Raymore Dog Park

Raymore dog park is a beautiful new (built in 2017) off-leash dog park located on the west end of Toronto. 

This Toronto dog park is located in the heart of a quiet Humber River walking trail and while it is certainly on the smaller side of dog parks, it does have a lot of nearby features to offer that make this dog park enjoyable for dogs and owners alike.

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Raymore Dog Park Overview

Here’s a quick summary of the park before we dive into the detailed review:
Hours of Operation: Sunrise – Sunset
Terrain: Pea Gravel
Parking: Small 6 car parking lot or street parking
Address: 93 Raymore Dr, Etobicoke, ON M9P 2S4 –  3 minute walk south on the Humber Recreational Trail
Plan for:

• 10-15 min in the off-leash area
• an additional 6 min of roundtrip walking from parking lot
• optional 30 min for trail walks nearby (forest or the main walkway)

Find dog friends here: Raymore Dog Park Friends (Facebook Group)

Key Features You’ll Love

• Fenced enclosure
• Dedicated small dog area
• Commercial Dog Walkers welcome
• 2 Double-Gated Entryway
• Beautiful and quiet riverside walking trails near the Emmett Waterfall
• Quiet 0.5 KM forest bike / hiking trail behind dog park
• Close by to plenty of family-friendly activities, but far enough away for a quiet break

May Not Be Ideal For

• Small dog owners looking for a separate entrance from the main off-leash area
• Hot summer days
• Early or late walks
• Dogs that require large open spaces

Directions to Raymore Park Leash-Free Area

Raymore Dog Park is located on the Humber Recreational Trail just south of Weston Rd and Scarlett Rd.

The off-leash dog park is built on the west side of the Humber River, and can be accessed via three different methods:

1. By Car – via the parking lot entrance at 93 Raymore Dr, Etobicoke, ON M9P 2S4 from the lot – walk about three minutes west on the Humber Recreational Trail to reach the off-leash area
2. By Walking / Biking – via the trail entrance just north of Chapman Rd and Scarlett Rd – walk 10 minutes north on the trail and you’ll see it on your left immediately after passing by the Emmett Waterfall
3. By Walking / Biking – from the Weston Lions Park, head East on the Humber Recreational Trail and follow it south crossing over the Raymore Park Bridge. After you cross the Raymore Park Bridge, you’ll walk past the small parking lot. Continue walking west for 3 minutes and you’ll see the park on your right. 

Parking at Raymore Park

Parking at Raymore Park is free. Despite its small size, this parking lot is rarely full.

I have visited this park several times in all the seasons at various times and have only seen the lot full during peak firework celebration days and peak weekend summers. 

Thanks to its suburban location – street parking in the neighborhood is free as well. 

If you’re uncomfortable with street parking and you’re willing to walk a longer distance (10-20 min walk depending on how much your dog explores), the Weston Lions Arena parking lot can be a good alternative. 

6 Key Features of Raymore Park

Here is an in-depth look at all the key features offered at Raymore Dog Park: 

1. 2 Double-Gated Main Entrances. There are two double-gated main entrances into the off-leash area. One is located at the leftmost end of the dog park and the other is centrally located. Having two double-gated entrances is a great plus – especially for such a small dog park as this one. Many of the dogs tend to rest and play around the central entrance so the additional entryway is a great way to help manage the entry and exit traffic on especially busy days. .  
2. Benches in the Main Off-Leash Area. Note: the small dog area does not have any benches for people to use. 
3. Garbage and Recycling Bins Located at Both Entrances. Raymore Park has plenty of garbage and recycling bins located on the trail. Not only do both the entryways of the dog park have bins, you’ll also find plenty of garbage bins located on the trail and by the parking lot too. Note: you will need to leave the off-leash area in order to throw the garbage out though as the bins face away from the dog park.
4. Active and friendly community. Whether you’re walking early in the morning, during the day, or even in the evening, you’ll be sure to find an active and friendly dog owner community at Raymore Park. Because of the beautiful trails nearby, you’ll almost always find a fellow dog walker nearby (excluding scorching hot summer days!)
5. Beautiful riverside walk and mini waterfall views. Unexpectedly, you can find a small man-made waterfall, the Emmett Waterfall, as you walk along the nearby trail. The pathway itself is nicely paved, wide, and takes you through a meandering walk alongside this waterfall too.
6. No Mud – but dusty. Surprisingly this is one of the few dog parks where you can visit without the fear of mud. Raymore Dog Park has a relatively thick layer of stone gravel that covers the entire off-leash area. The layer of stone is thick enough that dirt on the stones rarely happens – most of the mud your dog picks up will likely be on the trail itself.  

