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Montrose Dog Beach

The Montrose Dog Beach is Chicago's first legal off-leash beach. Located on the Northwest corner of Montrose Beach, this area is fenced and offers free dog waste bags and a dog-wash area. Montrose Dog Beach is open during all regular Chicago Park District hours, but morning hours are the most popular. DFA tags are required for all dogs. Visit Website

Or call (312) 742-7529 or email info@mondog.org for more information.

Reviews

BringFido Guest Rating

Montrose Dog Beach has received a rating of 4.5 out of 5 bones by 19 canine critics on BringFido.


Visitors generally praise Montrose Dog Beach as a spacious, well-maintained area where dogs can play freely and safely. They highlight the clean beach, ample space, and friendly atmosphere, though some note it can get crowded on busy days. Some travelers caution that inattentive owners and aggressive dogs can occasionally be an issue.

AI-generated from the text of reviews

  • Lori
    Dec 30, 2022
    Best Dog Beach! can get busy

    we take our pups at least once a week! it’s our absolute favorite thing to do in Chicago. You wouldn’t know you aren’t at the ocean many days! In the summer, we ride our bikes over with the dogs in our riding basket, hang at the beach with them for a few hours and then head down the beach to The Dock which is an awesome dog friendly beach bar and restaurant at the other end of Montrose Beach. In the months before Memorial Day and after Labor Day it’s quite wonderful too and not nearly as crowded (parking is also better in non peak months) In the summer it can get insanely busy on the early evenings and weekends. This should probably go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway

  • Leah
    Aug 14, 2022
    Fun Unleashed Spot

    there is a fairly large fenced in area for dogs. can be off leash, which went surprisingly well for us. there is a lifeguard around, don’t go in the water when there are red flags up at the beach to the east. giving 5 stars for the beach but would’ve been even better if the dog wash area was open that also has a water vending machine

  • Neena
    Aug 13, 2022
    Wonderful Experience

    Our dog Noelle loved this dog beach. We were visiting from out of town and found this on BringFido. We decided to drive the 40 minutes to it and was worth every minute. Clean beach, respectful and responsible dog owners, great water depth for the dog, and beautiful sand.

  • Sammy
    Aug 27, 2021
    Love Montrose Dog Beach

    We recently moved to the area and went to try out the dog beach. We've been twice so far and love it! It's a huge area and well maintained. Lots of dogs there, but plenty of room for my little dog to go off and wander by himself. There were lots of dogs there and it was a great experience.

  • Salome
    Jul 12, 2021
    Doggy Heaven

    We were visiting Chicago with out furry kids and wanted to take them here as we had heard so much about it. Since it was July 4th weekend, it was crazy busy with absolutely no parking. But once we found our spots and reached the beach, it was all so worth it. The water was great, clean. There were so many dogs running around. There was a lifeguard and also waste bags. Since it was fenced, it was super easy to let them off leash. Friendly crowd, friendlier doggies, everyone had a good time. The icing on the cake was the wash area that you could take your pets to and give them a bath after the beach for just $15. Literally they had thought of everything. would definitely recommend if you are in the Chicago area. Never been to such a well managed dog beach/park and we have visited quite a few.

  • Haden
    Apr 21, 2019
    Really Great Dog Beach For All Dogs

    There was really good treatment for all types of dogs there was a pit bull there and many other breeds the water is great and it’s a big amount of space!

  • Kayla
    More than a year ago
    Pawfect Beach

    This was the best dog friendly place I have ever visited! I highly recommend this dog beach to anyone who's dog love water! My retrievers go crazy for water so this was the pawfect place!

  • Nikki
    More than a year ago
    Great on quiet days

    This is my dog and I's favorite place in the city. That being said, I have a small dog that explores, occasionally plays with other littles his size, and stays out of the way of the big packs of players. However, I would really struggle on whether to bring my dog here if they were bigger, toy obsessed, or a hard/physical player. Almost every time that I am here I see a fight between dogs that could have been avoided if the owners were paying attention and diverting their dogs when things get too rough. Dogs that are possessive of toys or owners should not be here. Neither should non neutered dogs that hump and cause fights. I have not once seen anyone enforcing the rules therefore leaving it up to the patrons to ask someone to leave if they have an unfriendly pup (which rarely works).

