The 12 Best Off-Leash Dog Parks in Ottawa
From the famous NCC Greenbelt "pits" to small fenced city enclosures, here are Ottawa's best places to let your dog run free — with fencing, hours and a map for every one.
Ottawa runs two parallel off-leash systems, and knowing the difference matters. The City of Ottawa gives each park a designation under its Dogs-in-Parks Designation Policy — off-leash ("Dogs allowed," as long as your dog stays under control), "Dogs on leash," "No dogs," or mixed rules that vary by area or time of day — and under the Animal Care and Control By-law (No. 2003-077), a park with no designation means dogs on leash. A handful of city off-leash areas are true fenced enclosures, several of them double-gated (Jack Purcell, Sylvia Holden, Riverain, Big Bird and Shefford), but most are simply open fields. Separately, the National Capital Commission (NCC) operates the two most beloved off-leash destinations in the Greenbelt — Bruce Pit and Conroy Pit — where dogs run free year-round on woodland trails. City-wide rules apply everywhere: leashes can be no longer than three metres (two metres on NCC land, where pets must also stay at least three metres from any shoreline), dogs must stay at least five metres from children's play structures, wading pools and spray pads, and must be leashed in any park not designated off-leash, including NCC parking lots. The list below leads with the most notable spots and flags fencing and hours for each.
Bruce Pit
Ottawa's most popular dog destination — an NCC off-leash area in the Greenbelt with a 3.2 km looped trail through mixed woodland and open grassland. It's a large natural area, not a full enclosure: there's no fence along the parking lot, so most owners leash up on the way in and out, and weekend mornings can draw 20-50 dogs.
Conroy Pit
A former sand pit on Conroy Road south of Hunt Club, now an NCC off-leash area with about 5 km of trails through dense forest plus a large pond — but NCC rules keep pets at least three metres from any shoreline on its land, so it isn't a swim spot. Quieter and more spacious than Bruce Pit, and completely unfenced, so solid recall is a must.
Jack Purcell Park
The downtown core's fenced off-leash area — a small, popular enclosure on Jack Purcell Lane. Dogs can run off-leash inside the fence and must be leashed in the rest of the park.
Brewer Park
A central off-leash zone south of the berm at Brewer Park, with the path from Cameron Street leading down to the Rideau River and a shallow pond — a favourite for water-loving dogs. Dogs aren't allowed in the rest of the park, and the zone is unfenced and close to Bronson Avenue, so keep an eye on traffic-side recall.
Sylvia Holden Park
A fully fenced, double-gated off-leash area in the Glebe (corner of O'Connor Street and Holmwood Avenue), with water bowls — a reliable choice for in-the-neighbourhood play without driving to the Greenbelt. Dogs must be leashed in the rest of the park.
Riverain Park
A fully fenced, double-gated off-leash area at 400 North River Road in the east end, beside the Rideau River and connected to the city's riverside pathway system. A convenient enclosed space, though there's no on-site water, parking or waste bags.
Big Bird Park
A fully fenced city dog area inside a roughly 2.9-hectare park at 936 Lawnsberry Drive in the Orléans/Cumberland area. Off-leash inside the fence; on-leash in the rest of the park.
Beryl Gaffney Park
A large (about 41-hectare) unfenced off-leash park of pasture and woodland along the Rideau River, with flat, well-kept trails and river access for a summer dip. A proposed fenced enclosure was dropped, so the whole designated area stays open off-leash.
Shefford Sports Park
A fully fenced off-leash dog area within a sports complex on Shefford Road in Gloucester, with nearby free parking and seating — an enclosed, secure run in the east end.
McNabb Park
A fenced baseball diamond that doubles as a secure off-leash space within walking distance of Centretown and the Glebe — small but handy, with weekday daytime restrictions to work around.
Bordeleau Park
A small downtown off-leash park in Lowertown on Bruyère Street, right on the Rideau River, where dogs can wade and cool off. Unfenced and central — a handy spot for downtown-east dogs.
Dutchie's Hole Park
A central, unfenced off-leash park on Mann Avenue in Sandy Hill with direct Rideau River access — a quieter spot for a riverside walk and a swim close to downtown.
Find your next park on the map
Off Leash is a free app that maps dog parks across Ottawa — filter for fenced parks and see which dogs are there right now before you head out.
Off-leash, answered
Where can I take my dog off-leash in Ottawa?
Ottawa has two systems. The City of Ottawa designates parks one by one: in off-leash parks dogs can run as long as they stay under voice control, a handful of off-leash areas are fully fenced enclosures (Jack Purcell, Sylvia Holden, Riverain, Big Bird and Shefford, plus McNabb's fenced diamond), and any park without a designation is on-leash. Separately, the National Capital Commission runs the two big Greenbelt favourites — Bruce Pit and Conroy Pit — off-leash year-round. Always check park signage or the City's dogs-in-parks designation list, since designations vary park by park.
Which Ottawa dog parks are fully fenced?
Fully fenced city off-leash areas — most with double gates — include Jack Purcell Park (Centretown), Sylvia Holden Park (the Glebe), Riverain Park (Vanier), Big Bird Park (Orléans/Cumberland) and Shefford Sports Park (Gloucester), plus McNabb Park's fenced baseball diamond (no dogs 8:30am-4:30pm weekdays). The Greenbelt 'pits' are large natural areas, not full enclosures — Bruce Pit is unfenced along the parking lot, and Conroy Pit is unfenced — so good recall matters there.
What are Ottawa's off-leash dog rules?
Under the City's Animal Care and Control By-law (No. 2003-077) and the Dogs-in-Parks Designation Policy, dogs must be leashed (a leash no longer than three metres) and under control everywhere except private property and designated off-leash areas. Even where off-leash, dogs must stay in sight and under voice control, and they must always stay at least five metres from children's play structures, wading pools and spray pads. On NCC land such as Bruce Pit and Conroy Pit, leashes max out at two metres, you may bring no more than two dogs at a time, pets must stay at least three metres from any shoreline, and dogs must be leashed everywhere outside the designated off-leash zone, including the parking lots.
Where can my dog swim off-leash in Ottawa?
Beryl Gaffney Park, Brewer Park, Bordeleau Park and Dutchie's Hole Park — all City parks — offer Rideau River access for a summer dip, and Brewer also has a shallow pond. Skip the water at the NCC's Greenbelt pits: NCC rules keep pets at least three metres from any shoreline on its land, which rules out Conroy Pit's pond. These are unfenced areas, so make sure your dog's recall is solid — and at Brewer Park keep an eye out near Bronson Avenue.
Last updated October 2026. Spotted an error, a closure, or a spot we missed? Let us know — we keep the map current.