Los Gatos Creek Dog Park

Los Gatos Creek runs through several cities and towns in the southern San Francisco Bay Area before meeting the Guadalupe River and ultimately ending at the Pacific Ocean. The cities of San Jose, Campbell, Los Gatos, and the county of Santa Clara together administer the Los Gatos Creek Park, which runs along the banks of Los Gatos Creek. There are miles of paved biking and walking trails, many picnic areas, a few playgrounds, and a dog park.

The Los Gatos Creek Dog Park is actually paved in a kind of astroturf called K9 Grass. It is a fake grass that has a knitted structure which allows it to drain water and urine. The turf is clean, durable and easy to maintain. As an added plus, the dog park does not turn into a mud hole during the rainy season. There is a separate enclosure for small dogs, and there are plenty of benches and poop bags, and even metal pooper scoopers. In the big dog enclosure, there is a small wading pool for the pups. There's plenty of water at the park, and plenty of shade.

Dogs are allowed outside of the fenced-in area, provided they are leashed. And you will want to make sure your dogs are properly leashed, because the dog park is located between two duck ponds. While ducks can be fun to watch and feed, they aren't necessarily a good match with an excited dog.

Access to the Los Gatos Creek Dog Park is free, but there is a $5 fee for parking. You can choose to park in the neighborhood, or, alternately, there is a pedestrian bridge over the highway that leads directly to the park. The park is open six days a week from 8 AM until sunset. The park is closed for maintenance until 11 AM on Tuesdays.