992, went back recently to see that the grass has all but disappeared and been replaced with dust and dirt that stinks of dog urine and feces. Why would anyone but a dog enjoy this bit of history? Shame on the city of Cambridge for caving to the dog coalition for as long as it did. Good to see it is now once again off-limits to dogs; maybe in a few years it will return to its former condition befitting an American landmark. read more

I don't have a dog but walk around the area. People are friendly as are the dogs; however, Fort Washington is closed for renovations at this time, so no one is using the park now. read more