The Palmer doggie depot is a great dog park in fish town. There always seems to be other dogs there…read moreso it's a great way to socialize your dog. They have recently been renovating the park too. There is always poop bags and bowls for water. Everybody is always really friendly and attentive to their dog.

Leo and I used to frequent this dog park often when he was a puppy, but there weren't double gates…read moreand I had a close call once with him so we stayed away for a while. When I heard they installed a second gate, I took my pup back to check it out. What a world of difference (in terms of safety). Thank you to whoever installed the gate, it is much appreciated and was much needed. Now I feel safe and comfortable bringing Leo to Palmer Doggie Depot and he loves it too.. especially sniffing all the other dogs butts. Seriously, my dog is a butt sniffer. I hear they're working on fundraising to install some running water here soon, that would be great! In the mean time, remember to bring some water for the pups.

Visited this park today on a cold winter morning. Gate was closed, so I had to park out on the…read morestreet just outside the park, which was not too bad. Even with sidewalks and the parking lot slicked over in ice, this was actually a pleasant park to visit just to get some fresh air on a cold winter morning. There were a surprising amount of dog walkers and even small groups of people also getting outside for some fresh air. I can see how this park would be a great place to get outside in nicer weather. There's a softball field, a small picnic and firepit area, and a few outer trails that directly connect to the larger Wissahickon trail system. I could have kept going... but alas I didn't bring a beanie with me. Great park, will be back!

Blue Bell is a hidden gem on the Germantown side of the Wissahickon Creek. It is one of Fairmount…read morePark's best parks because it is used for so many diverse things. 1. Dog Park-- Lots of room to run, lots of things to investigate on the edges of the field, lots of small and long trails to hike! I'm actually not a fan of a lot of the people who come here with their dogs. Not a lot of control going on (more that casual, "beeeeenji, come back" kind of dog watching. which is okay unless you have a big dog and have to deal with their little yappy biting bastard.) Most of the more responsible owners come during the day when it's empty or skip the park altogether and just hike the trails. That said, if you are a more social, stand-around kind of owner-- this is the park for you: around 5:00-6:00 pm there has gotta be about 40 people and their dogs congregating and hanging out in the field. 2. Picnic Areas-- this is one of the premiere spots inthe Northwest for family/ school/ fraternity / sorority reunions, Memorial and Labor Day Parties, you name it. With 5 separate picnic areas, there can even be multiple events going on at once (though Picnic Area #5 is the prime one and is closest to the pavilion). I have even seen people pull trucks out into the field and set up bbq pits and tables on the grass! They HAD two Porta Potties which were both sparklingly clean and always stocked with Toilet Paper (yay!), but recently they got rid of the blue one (private contractors not Fairmount Park). There is a pavilion with 3 picnic tables and a working fireplace. 3. Access to Hiking/Biking Trails: So, you can get to both the hill bike trails and the main hiking trail from at least 6 small trails that I can think of off the top of my head (I attached pics of a couple of them). The wonderful people at Fairmount Park are currently renovating this Park's access, and are about half done-- gosh, every once in a blue moon I am proud of our Philly government... 4. Parking: regretfully for them, many people do not live near the Wissahickon Valley and have to drive here. Parking lots with easy access to Creek Trails are essential. Blue Bell has a TON of parking and is pretty empty except for peak times. Peak times are as follows (caveat: this is based only on my own observations). WEekdays-- early morning, say 8:00-9:00 am; evening, say 5:00-7:00 pm; weekends, ALL DAY. Another thing to be aware of is that Germantown Friends' softball team seems to use the field, though randomly. Just be aware that you might head over to get away from the dogs, be lounging in left field reading a book, when 30 screaming girls will pour of a yellow bus and swarm you... 5.Baseball Field: very well-groomed (as I mentioned, GFS' softball team uses it). Best thing of all is that they also have a pitching "cage" and a batting "cage" (both are netting). The pitching cage even has a bounce back net with strike zone hole! 6. Porta Potty: Last but not least, one of the major uses of this park is to go to the bathroom: trash men, water department, roofers, landscapers, regular Joes in suits and ties-- they ALLLLLLL come here to use the bathroom. And only to use the bathroom. As you can see from the pictures, the Porta Potty is CLEAN and always stocked with TP. I don't know about you, but having somewhere in an emergency (and knowing where it is) is a major quality of life issue :) there's always the woods, but I am getting old... HOURS: From April 1 through October 31 the parking lot is open from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm, November 1 through March 31 they close it up at 6:00 pm. But no worries, there is plenty of parking on Walnut Lane's shoulder and there are plenty of trails leading from the street. Also, when they are going to lock the gate at closing, the Ranger will drive in with his lights (like tow lights) flashing and will play a megaphone/speaker announcement that the park is closing (and it's usually at least a half hour late....) So whether you are taking care of a dog, hiking, biking, relaxing or just need to go to the bathroom, don't forget about Blue Bell Park!

