OFF-LEASH EXERCISE AND RECREATION ARE CRUCIAL TO A DOG’S WELL-BEING – AND POSSIBLY YOUR OWN SANITY AS WELL. HERE ARE SOME OFF-LEASH AREAS THAT YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY SHARE WITH YOUR DOG:

Ft. Funston
Skyline Blvd. (at John Muir Dr.)
Not quite in the Northside, but it’s Mecca for San Francisco dogs. Fort Funston is located south of Ocean Beach, and can only be reached by driving south on Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35). Go past the traffic light at John Muir Boulevard and up the hill. You’ll see a small sign on the right, near the top of the hill. If you get to John Daly Boulevard, you’ve gone too far! The upper parking lot is open from sunrise to sunset, but if you park in the smaller lot near John Muir, you can always hike in over the hill. Approximately 12 acres. www.fortfunstondog.org

Crissy Field
The Presidio
Regarded as one of the most scenic spots in the U.S., Crissy Field has long been a staple for dog enthusiasts. Off-leash areas include beaches along the waterline and the large, grassy landing field. The west beach nearest to Fort Point is now on-leash. www.crissyfielddog.org

West Pacific Avenue
The Presidio
Dogs may be off leash under voice control along the corridor adjoining West Pacific Avenue from the Broadway Street entrance to the 14th Avenue gate (basically, from the Presidio Gate past Mountain Lake Park). Dogs must be on leash in the forest and fields east of Lovers Lane and north of the Ecology Trail. This is one of the only trail-experience off-leash areas remaining in the Presidio, but it is adjacent to roads.

Mountain Lake Park & DPA (Dog Play Area)
8th Ave. at Lake
This is a beautiful park with a dedicated community of users. The designated DPA is at the east end of park, north of Lake Street, at 8th Avenue. It is unfenced, but away from the roads, and separated from the rest of the park by hedges. Beware: parking is difficult here if you plan to make a journey to this locale. 0.4 acres

Alta Plaza Park and DPA
Clay and Steiner Sts.
Enter at Clay and Steiner Streets, and the off-leash area is the tiered section between Steiner and Scott Streets. This Pacific Heights park takes up four square blocks and has great views of the city from the top of the park. The legal off-leash area is well marked with paint on the pathways, but is confusing because the most frequented, popular and widely used area is not necessarily within the legal DPA. 0.5 acres

Lafayette Park & DPA
Sacramento and Gough Sts.
The legal off-leash area in this mountainous park is quite small, and is located on a slope adjacent to busy Sacramento Street. This is a large city park with hills, many trees, and the rest of the park is still a great place for walking on-leash. 1.1 acres

Alamo Square Park & DPA
Fulton and Pierce Sts.
Dogs may be off leash under voice control in the western half of this park, in the area bordered by Scott, Hayes, Pierce and Fulton Streets. The eastern half of the park is on-leash. The park can be windy in the afternoons and evenings, but it gets lots of use, as it is one of the largest legal off-leash areas in San Francisco.

Golden Gate Park has four DPAs:
Northwest: North-central area near 38th Avenue and Fulton. This is a fenced-in exercise area. 1.4 acres
Northeast: Northeast section at Fulton and Willard Streets, in the parks Natural Area (located near USF). 0.2 acres
Southeast: Southeast section bounded by Lincoln Way, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, and 5th and 7th Avenues. 2.6 acres near Natural Area
Southwest: South-central area bounded by Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Middle Drive, and 34th and 38th Avenues. 4.4 acres

THIS LIST WAS COMPILED FROM INFORMATION PROVIDED BY SF/SPCA AND SFDOG. TO STAY ABREAST OF THE LATEST NEWS ON OFF-LEASH RECREATION, VISIT WWW.SFDOG.ORG REGULARLY. YOU CAN ALSO GET A MAP OF ALL OF THE EXISTING DPAS IN THE CITY FROM THE S.F. RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT AT WWW.SFGOV.ORG/SITE/RECPARK_PAGE.ASP?ID=2180.