East Branch Forest Preserve Dog Off-Leash Area

Stopped by when at the mall one day back in March. Had the dog in the car because of his separation anxiety so needed to let him get out and run around after being in the car an hour. Not a resident so had to ignore the big huge sign that says you need a permit… besides you should be able to check out an open space before paying for a yearly permit, hence one star off. I did feel guilty for a few seconds… Anyway, I did find it pretty nice. I don’t live close enough to justify buying a permit as finally my dog is doing OK with staying home (man glad that’s over) and so I doubt I’ll be out that way with him in tow anymore. …but I would definitely recommend it to others. Dog parks usually are square areas of gravel inside a fence. It’s nice to have a natural space just for dogs! Residents with dogs should feel lucky, not every town or even every county has one. And we only saw 3 other dogs and they were «nice» breeds not ones you have to wonder about… you know exactly what I mean. I’ve had enough issues at dog parks with so-​called friendly dogs whose owners should know better but don’t.

This review would have different star ratings for different components, so I’ll just go with the 4.
Large grassy fields with space for your pooches to torment each other, water for the swimmers, and various paths to match whatever your desired length of walk is. This used to be a come-​one-​come-​all place but now you need to get a permit, which is stupid because we already pay for the land with our taxes. But they have their «reasons»…
If you want to go for longer walk that takes you along the perimeter of the land, caution, there is a water crossing (though not very deep and narrow) so wear boots. There used to be makeshift bridges there years ago but the park district decided to discourage use of that back portion so the birds could have a quieter habitat. Damn tax-​paying birds, because they felt so bothered –_​–
At any rate, the dogs love it here and it is a decent walk. Just don’t risk going without a permit, the forest preserve police are frequently here and have no mercy.

This is a case of life’s losers and the government (is that repetitive?) ruining a great place. This USED TO BE awesome. Ponds… fields for short walks… a route for a much longer walk around the whole property… something for everyone. But then the Forest Preserve people started destroying the makeshift bridges that people would put up to more easily cross the water in some places and then it came… they barred entrance to the longer walk. Apparently someone decided that the privacy of birds, who were perfectly happy to nest in an area that was forever overrun with off-​leash dogs and people, was more important than the citizens having the full use of THEIR property. Then there came the concern over loser types who would bring fighting dogs to the park. The genius solution was to impose an annoying permit process and FEE on the people who already paid taxes to make the park possible. WHAT? Forget your permit card and that’s a heck of a ticket. I saw one reviewer mention that they never saw enforcement there but I pass the park all of the time. They are constantly there. Favorite trick is to wait for your return from a walk to ask for your permit. The fine that is supposedly to keep out the bad actors is imposed on us locals. Nice. I did the permit for one year before I lost interest and moved on to the Great Western Trail down the road.

I stopped by this little forest preserve/​park on my way to work today in hopes of finding a new outdoorsy spot for my occasional morning walks. I knew that it was a popular spot for dogs to be off-​leash, but from a map, it seemed like there was plenty of forest for walking. While the trails, meadows, water, and ameneties seem to be good for dogs and their owners, I wasn’t really impressed. To me, it was just a couple trails through some grassy meadows around a lake. Not that exciting. Oh well.
Just a note: dog owners need a permit to be here. I didn’t see the dog police checking on people, but I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry.
I’m glad there’s a place for the dogs, this just isn’t the place for me.
(You can find the permit form and more information here:
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OK, feel free to read my very in-​depth earlier review. I am taking two stars away because of the fact that I personally know of 6 cases of the fatal, fungal-​borne canine disease blastomycosis that have come out of this place. Read up on it. It’s heartbreaking, expensive, and awful things come out of it. Even the area vets I’ve spoken to ask their clients if they’ve been to East Branch when a dog gets diagnosed with blasto. My dog does not have it, but I’m starting to go here less and less often. Too bad, because I really like the park. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this, though.

This place is awesome for dogs. It’s huge and there are tons of trails and ponds with beaches. I love the place but sometimes have a problem with the people. For the most part, the dog owners who are there are very friendly and understand that they are probably going to get dirty. However, some people seem to not realize that this is a dog park. Recently I’ve seen some people here who don’t have a dog which is fine but I just wish they would realize where they are and not get scared or give us dirty looks when our dog runs up to greet them. I saw a woman here with two very small children who could easily be knocked down by the big dogs that dominate this place. Why?! What are you thinking bringing little kids here? And they didn’t even have a dog, it’s so annoying! There was also a very elderly woman walking on the trail who was absolutely terrified of our dog. Luckily we had her on the leash when we passed this woman because she was dressed in a nice skirt and shirt and would have probably been very upset and maybe even knocked off of her feet by a jump from our wet, muddy puppy. Go somewhere else! Hello! Are you out looking for a lawsuit? Also, The last time we were here we crossed paths with two teenage girls who were all dressed up and going for a walk. We have a lab puppy who loves to swim and jump in the mud. Our puppy ran up to these girls to say hi and the girls started screaming. This of course got our puppy even more excited and she started to jump on them so then they screamed even more and then she got more excited and it was just an annoying mess. If you’re scared of dogs please don’t come here! We paid for the permit to come to this spot to get away from people like that! Also, don’t wear anything that you don’t want to get wet and muddy. Dogs will brush up against you and jump on you after they have been in the water and mud, it’s an off leash dog park and that is to be expected!
So overall this place is a great place to bring your DOG, just not so good for kids, elderly, fashionistas and those afraid of dogs (duh). There are plenty of free forest preserves for people to enjoy, at this one, dog owners have paid to be here so can we please just have this ONE for the DOGS?!

My little guy loves this place, but always brings home ticks from here. Ick! There’s lots of places to run and play, and it’s great to bring him home exhausted. A tired dog is a well-​behaved dog, of course.
I’d love it if they established a fenced-​in area for little dogs to play together.

We have 4 big dogs — 2 labradoodles, one golden doodle and a golden. They loooove this park. We spend an hour here at least once a week. They run from pond to pond. excellent place for dog people as well. Everyone is friendly and its all about the dogs!!!

I brought my two dogs here yesterday; their experience was amazing! I have two pit-​bulls named Pedro and Volt. Pedro, an experienced swimmer, had the time of his life in all the water. Additionally, Volt learned how to swim watching all the other dogs! My dogs had soooo much fun! This place is GREAT!
This was our first time here but, from my observations, I could tell that the park is well maintained. The park is huge; there is water, open grass, and trails every where! There is so much for your dogs to do and lots of nice doggie friends for them to meet. Also, the regulars at the park are super friendly! They offered to have my dogs and I hike with them and gave us some great pointers.
Over all, we had a wonderful time and I would recommend this park to anybody looking for a great place to take their dogs. Remember, you need a permit and to wear proper cloths and shoes… Chances are you will get a little muddy.