Wonderful place, my pups have been going since they were young one is 3 and the white one is 1read more

Nice tree lined path in a residental neighborhood. Bicycle path is same as walking path.read more

East Falls one-city-block-square oasis that has some nice benches and shady trees. There's a bus…read morestop on one corner (Henry at Midvale) that gets a lot of traffic but is otherwise serene open space inviting to walkers and dog-friendly folk (there's a doggie station for easy cleanup). There's not a whole lot going on there but it's a community meeting spot for some events like the holiday sing-a-long and the East Falls Flea Market. There's a massive old tree left-of-center that is fascinatingly huge. It kinda let's you in on how old the park and area really is. There's also a young tree dedicated to former Mayor/Governor Ed Rendell for aiding in being an advocate and resident of East Falls. A small former fountain-turned-play-area with a turtle statue seems kind of out of place there. Henry Avenue lines one side so it's not quite as quiet there but if you go back toward the charter school on Coulter, it's a bit more tame. On the other three sides it has some of the nicer residential houses in East Falls. The park itself is named after the first president of Fairmount Park and former mayor of Philadelphia of which there is a city historical plaque posted in his honor. It's kept pretty clean due to community members' collective efforts. It's a nice little slice of green in a city space.

Very scenic small park. Lots of people walk their dogs at this park. I sat down on the bench…read morewaiting for my bus to arrive. Next time I come I will take pics it was too cold for pics on this day.

I love this place so I don't even have a dog. You constantly see people playing catching frisbee…read morewith their dogs. It's a good spot because the bowl is a huge divot so they're separate from everything else.

I don't own a dog (Yet!). But this is my true side of Clark Park and I love every moment of it. I…read moretruly feel that there's good reasons why if you search "Clark Park" on Yelp, you're going to see at least four separate reviews come up. and that's because there's so much going on inside it that it's hard to keep track of. Overall I think Emily and Chrissy summed it up best on it's look. Clark Park doesn't offer up that much appearance wise. But when it comes to the people and events inside it Clark Park can be pretty damn incredible! It's pretty much the equivalent of David Lee Roth. And I Might As Well JUMP.... On to the next paragraph! True the main part of Clark Park on Baltimore has it's Flea Market's, Farmer's Market's, sword fighting kids, music festivals, drum circles, volley ball courts, and turtle. But the Dog Bowl pretty much has all of that (minus the Farmer's Market and Turtle), a playground, basketball courts, Shakespeare in the park, fire dancers, random BBQs, water ice, movie nights, double the music fests (I love me some Best Fest!), and smores cookouts in the Fall. And the fact that they're both a block away from one another makes Clark Park one big happy family.

X-posting a review from the Wissahickon Park page. This park is so good it deserves two 5-star…read moreratings. Hard to rate an entire park this massive, but all things considered, after 5 years of traversing the trails here, this is an awesome park. Note that I live in U-City, so the fact that such a massive trail system exists in only a ~20 minute drive, depending on which part of the park I start in, is a blessing and keeps my sanity. Friends of Wissahickon does a great job maintaining trails and even expanding the system over the past few years. I don't think I've ever observed an unseemly part of the park. Definitely unseemly times of year like the snow thaw or the time between the trees dying and the snow falling, but otherwise, this park is beautiful all times of year. I've never had a hard time parking, never even had trouble with crowds even around the most popular trails (ex. Forbidden Drive). Even the bikers are friendly and patient here! Would strongly recommend not only visiting but coming back to keep exploring! I'm still finding new gems in this massive trail system.

