Sun & Shade. Love the new architecture. Friendly location

Parking is very hard to find. Poop all over the place because owners haven't picked it up (especially towards the back). Very snobby owners that just play on their phones. Not really a community dog park. read more

This is a nice size dog park. While the county clearly spent money on it, I think a bigger dog park would be better. The major problem I have with the place is the sand that gets kicked up when the dogs run around. Make sure to wear a hat or hoodie otherwise you'll get sand everywhere. read more

This park is very disappointing. So much money poured into it, and yet it's mostly covered in what I can only describe as "sandy grossness". My dog is long-haired and simply can't visit a park like this without a bath immediately afterwards. This park is just no bueno. read more

Frequently stop by. The facilities are nice when he waterfall is working the gravel is like kitty litter and makes a post-dog park bath a requirement. Unfortunately there isn't much shade and the waterfall is only on like Arlington county pools (Memorial Day - Labor Day) read more

Love/hate relationship with this park. It is convenient which is always nice. Parking isn't great. It's a huge park with a water watterfall(?) and has a sandy/small rock area that the dogs run in. I don't like that it doesn't have an area for small dogs (my 6 lb dog is friendly, but many of the larger dogs play rough so I'm freaking out on the inside when we go). Also prepare to get wet! Many of the dogs run into the water then run around so good luck staying dry in the summer months! It also has zero shade, which is miserable during the heat as well. The convenience of this park is nice and I've always felt the people were friendly, however I prefer towers park. read more

It's a decent-sized park for the middle of the city, but not impressive in size. The fountain is a neat idea, but very small and the deepest part (the only part my dogs would actually be able to swim in) has the waterfall coming down into it, which all of the dogs seemed to avoid. Also, the filtration was questionable--very murky water. But these things alone wouldn't keep me from coming back; the things that caused my 1-star review are the following: 1.) There is absolutely no shade, so not only do the people and pups get thirsty and hot in a hurry, but the asphalt sections (which surround the drinking water fountain!) get blazing hot on sunny summer days. My outdoorsy Golden Retriever didn't seem to notice the heat, but I did have to rescue my more delicate Cockapoo off of the burning hot pavement a few times after I noticed him limping around and holding one paw at a time off the ground. Luckily, I brought my own water dish, which I had to set out on the less hot turf surface so the pups could get a drink without scorching their paws. Everything gets toasty here--the turf, the stone benches, the pavement. This makes the fountain a very welcome relief, but if your dog is averse to water, he/she will probably be looking to leave in a hurry. 2.) The primary surface is this dusty pea gravel type substance that clumps up when peed on. Kinda feels like running around in a giant litter box--not fun. Dogs seemed fine with it, but I found it dirty, smelly, and dusty. I don't live in the neighborhood, so this place definitely is not worth the trip for me and I won't be returning. read more

Overall, I like this dog park. It's convenient and my dog doesn't get too dirty after playing here like he does at other parks in the area. The dogs that frequent the park seem to be friendly and their owners are pretty attentive to them. A con is that there is no water fountain for the dogs so you have to make sure you bring lots of water. I made the mistake once of only bringing enough for my dog and inevitably all of the dogs end up drinking it. I will say though that depending on what time of day you go, you may have drastically different experiences with the "humans" that are there. In the mornings the patrons seem to be nice, talkative, and caring individuals. Some will even run and put money in the meter for you if they're doing the same (watch out for the parking ticket lady...she frequently gives out tickets right in front of you!). However, the afterwork crowd in the late afternoon/evening are completely different. They don't want to be bothered by your dog (one guy was on his cell phone shooing my dog away whenever he came near him), and some get all offended if your dog drinks out of their dog's water bowl. I also got knocked over by a big dog chasing a ball and NO ONE came up to see if I was okay or apologize (typical Clarendon-folk). But like i said, the morning crowd is completely different so I recommend going then if you can. Unfortunately, I hear that they will be closing the park for 8 months or so to re-vamp it. They are turning it into a kids' park with a water feature and keeping half of the park as a dog park. I'm not sure when this will happen but word is that it will be before the end of the summer. read more

It's a big, dirty, and kind of gross sandbox. But before I critique, I must recognize the hard work and efforts of the Arlington County parks staff. They worked for years on this project and I'm sure they are committed to its success. However, I think the theories behind the design have not worked out in practice. My short haired dog almost always need a bath or cleaning after a visit. If your dog likes to play hard with other dogs and roll around, he'll get quite dirty. At a minimum, my dog's lower legs always need scrubbing to remove the sand, even after brief visits. As other reviewers have stated, the water feature is often broken and water is murky. And once a dog's dip is over, their wet fur is like a magnet to the sand, pebbles and in the park (it's like kitty litter). By comparison, the grit and dust kicked up by dogs in Shlrlington or Towers Park (even if the ground is extremely dry) pales in comparison to what happens in Clarendon. For what it's worth, I think Arlington should remove the often-broken water feature and create a fun obstacle using the boulders from the water fall. It should also install a garden hose so residents can clean their pups before returning to their cars or homes. read more

After reading the reviews on here about how dusty this dog park is, I decided to try it anyways since it's very convenient to whereI live. I like that it's a smaller park and it's in a great spot in Clarendon, however the dust is crazy! The ground of the park is covered in sand / cat litter style material, and it basically gets on everything. Whoever designed this clearly has never owned a dog or even thought about how this would work in real life. After about 20 minutes of playing my dog was covered in dust and we both had to take baths / showers when we got home. I suppose if you are willing to accept having to bathe your dog every time you take him / her to the dog park then its fine, but otherwise there is no way you could just come straight home and let your dog walk around your house after being here without tracking dust everywhere. If any of the people that manage the park read these reviews, they should seriously consider changing the surface, as it makes what could be a 5-star dog park in a great spot basically unusable. read more

On 10/29/2013 the "water feature" caused my dog to cut his leg. $1000 later, he has stiches along with a swollen leg and has to recover for two weeks. We will never be back to the Clarendon Dog Park! It really is a shame due to the location. However, the park is dangerous. read more

ENTER AT YOUR OWN (DOG'S) RISK! Many owners use this park as daily social time for them while their dogs run around doing whatever they want, and aren't supervised or reprimanded even when being aggressive. We used to go every day, and even after moving away and coming back for a visit my dog doesn't even want to enter the park. Know your dog's behavior and when to correct behavior or leave! We didn't pick up on this in time and my dog developed anxiety and behavioral issues because of her experiences here. read more

This is a very nice dog park now. It was renovated and recently re-opened. We went with our dog first time today, all the dogs were nice, the setting was much prettier than before, our dog loved the fountain and had a great time. I agree the renovation took a long time but I am very pleased with the result. Yeah, Shirlington is better but I can walk to this one so me and Snickers are happy! read more

Disappointed in this park. I thought maybe the negative reviews were exaggerating but they are correct. It's almost comical the money that was spent to create this. I give it three stars because it does look nice. It's large but the dogs stay towards the area with none of the dust/sand stuff they decided to put in 3/4 of the park. Your dog will be a mess when you leave. Maybe they can replace the sand with mulch or something else and this place would be much better. read more