  • Coco
    More than a year ago
    Ignorant

    I have never written a review but feel compelled to do so now. I went to the park with my Pittbull today for the first time and I have never been so disappointed with how people were treating my Coco because of her bread. She is the friendliest, loving dog you will ever meet. People were taking their dogs away from her when she tried to play with them. There were people upset that she wanted to play with their balls. I even had people run and take ahold of their kids when they saw her coming. There were tons of people with dogs off leash and we were given appalling looks because she was not leashed. People are ignorant and should do their research before putting a stigma on someone's dog because of the ignorance they see in the media. I will not be going back to Montrose dog beach.

  • Sarah
    More than a year ago
    Not ideal for greyhounds; inattentive owners

    I want to like this beach as it's so close to me. Unfortunately, my experience going there twice has made me decide to not go back. First, the positives: double gates, enclosed area (at least partially, the dogs can slip past the fence on the beach), lots of space to run and enjoy the water on a warm days. The negative: can get EXTREMELY crowded, which also means people not paying adequate attention to their dogs. My grey joined a group that was running and chasing a ball, and what do you know, they all started chasing him. Not a problem. He started heading my way and another smaller (i.e., yappy-dog) followed him, growling and barking the entire time. My docile grey barked back a few times, clearly irritated. I was concerned by the fact that this dog was clearly acting aggressively towards mine, so I was in the process of leashing mine up and the other dog snapped/lunged at me. The owners, who were nearby, heard me shout "NO! Bad dog" and hustle mine away. They said, "its fine. He wasn't going to do anything." I'm not taking that chance again and in the interest of my own sanity and safety of my pup, will never return.

  • Mary
    More than a year ago
    Dogs had a blast!!

    Brought my two year old labs for their first water and large area off-leash experience. They had a blast!!!! Lots of running on the beach, lots of hopping in the water, dogs all played well together, people were all great. This was the best day at the best place. A bit far to go for us but yet so worth the travel time. Beautiful, fun, perfect.

  • Theresa & Inuki
    More than a year ago
    Dog Heaven

    Pope said dogs go to heaven and this is heaven on earth for dogs. When I travel coming back into town with inuki (dog) she can smell the beach and gets so excited just smelling the lake breeze.

  • Mimi
    More than a year ago
    Huge, beautiful beach!

    The beach is very large with lots of room to chase other dogs. There sand is great, and they provide poop bags. Parking is not too expensive and usually not a problem. This beach can compete with the best of them so come here and have a good time!

  • Ky G
    More than a year ago
    The ONLY reason i lasted in Chicago so long

    If only more communities made space available as Chicago clearly has. It is the ONLY reason I lasted as long as I did in chitown. Dog beachs, dog parks, grt dog communities, dog events..endless list. This beach in particular is incredible. Cleaner than any "people beach" we encountered. Everytone picks up after their dogs and when they don't, others will or will notify the owner of said dog. NOTE: you MUST keep an eye on your dog. To many folks do not and there have been problems with unattended dogs yapping at larger dogs heels_that is a set up for a reprimand from the larger dog. Stay off your cell phone and enjoy the time with your dog. Even winter is a wonder on this shore. yes, it is a MUST!!

  • Skylair
    More than a year ago
    Great Place for Dogs!

    This is a great place for both dog and human. Fun, clean beach to let your dog socialize and play. Your dog will get to play while you get a tan!

  • Buster
    More than a year ago
    Dog Heaven!

    The beach was clean, the dogs were friendly, and the water was great! Wish I lived here...

  • Bianca
    More than a year ago
    Nice

    Awesome beach! There's always so many dogs there even when its 20 degrees in the winter! It's not all the way fenced in, which is what I was worried about because I have a puppy, however I've never seen any dogs want to run off.

  • Jaiya
    More than a year ago
    This is an amazing dog beach!

    This is truly a special place in Chicago - it's a HUGE swath of beach that is fenced in and the dog owners are friendly. Dogs love playing in the waves - there are dogs fetching sticks and hopping in and out of the water. It's a lively and very multicultural scene in that area as well.

    If you're in the Chicago area and have a dog, this beach is a MUST!

  • Henry
    More than a year ago
    Great Beach!

    Great beach and great dogs! It one of the largest dog parks in the city, and it can attract some large crowds on sunny summer weekends.

    I had a problem once here with a pair of aggressive dogs. The owners were just watching from their car rather than physically being on the beach with their pets. I called 311 and officers arrived shortly after.

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Area Info

Montrose Dog Beach