Best Dog Parks in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia — updated August 21, 2026
Richmond's fenced off-leash parks number only a handful, spread across Church Hill, Forest Hill and the Northside. Here is how they compare, plus the riverside parks worth a leashed walk, with review counts so you can see which ratings are settled and which are still thin.
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Richmond has only a few dedicated off-leash dog parks, and they sit far apart: one on Church Hill, one tucked into Forest Hill Park south of the river, one up Forest Lawn in the Northside. Because there are so few, the same regulars turn up at the same hours, and the difference between a good visit and a bad one is often just timing. Below, the fenced parks come first, followed by public parks that suit a leashed walk rather than open running.
1. Church Hill Dog Park
This is the most-reviewed dedicated dog park in the city, at 4.1 from 235 reviews, which makes it the closest thing Richmond has to a proven off-leash standard. A Yelp review describes a typical crowd of three to seven dogs, with the busiest stretch between 4 and 6 p.m., so a mid-morning visit generally means room to throw a ball. It sits at 3600 E Grace St, on the Chimborazo Park side of Church Hill; the city lists that park as open sunrise to sunset and prohibits alcohol. Parking is street parking, so allow extra time near the 5 p.m. peak.
2. Phideaux Dog Park
The best-equipped of the group: Friends of Forest Hill Park describe a private off-leash area with fresh water bowls and waste bags provided, which spares you carrying either. Address is 4401 Forest Hill Avenue, inside Forest Hill Park, and questions go to the park group by phone at (804) 233-4371 or by email. A rating of 4.2 from 74 reviews is a smaller sample than Church Hill's but points the same direction. There is an active Facebook group, Friends of Phideaux Field, where owners arrange meet-up days and times, which is the practical way to find out when other dogs will be there.
3. Northside Dog Park
The quiet option. Virginia's tourism listing calls it a quieter spot for pups and warns to bring water, as there is none on tap, which is the single most important thing to know before driving up. A crowdsourced Richmond dog park map lists hours starting at 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday with a later Sunday opening, though listings disagree, so check before an early trip. Addresses also vary between 500 Forest Lawn Rd and 609 Forest Lawn Dr; both point to the same corner of the Northside. The 3.7 rating from 105 reviews is the weakest here, and it reflects the bare-bones setup rather than anything sinister.
4. Great Shiplock Park
Not a fenced off-leash park, but the strongest-rated green space on this list by a wide margin: 4.6 from 907 reviews, a figure settled enough to trust. It sits at the lowest of the historic Kanawha Canal locks near 2803 Dock St, with trail running, fishing and paddling access, and connects toward Chapel Island. James River Park lists it as open sunrise to sunset every day. Treat it as a long leashed walk with water views rather than a place to let a dog run, and pair it with a picnic or a stop at one of the restaurants along the water.
5. Oregon Hill Linear Park
A narrow strip of park along the bluff at 604 Spring St, useful mainly as a leashed walking route between Oregon Hill and the riverfront rather than as a place to unclip. Evidence here is thin: 4.5 from just 24 reviews, promising but not yet settled. Hours listings conflict, with one source showing round-the-clock access and another a 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. window, so daylight is the safe bet. The neighborhood parks group, ohillparks.org, posts morning work sessions in the 9 to 11 a.m. range, which is worth knowing if you would rather avoid volunteers with tools.
6. Grace Street Park
A small Church Hill park at 2101 E Grace St, a short walk from the Church Hill dog park, which makes it a reasonable warm-up or cool-down loop on a leash. Local discussion notes the view over the valley and the building on site that once housed WRVA, one of Virginia's first radio stations, now offices for ChildSavers. The rating is 4.6, but from only 32 reviews, so treat it as a well-liked local spot rather than a tested destination. Search carefully online: several listings for a Grace Street Park in South Carolina turn up under the same name.
What we left off
Two entries from the previous version do not fit the premise. Broad Rock Community Garden is a community garden with raised beds, fruit trees and Sunday work hours, not a dog park. Miller Lofts Dog Park is an amenity attached to an apartment building at 400 Stockton St, not public, and it carries a single review, which is no evidence at all.