This week seems like an excellent time to talk about some good places to take your dog when there is literally so much snow you can’t even.

When there are no sidewalks and the snow is waist deep, giving your dog a daily dose of exercise can be challenging. This might be well and good if your dog doesn’t particularly like cold weather, but Dallas thrives in these conditions. She loves the snow so much. This means I have no reasonable excuse whatsoever to stay inside. Enter the off-leash sports fields. 

I’ve talked about HRM’s awesome Winter Off-Leash Sports Fields program a few times before (here and here), and this week I’m zeroing in on the participating fields in the Clayton Park area.

Sometimes you just need to let your dog burn off some energy, and there is no better place to do that than a wide open field, especially if that means bounding through snow drifts.

There are three off-leash sports fields in Clayton Park. I’ll give an overview of each one below, and if you’re not sure where they are located, you can check out this handy map.

Glenbourne Sports Field

The Glenbourne Sports Field is located off Parkland Drive, in the Sherwood Heights subdivision. There is a large soccer field and a bike park. It looks like the bike park area is the designated “off-leash” area, although we didn’t notice any signs indicating that dogs were not allowed on the soccer field. The soccer field is a great option for dogs who run – it’s fenced almost the entire way around, with only three small openings to keep your eye on.

There is a large parking lot (put 655 Parkland Drive into your GPS), and tons of space for running. The park is also accessible from Edward Laurie Drive, as well as from the Mainland North Linear Parkway.

Tremont Plateau Park

Tremont Plateau Park is a huge park and sports field area in the heart of Clayton Park. The main point of entry is at the end of Trailwood Place (from Dunbrack Street turn onto Knightridge Drive, and then onto Trailwood), but there a few different ways to get there.

This was the largest of the three parks, but it was also quite wide open. So if your dog sometimes runs, opt for Glenbourne instead.

Westridge Ball Diamond

Interestingly, the third sports field on our list, Westridge Ball Diamond, is located next door to the Mainland Common Off-Leash Dog Park. I suppose it provides a more open, and perhaps less crowded, alternative to the smaller fenced-in park. And like the Glenbourne Fields, the Westridge Ball Diamond is accessible from the Mainland North Linear Parkway. There is no question that dog owners living in this area have lots of great options.

So if you’re struggling to find places to get outside with your dog in the snow, these are just three  of the many Winter Off-Leash Sports Fields in HRM. I would encourage you to check out the full list of participating sports fields if you’re looking for something in your neighbourhood. And if you’re a Peninsula-dweller, you are in luck – my definitive ranking of the Halifax Peninsula’s four Winter Off-Leash Sports Fields can be found here.

Happy Friday, friends! I wish you a long weekend full of awesome, snowy dogventures.