Dog walking in Shorewood

Walnut Trails

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Your pup will go nuts for the Walnut Trails neighborhood in Shorewood. This neighborhood’s large outdoor recreation area is Cene’s Four Seasons Park, a pawsome place to hang out with your leashed dog. At 45 acres, there’s lots of room to roll in the grass, enjoy a picnic or take a stroll on the park’s paved walking path that meanders through the park and the adjacent residential area. Cene’s Four Seasons Park also has a playground, benches, picnic tables, a water fountain, restrooms and sports fields. In the winter, the park has a sledding hill, too! Remember to bring a leash and cleanup bags.

Village Center

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See some of Shorewood’s best parks in the Village Center neighborhood. West Shore Park has more than 3 acres for you and your dog to enjoy together. There’s a covered picnic area, and a playground for kiddos and tennis courts. Take a jaunt on West Shore Park’s walking path that wanders next to the scenic DuPage River. Head northeast on the trail and right onto Westshore Dr., then cross the footbridge over the river and you’ll meet up with the walking path at the 8-acre Little Coyote Park. Both parks have large grassy areas your pup will love. Village Center is also the home of 14-acre Shorewood Park, where there’s a disc golf course, picnic tables and restrooms. Leashed dogs are welcome in all three of these parks. Remember to bring drinking water and cleanup bags.

McClintock

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There’s plenty of tail-wagging to be done in the McClintock neighborhood in Channahon, just 6 miles from Shorewood. Your dog will go bananas for the off-leash area at the 372-acre Lower Rock Run Preserve’s McClintock Rd access area. This fenced-in dog park has 7.5 furrific acres for pups to romp and play. For wee pooches weighing 35 pounds or less, there’s a separate 2.5-acre area if running with the big dogs is too much to handle. The park has a covered seating area where you can relax while Fido burns off some energy. You and Fido will need a permit to use the off-leash area. Day passes and annual permits are available from the Forest Preserve District of Will County. The McClintock neighborhood is also home to Community Park – check out the park’s Prairie Wetland Trail with your leashed pooch. Remember to bring drinking water, a leash and cleanup bags.

Route 53 / Royce Rd

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If you and your pooch have some serious energy to burn, visit this neighborhood in Naperville, just 17 miles from Shorewood. The neighborhood is home to Whalon Lake, a puptastic place for a day with Fido! The Whalon Lake Preserve has a pawsome fenced-in 11.9-acre off-leash dog park with a separate area for little pups. You’ll need a permit to use the area, available as an annual or day permit from the Forest Preserve District of Will County. In the mood for a hike? Explore the .16-mile nature trail or take a jaunt down a 3.7-mile paved segment of the DuPage River Trail that meanders around the lake. You can also hop on the trail and high-tail it west to nearby DuPage River Park. Make sure your pup is leashed while on the trails and remember drinking water and cleanup bags.