We usually just “pass through” Mercer Island on our way from Seattle to the Eastside but we decided to take the dogs to the off-leash area on Mercer Island for a change of pace.
Luther Burbank Park is located at the north point of the island right off the freeway and has two parking lots. It’s 77 acres of family-friendly fun including playgrounds, tennis courts, swimming beaches, open spaces, trails, amphitheater, and of course the off-leash dog area. Here is a nifty little map of the park (click for larger version):
If you’re just there for the dog park I suggest parking in the northern lot as the off-leash area is located at the northern tip of Luther Burbank Park. We parked in the south lot (because we didn’t know better) and it was a longish walk to the off-leash area. We found it to be a lovely, pleasant walk but not everyone wants that.
The off-leash area has two sections – a large area with beach access and a smaller area for shy or small dogs.
I only got photos of the larger dog area but the entrance to the smaller dog area is right across from the large dog area entrance. It was a pretty basic space for smaller dogs, no water access.
Here is the dog park as you first enter:
Here is a look at the far end of the park and the information booth:
A small beach offers swimming access to Lake Washington for the dogs:
Grizzly was very excited to check it out:
A black lab was enjoying swimming in the lake but none of the other dogs seemed too interested in going into the water:
We didn’t spend long at this park – there wasn’t too much to do and it wasn’t a huge space for running around. It was a little chilly that day, too, so we let the dogs have some fun then packed everyone back in the car where Ranger enjoyed sticking his head out the window:
If you live on Mercer Island this is a nice little park to visit, but it’s not really a destination dog park like the Marymoor or Magnuson dog parks.
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