Dog parks in Highlands Ranch
Where the fenced dog parks are in Highlands Ranch, which nearby ones charge, and how to keep a park day from turning into a matted coat.
Highlands Ranch has four fenced dog parks on the Metro District's list: Rover's Run at Redstone Park, Fido's Field at Foothills Park, Digger's at Dad Clark Park, and Hound Hill at Highland Heritage Regional Park. Just outside town, David A. Lorenz Regional Park on County Line Road and Chatfield State Park have off-leash areas too.
Highlands Ranch dogs make the 12-minute drive to our salon, and park dirt is a regular part of the job. Addresses, hours, and passes below are taken from the Highlands Ranch Metro District, South Suburban Parks and Recreation, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and they're worth a quick check before you go, since they change. What a park day does to a coat is the part we can speak to from the grooming table.
Where are the dog parks in Highlands Ranch?
| Park | Address | Finding it |
|---|---|---|
| Rover's Run at Redstone Park | 9325 Foothills Canyon Blvd. | East of Redstone Park, near Town Center Drive and Foothills Canyon Boulevard; park at the Redstone Park tennis center |
| Fido's Field at Foothills Park | 1042 Riddlewood Road | West of Broadway, from Lucent Boulevard via Timbervale Trail, or from Winterthur Way |
| Digger's at Dad Clark Park | 3385 Astorbrook Circle | West of Fairview Parkway and Summit View Parkway |
| Hound Hill at Highland Heritage Regional Park | 9651 S. Quebec St. | The southern tip of Highland Heritage Regional Park |
All four are fenced and free, and the Metro District says water is available at each one during irrigation season, so bring your own from fall through spring.
Hound Hill
Hound Hill is the one most people search for by name. It's on the east side of town at 9651 S. Quebec Street, on the south end of Highland Heritage Regional Park, and Douglas County manages it for the regional park. It's open from 7 a.m. until sunset. The ground is mostly dirt and gravel, which is fine in a dry week and turns to mud after snow or rain.
Rover's Run, Fido's Field, and Digger's
The other three are neighborhood parks run by the Metro District. Rover's Run sits beside Redstone Park, and the easiest parking is at the tennis center. Fido's Field is tucked into Foothills Park west of Broadway, and Digger's is in Dad Clark Park west of Fairview and Summit View. The Metro District's parks line is 303-791-2710 if you want hours before you go.
Dog parks just outside Highlands Ranch
David A. Lorenz Regional Park
South Suburban Parks and Recreation opened an off-leash dog park at the north entrance of David A. Lorenz, 4790 E. County Line Road, in 2023. It has separate sides for small and large dogs.
Chatfield State Park
The dog off-leash area at Chatfield is 69 acres, completely fenced, with two ponds and miles of paved and unpaved trail. It's a state park, so you need a park pass for the car and a dog off-leash pass ($3 a day or $25 a year), displayed on the handler. There's a limit of three dogs per person, and dogs stay leashed between the car and the gate.
Is the dog park a good idea for every dog?
No. A dog park is a yard full of dogs you haven't met, and nobody is managing the mix. Confident, social dogs tend to love it. Nervous dogs often don't, and in our experience the dog that spends a park visit pressed against your legs is usually the same dog that finds the grooming table hard, for the same reasons. For that dog, a leashed walk on the Highline Canal Trail may be the better outing, and our post on grooming an anxious dog covers how we slow the salon down for them.
What does a Highlands Ranch dog park do to a doodle's coat?
It loads it. Dust and grit work down into a curly coat, and a curly coat that gets wet and dries without a brush-out tightens into mats at the skin, usually behind the ears, in the armpits, and on the legs. A Hound Hill mud day followed by a quick hose-off and air dry is close to the perfect recipe.
The fix is the order you do things in. Brush and comb the coat out before any water touches it, because a bath sets a tangle rather than loosening it. Then wash, and dry completely while brushing. If you only have time for one of those steps, make it the brush-out. Our guide to keeping a doodle from matting between grooms has the full routine, including the metal comb test.
Chatfield's ponds bring a different problem. A swimming golden or shepherd needs drying all the way to the skin, and a double coat can feel dry on top while the undercoat stays damp for hours, which is how hot spots get started. And the trail dogs off the Highline Canal and the open space still come home with dust and burrs, which is why a real brush-out goes with every bath and brush. That starts at $45 for a dog up to 20 lb and runs to $100 for an extra-large dog or a heavy double coat.
Grooming from Highlands Ranch
We're in Lone Tree near Park Meadows, about 12 minutes from Highlands Ranch via C-470 or Broadway. Our page for Highlands Ranch clients has the drive, the neighborhoods, and the questions people there usually ask. A doodle's full groom starts at $75 for a dog up to 20 lb and $95 for 20 to 50 lb, with every tier on the full-service grooming page, and we put the same groomer with your dog every visit if you ask. If you're heading to Parker's parks instead, we wrote up the dog parks in Parker too. You can book online or call the salon.
Common questions
How many dog parks are in Highlands Ranch?
Four, all fenced and on the Metro District's list: Rover's Run at Redstone Park, Fido's Field at Foothills Park, Digger's at Dad Clark Park, and Hound Hill at Highland Heritage Regional Park. David A. Lorenz Regional Park on County Line Road has one too.
What are the hours at Hound Hill Dog Park?
Hound Hill is open from 7 a.m. until sunset. It is at 9651 S. Quebec St., on the south end of Highland Heritage Regional Park, and water is on during irrigation season.
Do you need a pass for the Chatfield dog park?
Yes, two. Chatfield is a state park, so the car needs a park pass, and the handler needs a dog off-leash pass, which is $3 a day or $25 a year. The fenced off-leash area is 69 acres with two ponds, and the limit is three dogs per handler.
Is there a dog park with a small dog area near Highlands Ranch?
David A. Lorenz Regional Park has separate sides for small and large dogs. The dog park is at the north entrance, 4790 E. County Line Road, and South Suburban Parks and Recreation runs it.
Should I bathe my doodle after the dog park?
Only if it's actually dirty, and brush it out first. Water tightens tangles in a curly coat, so a doodle that gets hosed off and air dries without brushing is on its way to mats. Brush, then wash, then dry completely while brushing.
