Cedar Bark Park

Located 25 miles northwest of Austin, Cedar Bark Park is a fenced-in, 5-acre park where dogs can run, swim, play, and sniff around sans leash. 

The entrance to the park is marked by a giant, circular cement paw print—letting both humans and their canine counterparts know they’ve entered a dog sanctuary. A quick look around and you’ll see dogs of every size, breed, and color jumping in, around, and out of things. The park is separated into two fenced-off sections to segregate small and large dogs and compacted dirt covers most of the grounds—a soft surface area for those playful, sweaty paws to land. 

The area is like an outdoor spa for dogs in that it offers many amenities to ensure your time spent there is effortless. Benches, drinking fountains, pet waste stations, and dog showers abound to make sure both the park and your pup stay spotless. A dip (or Olympic-like dive) into the wooden pier-rimmed dog pond will cool off your canine during the hot summer months, and a focal water fountain feature in the center of the pond makes for a classy touch. 

While the water may be the first feature to grab your furry friend’s attention, there are other points of interest in the park to keep your dog entertained. Seesaws scattered around the grounds encourage your pup to practice his or her balancing skills; huge tunnels invite your dog and his new canine pals to play a quick pick-up game of tag; and ramps positioned sporadically throughout the space simulate small hills for your four legged friend to try and summit. 

The best part about this park is possibly the fact that it’s divided into two different sections to make sure your dog stays safe and has fun. Dogs under 30 pounds can play with friends of his or her own size, while bigger dogs over 30 pounds have their own section of the park to wrestle and romp around in. The dog pond portion of the park is for big dogs, but open to pups of any size who are friendly and adventurous.

Forget the dog toys in your rush to leave the house? No worries. The park provides its own balls and Frisbees for your fluff baby to play with to their heart’s content. 

If you’re on a mission to make your dog feel spoiled and—let’s be honest—exhausted, the Cedar Bark Park is worth the trip. Both of you are sure to leave happy—knowing you now have a new place to get outside, meet new people and pups, and play. That rearview mirror glance to catch fido napping in the back seat never felt so rewarding.

Thanks to Teddy Bear Carls, our 2-year-old Havanese mix, for reviewing this month’s dog park. Tag along on his adventures at #teddybearcarls on Instagram.