Today I decided to switch things up and take a trip to Valley Green in Wissahickon Park, Philly…read more I've always heard about Devil's Pool but had never been, so when I saw the trailhead, I figured--why not check it out? What I've known about Devil's Pool is that it's been a popular hangout spot, especially for teens and young adults--swimming, drinking, smoking, etc. But I wasn't prepared for how disappointing the trail would be. At nearly every turn, there was trash--plastic bottles, wrappers, and even entire black garbage bags just left behind. The closer I got to Devil's Pool, the worse it got. There are clear signs asking visitors to take their trash with them, yet so many clearly don't. It's really disheartening to see such a beautiful natural space disrespected like that. Instead of feeling peaceful or connected to nature, it honestly felt a bit unsanitary and neglected. Wissahickon Park deserves better. If you visit, please respect the space and take out everything you bring in.

Heinz Park is a wonderfully well managed clean environmentally friendly refuge area. It has well…read moremarked trails; strategically located observation platforms, bridges and marshlands throughout. The Heinz is suitable for biking. Jogging, hiking, dog waking, nature and bird watching. This community resource is multifaceted, providing options for all ages and interests, don't miss it when in the area.

Good spot, easy to forget it's still in the city…read more I've been here a handful of times, usually after work or on weekends when I need to get outside for a bit. Once you're on the trails it gets surprisingly quiet. Like, noticeably quieter than you'd expect from somewhere still technically inside Philadelphia. The paths are mostly flat gravel so it's not a hard walk at all. I tend to stop on the boardwalks and just look out over the marsh for a few minutes. Last time there were a few turtles lined up on a log, and I'm pretty sure I spotted a couple of herons near the water too. You do hear planes since the airport's close by, but it doesn't really bother me. Kind of adds to the strangeness of the place in a way I actually like. One thing worth knowing: the mosquitoes are no joke. I skipped bug spray once and regretted it pretty quickly. If you're going in summer, just bring some, especially if you're planning to hang around near the water.

I only put a rating in because I had to. I haven't been to this park in about five years where I…read morehad both good experiences and bad experiences. My dog is fine once she gets into the open area but can be leash aggressive when on the leash. Which the one time we were going, two dog owners were coming (one to and one from) the park where their dogs were OFF LEASH on the path outside of the dog park., on way to parking lot. One came towards my pup very aggressively. My neighbor hasn't been there for a few years either because his gentle dog was viciously attacked (as in grabbing her by neck//throught, standing over, shaking her, and her owner did nothing, until others yelled at said owner,, who picked her dog up and just left without making sure his dog was okay, or apologize. After owner left, friend said he picked his dog and rushed her to the vet, Another time, my first time there, I took my two to the smaller side, and my beagle was doing well until a gentleman arrived with his small dog who immediately went after my beagle in a very aggressive way and he said "just let them work it out." Thankfully the others there said "No. you don't do that with someone's first time experience bringing their dog to a dog park," which felt good to be supported in that way Finally, one other time, it was a pleasant experience, the people welcomed us in, asked about our dog, helped if either of our dogs seemed overwhelmed, etc. As a result, it is hard for me to say whether or not I would recommend this park since I have not been there for five years.

Was visiting my family in PA and found this dog park which wasn't too far from where they live…read more They have two sections divided for small (under 30lbs) vs large dogs. When we got there, there were only 2 dogs in the small section but I'm sure they were not under 30lbs and kept jumping on us which resulted in scratching my leg. Luckily the owners noticed the dog's behavior and left. My pup was the only one in there and she absolutely loved it. A great way to burn that puppy energy. The park is very clean and also has a water fountain for dogs to drink from. Will definitely be back when the weather gets warmer.