Kirk Park Dog Beach

Or call (616) 738-4810 or email ocparks@miottawa.org for more information.

• Monica
  Jul 2, 2023
  Time of his life!

  Such a beautiful and safe place to take my dog for his first off leash beach experience! Once you get down the Sandy steps that lead to the beach, there’s a row of sand dunes that serve as a natural fence that gives you peace of mind. The only thing to be aware of is there are certain hours for offleash time and it costs $8 for a day pass to the park.

• Audrey
  Jul 7, 2022
  Great morning beach with pup

  definitely suggest going in the morning on a weekday if possible. it was serene and peaceful, private and quiet. there were only 3 other dogs and owners in sight. plenty of shoreline to play fetch and swim in.

• Amber
  Jun 18, 2022
  No more Dog area

  sad to say that the park is only open to dogs 6-10am and no more designated dog area. the steps down to the beach are no longer there as well

• Sarah
  Aug 19, 2021
  Definitely recommend!

  Beautiful pet-friendly beach, just mind the hours regarding when dogs are allowed. It’s probably best to go in the morning. There were only a handful of dog owners when we went in the morning and the water was much more calm. During the evening hours, it was more crowded between dog owners and other visitors. This is also the largest dog beach we have visited. What a great find!

• Ann
  May 20, 2021
  Hours

  We were very disappointed when we arrived and found out the dogs are not allowed after 10 am.

• Lauren
  Aug 16, 2020
  Love this place!

  We have Been here a few times over the last few months and always have a great time.
  You can come here with your dog everyday from 7 Am- 10 am and from 7pm from 10 pm. The mornings are much quieter and it is $8 for non residents and $5 for residents. The beach is very nice although there has been some erosion so it is not very deep. Come here and enjoy a swim with your pup!

• Laura
  Aug 2, 2020
  Dog Beach Hours Change

  Due to erosion the stairs to the dog beach have been washed out, fortunately the main beach area is still accessible. The dog-friendly hours are 7-10am and 7-10pm. Dogs must be on a leash until the beach, but then are free to run, swim and play. My dog loves swimming and I love to bring him here, I’m so glad they were able to stay dog friendly!

• Jane
  May 9, 2020
  Crowded

  Kirk Park dog park is often times over run with too many dogs, owners not picking up after their dogs, and no park personnel keeping dogs and their owners off of the fragile dunes. There is no fence separating the non dog portion of the beach. Dogs run rampant on resident’s private beach properties which is a huge safety and trespassing concern. Responsibility ultimately rests on the dog owner, however, the park needs to be more vigilant with keeping park patrons within park boundaries, making sure all dogs have registration tags and generally keeping aggressive dogs out of the park. Several dogs have been injured at the park due to overcrowding, especially on holiday weekends. The park should limit the number of dogs allowed into the park to insure the safety of park patrons, dogs and private property owners.

• Marlea
  Aug 31, 2019
  Great Beach Area for Dogs

  The fee for non residents is now $8. Beach was smaller than I had imagined but was a great area to have dogs swim and play, along with their owners if they so desired. My GSD loved the beach and didn’t want to leave! The path to the beach area for dogs winds through the woods and is a beautiful trail - all 1/4 of a mile. Would love to come back and stay longer!

• Charlotte
  Aug 16, 2019
  So Much Fun!

  Lots of dogs to play with and a good amount of space to run around! My GSD loved Lake Michigan

• Yolanda
  May 27, 2019
  Perfect!

  Great space, lots of sand for the kiddos and doggies to play! We had a great time and we will def be back!

• Nora
  Sep 3, 2018
  Nice Beach

  The beach was great. A nice walk through a wooded area to get to it. The bummer was the over crowding! I can honestly say we won’t likely go back as a result. We will stick to the northern Michigan beaches where the pups have more space.

• Melissa
  More than a year ago
  Okay beach, long walk

  Took my pup to the beach for the first time and he hated it. No body was watching their dogs while we were here and there was 2 dog fights. Put me on edge with my pup and I never took him off his leash so I could control him and possibly grab him if another dog came running up to him. The fee was $7 for out of town, which was fine by me. They don’t tell you that you have to park at the parking lot and walk about a mile through the forest and then down about 30 stairs.

• Michael
  Aug 24, 2018
  Great Beach

  Great beach for dogs of all sizes. Wonderful walking trail out to the beach too!

