Rogers Ave Park & Beach

This is NOT a dog park! This is a regular city park that happens to be on the lake. People with dogs live here and use it with their dogs, but honestly if you do t live within a few blocks, we do not want you here, period.

I come here often simply because it’s close to my house. It’s a decent size park with tennis courts & a small, rocky beach.
The reason I cannot give this more than one star is the fact that a lot of people come here and let their dogs run loose. This wouldn’t be a huge problem if the dogs were well trained & respectful of other attendees but they’re not. My dog doesn’t care for butt sniffing and we have been charged by raucous dogs more than once. If your dog won’t come back to you when you call his name once or four times, it’s a solid indicator that the dog cannot be off leash in a public place. I come here with my older mom & dog often. She was nipped in the ankle by some awfully behaved mutt which should not be allowed to run free publicly. THIS IS NOT A DOG PARK. There is no designated, enclosed off leash area. Again, this isn’t a dog park! It’s a park where you can walk your dog, but not let it off lead.
There are four or five signs posted that dogs SHOULD NOT BE OFF LEASH at this park yet no one adheres to these posted rules. There are even single signs posted specifically about the dog issue so the excuse of «I didn’t know because I didn’t read the long list of park rules «does not apply! I would feel more comfortable if the lifeguards/​Chicago Park District employees would enforce these clearly posted rules. If you want to go to a real dog park, there’s one less than a mile away.
Also, the tennis courts have TWO signs on the gate that no dogs are allowed on the tennis courts and no dogs are allowed to run at large. And what do the people do? They put the dogs inside the tennis courts and let them run free. This is half as bad the cretins who let their dogs run free outside the tennis courts, but still frowned upon — especially with the extensive signage.
I wish people were less selfish and abided by the extensively posted rules. There’s no way you can miss any of the signs. That way this place could be a safe environment for everyone. It’s a shame because the view is nice & the sound of waves crashing very tranquil. I have sat on the edge of the beach with my dog and we were charged from behind by some dog who obviously doesn’t know what personal space is. I don’t want to blame the dog because it’s 100% the owner’s fault for letting the dog off his leash & not having the dog trained in recall.

The beach Nazis have tined down their rhetoric, so you don’t have wrestle with the «sir, you need to stand ankle deep in water in front of the boat crap» that they were pitching a few years ago.
The only real problem now is a tendency in the user community to let leave trash behind and not chase their stuff when the wind blows it. Perhaps we could get rid of a few more life guards and use the savings to fund signs that tell people to pick up their crap.

So much negativity about the lifeguards, but no need to take it out on this quaint little gem of a park. The park itself it tucked away on a quiet street where everyone seems to know their neighbors. The beach area is tiny, but there is a nice grassy area to lay out on and read a book, nap, or just sit and watch the world go by. There is a tennis court that appeared to be well maintained.

I thought I had discovered a hidden gem in Rogers Park… The northern-​most beach in Rogers Park had it all! It was very quiet, just a few people in the water, nice shade trees… I thought I had found my new super-​secret beach.
Then the lifeguards showed up. The lifeguards will not let you come out more than maybe 20 feet or so into the water. Unfortunately, there is a sand bar, making you only able to go out to your waist.
I had been in the water for about 40 minutes when the lifeguard showed up. She yelled that I was out too far. As I had been treading water when she arrived, I stood up to let her see that the water was actually waste deep, but I had just been crouched down in the water. This didn’t matter. She yelled at me to get on the other side of the boat. I obliged and continued to relax in the water. In the next five or so minutes, she had been slowly rowing closer to the shore, and then again yelled at me to get on the other side of the boat… I was still in the exact same spot, as my feet were touching the bottom and I hadn’t moved! After getting yelled at and treated like a child for being in waste-​deep water, I got out.
I left the beach with a bad taste in my mouth, and it wasn’t from the E Coli.

The beach itself is a bit rocky for my taste, but the park is tranquil and idyllic. It’s Dog Central most mornings.