The 10 Best Off-Leash Dog Parks in San Francisco
From the dunes and bluffs of Fort Funston to fenced runs in Golden Gate Park and Russian Hill — the best places to unclip in San Francisco, with the details lists skip: who makes the rules, which spots are fenced, and when the beaches switch to leash-only.
Off-leash dog walking in San Francisco runs under two separate rulebooks. The city's Recreation and Park Department designates Dog Play Areas (DPAs) inside its parks; the Health Code requires dogs to be leashed everywhere else, and most DPAs are open 5 a.m. to midnight, with a few running shorter posted hours. Rec and Park asks walkers to keep to eight dogs at most. The big ocean-side spaces — Fort Funston, Ocean Beach, Crissy Field, Baker Beach and Lands End — belong to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, run by the National Park Service, where dogs can go off-leash only under "voice control": your dog stays within sight and earshot and comes back to the leash the moment you call. Two of those beaches carry a seasonal rule to protect the threatened western snowy plover: from July 1 to May 15, dogs must be on a six-foot leash at the west end of Crissy Field's beach and on Ocean Beach between Stairwell 21 and Sloat Boulevard. Fort Funston and Lands End close an hour after sunset until 6 a.m. Almost none of the coastal spots are fenced, and fog, cold surf and high bluffs are all part of the deal, so recall matters more here than in most cities. Here are the best spots, best first.
Fort Funston
San Francisco's most famous dog walk: sandy trails, dunes and open space on top of 200-foot bluffs, with a steep, strenuous trail down to the beach. Dogs can be off-leash under voice control everywhere except a 12-acre closure in the northwest corner, the fenced habitat protection area and a stretch of Coastal Trail closed by erosion. Keep dogs well back from the cliff edge — the Park Service warns owners never to climb after a dog stuck on the bluffs.
Crissy Field
A bayside beach and grassy former airfield with straight-on views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Most of the beach and the airfield are voice-control areas, but picnic areas stay leashed, the tidal marsh and lagoon are closed to dogs, and the west end of the beach — the Wildlife Protection Area from Torpedo Wharf to about 700 feet east of the former Coast Guard station — is on-leash from July 1 to May 15.
Ocean Beach
The city's long, wide Pacific beach, where dogs can run under voice control north of Stairwell 21 all year. South of Stairwell 21 to Sloat Boulevard is the Snowy Plover Protection Area, on a six-foot leash from July 1 to May 15. The water is frigid and the currents dangerous, so let dogs paddle at the edge, not swim out.
McLaren Park
Rec and Park calls McLaren's dog play areas among the largest in the city: big fields and wooded trails, with most of the land inside the John F. Shelley Drive loop open for off-leash exploring and a second area near Geneva Avenue. Dogs must be leashed near playgrounds and picnic areas, at the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater during events, and on-trail in the sensitive habitat south of the amphitheater.
Bernal Heights Park
A former quarry turned large natural area on the hill above Bernal Heights, with more than 35 acres of grass and hilly trails across the top of Bernal Hill and wide views over the city. It is open hillside rather than an enclosure, so recall matters.
Golden Gate Park Dog Training Area
Billed by Rec and Park as the city's largest fenced dog park, this sandy enclosure off Fulton Street in the northwest corner of Golden Gate Park reopened in 2021 after a $2.4 million rebuild. A five-foot fence surrounds the main area and a four-foot fence a smaller separate section for small dogs, with boulders and eucalyptus logs to climb, a pet drinking fountain and picnic tables.
Baker Beach
A sandy Pacific beach facing the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands, with a sheltered picnic area and restrooms nearby. Dogs can be under voice control on the beach north of Lobos Creek; Lobos Creek itself, Marshall Beach and the Batteries to Bluffs Trail are closed to dogs. Powerful rip currents and shore break make it a beach for running, not swimming.
Mission Dolores Park
Two off-leash Dog Play Areas in the city's busiest park: one along the Dolores Street slope and one just north of the playground, both on the open lawn rather than in enclosed runs. Dogs must be leashed near the athletic fields, the playground and the tennis courts, which are close by on every side.
Walter Haas Dog Play Area
An enclosed dog play area at the top of a hill in residential Diamond Heights, with boulders for agile dogs to climb and room for bigger dogs to run. It is one of only a handful of enclosed off-leash spaces in the city.
Francisco Park
A Russian Hill park bordered by Bay, Francisco, Larkin and Hyde Streets, with a fenced-in dog run, Pepi's Dog Park, on the Bay Street side. Local guides note turf, benches and water fountains, and the rest of the 4.5-acre park has a big lawn, public restrooms and bay views.
Find your next park on the map
Off Leash is a free app that maps dog parks across San Francisco — 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 San Francisco?
Only in designated areas. On city land, Rec and Park runs more than 30 Dog Play Areas inside its parks, including big ones at McLaren Park, Bernal Heights and Mission Dolores Park, and fenced runs in Golden Gate Park, Diamond Heights and Russian Hill; everywhere else the Health Code requires a leash. On the federal land along the coast, the National Park Service allows voice-control dog walking at Fort Funston, Ocean Beach, Crissy Field, Baker Beach north of Lobos Creek, Lands End and Fort Miley. The 10 spots in this guide are the best of them, and the Off Leash app maps dog parks across San Francisco and shows which dogs are there right now.
Which San Francisco beaches allow off-leash dogs?
All of the city's off-leash beaches are in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Fort Funston and Baker Beach (north of Lobos Creek) allow voice-control dogs year-round. Ocean Beach is voice control north of Stairwell 21 all year, but from Stairwell 21 south to Sloat Boulevard dogs must be on a six-foot leash from July 1 to May 15 to protect the snowy plover. Crissy Field works the same way: most of the beach is voice control, but the Wildlife Protection Area at the west end is on-leash from July 1 to May 15. China Beach is closed to dogs. The surf is cold and rough at all the ocean beaches, so keep swimmers close to shore.
Which dog parks in San Francisco are fenced?
Most San Francisco off-leash areas are open grass, hillside or beach, so fenced options are worth knowing. The Golden Gate Park Dog Training Area off Fulton Street is the largest, with a separate smaller section inside its own fence. Walter Haas in Diamond Heights is an enclosed dog play area, Francisco Park in Russian Hill has a fenced dog run on Bay Street, Buena Vista Park has an enclosed dog play area, and the compact U.N. Plaza Dog Park in Civic Center is fully fenced with turf and agility features. None of the federal beaches or bluffs are fenced.
What are the off-leash hours and rules in San Francisco?
Most city Dog Play Areas are open 5 a.m. to midnight, but some post shorter hours. Upper Douglass, for example, is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closed on Wednesdays, and U.N. Plaza keeps daytime-only hours. Rec and Park asks walkers to keep to eight dogs at most. On National Park Service land, off-leash means voice control: your dog stays in sight and earshot and returns to the leash as soon as you call, and outside the designated areas dogs must be on a leash no longer than six feet. Fort Funston and Lands End close from an hour after sunset until 6 a.m., and professional walkers with four to six dogs need an NPS permit, with a maximum of six.
Last updated October 2026. Spotted an error, a closure, or a spot we missed? Let us know — we keep the map current.