• David
  Aug 9, 2018
  Wonderful spot

  Great doggy fun place!

• Noelia
  Jul 30, 2018
  So much fun

  Brought my Great Dane there for the day. We spent about 2 hours there and had a blast. Everyone was so nice and the beach was clean!

• Brittanni
  More than a year ago
  awesome beach!

  Very clean! Went on a Saturday and it was busy but plenty of room to have an area for our stuff. Tons of dogs for ours to play with! Really well believed dogs and people! We only spent about 3 hours there and he was out cold in the car!

• Katie
  More than a year ago
  Dog Happy Place

  Today, 6/16/18, was our first time visiting Kirk Park Dog Beach and both we and our girls had a blast! There was plenty of room for all of the dogs to run and play without it feeling crowded and it was fairly busy while we were there. The beach was clean and the other owners were paying attention to their dogs. We live about an hour and a half away and we will definitely be back!

• Jennifer
  Jun 1, 2018
  Lovely Beach!

  We have gone to this beach several times. Our dog loves it! Very clean and it is a nice size.
  There are a lot of children on the beach so please be sure to pay close attention. I saw a young girl dragging a leashed puppy into the water and a dog jumping on a kid in the water. So just make sure if you bring a child along with your fur baby you are paying very close attention to your family.

• Rick
  More than a year ago
  Not what it used to be.

  This is still a nice spot to bring your dogs to swim and wade in the lake. But the Lake Michigan water level has risen four feet since 2013. The result is a much smaller beach area than the recent past.

• Clifford & Mosey Doodles
  More than a year ago
  Off leash dog swimming!!

  We drove over 2 hours to check this beach out with our dogs - it was worth the drive!! We went on a Saturday so it was extremely crowded, I'd recommend going on a weekday if you can. This place is heaven on earth!! Only $5 for a day

• Kelly
  More than a year ago
  My dog's happy place

  I cannot believe Kirk Park is not rated 5 stars from all dog owners. My dog absolutely loves it here. During the season (Memorial Day to Labor Day) daily passes are $7. There's a large dog beach with tons of friendly dogs and owners. It can get crowded, but that makes the day more fun for our pup. I recommend this place to everyone I know!

• Hollie
  More than a year ago
  SMALL

  This is not what I expected after checking it out online. The park is beautiful but the dog beach (not so much). The off lease area was extremely small therefore extremely crowded. It would be nice if the whole Kirk Park Beach was off lease dog friendly but they only allow this in a very SMALL and CROWDED area. I wouldn't go back unless something changed.

• Miggy
  More than a year ago
  Best vacation beach!

  My parents took me on a vacation here all the way from Detroit. It was so much fun! Lots of friendly dogs and people. The water was cold and lots of waves. I loved it! Made playing catch with my tennis ball a new adventure. Plenty of room to play on a weekday. $7 daily pass was well worth it. I hope to vacation here again next year.
  

• Ron
  More than a year ago
  Not 600 Ft of Beach!

  We drove 150 miles to Kirk Park for the day expecting to spend a wonderful day at the west side of Lake Michigan with our small dog on their advertised 600 feet of beach area for dogs. Prior to going on this adventure I looked on Google Earth and saw what appeared to be the dog area with two fences separating the area where dogs could be off leash and go in the water and used Google's measuring tool which showed a 365 foot area between what appeared to be the dog area.

  When we arrived we were directed by the park representative to the designated area of the beach for dogs which is a short walk (approx. .25mile) form the parking lot. What we found was an area that appeared much smaller then the 600 ft. with many dogs off leash and a lot of people in a crammed in area there to enjoy the beautiful sandy beach with their dogs.

  I did walk off the area between the two fences and presently (7/19/14) this dog area that is advertised by the park is about 365 feet, NOT 600 feet!

  When leaving the park I did inquire with the park representative about the 600 feet and she said that the past winter did cause some issues and the dog area had to be reduced.

  This is a vey nice park but 600ft to 365ft is a major issue when you have dogs.

• Cristy
  More than a year ago
  great beach!!

  My dog,Hansel, and I found this beach last summer and we love it! We go fairly often. It is very clean and there is lots of space for dogs to run around and socialize with other dogs! All of the dog owners are very friendly too!!
  

We dug up 17 pictures of dogs at Kirk Park Dog Beach.

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