7 Things You Should Know Before Visiting Raymore Park Dog Park

1. No Shade. Currently, this dog park provides no shade at all. While there are some young trees growing behind the off-leash area, they will not be able to provide any shade to the off-leash area. On hot days, you’ll have to leave the off-leash area in order to provide shade for your dog
2. Lack of Varied Terrain. As Raymore Park is built near the Humber River, the entire dog park’s terrain is a flat rectangular pea gravel enclosure. There are no other terrain options offered in this off-leash area.
3. Running Water is unavailable. Unless you’ve stopped by the water fountains at Weston Lions Arena, there are no fountains or dedicated dog fountains nearby. Be sure to pack plenty of water when visiting the park with your dog.
4. Public Washrooms are a fair walk away. Similar to running water, public washrooms are located at the Weston Lions Arena that is a 10 minute walk away from Raymore Park.
5. Entrance for the small dog off-leash area is inside the off-leash area. The small dog enclosure can only be accessed by entering the main off-leash area and crossing into another single gate to the small dog area. Note: this gate is in the middle of the off-leash area and when there are large dogs in the area, you may need to pick up your small dog while making your way to the dedicated area. 
6. Artificial Lighting is not available. While the Humber River Recreational Trail is lit, there is no dedicated lighting located near the dog park itself. As such early morning or late evening off-leash play may be more difficult.
7. Strong River Sewage Smell. During the spring and summer months, Humber River gives off a strong smell that many may find off putting.

Review of Raymore Park

If you plan on visiting Raymore Dog Park with your dog with the intent of tiring out your dog… I’d recommend against it. 

Given its terrain and size, I’d have to say that Raymore Dog Park is best suited for lower energy dogs or dogs that prefer sniffing activities rather than fast paced running, chasing, and play. 

In fact, when you visit this dog park, more often than not, you’ll find that most dog owners either walk by the off-leash park entirely, or let their dogs off-leash on the grass fields beside the dog park instead.

Almost every dog owner I’ve talked to (including myself!) have said that their favorite part about Raymore Park  is actually walking around the trail with their dog.

Unfortunately, while the pea gravel terrain is amazing at keeping mud away and makes picking up poop surprisingly clean and easy, it does have several major drawbacks for dogs and pet owners unfamiliar with the terrain:

1. Pea Gravel is hard on the paws and nails and will cut paw pads
2. On especially dry days, the dust generated by stones being kicked up by dogs can cause eye irritations
3. On hot days pea gravel can burn the paws – avoid visiting pea gravel dog parks during peak summer days

You may need to wait for friends

Depending on when you visit Raymore Dog Park, you may find that you and your pup might be wandering alone in the dog park by yourself for a while. For most of the day, this dog park is mostly empty.

During the busiest hours (7:30 AM – 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM), the most number of dogs you’ll likely see is about 6 dogs. Most other times the park will be empty. Even during the weekends, it is quite rare to see dogs within the off-leash area.

From past experience, most dogs in this area are well behaved, have great recall, and if they are off-leash beside the dog park, are well trained and stay deep into the field – far away from the pathway to avoid disturbing other passersby.

Note: I don’t recommend taking your dog off-leash near the dog park, in doing so you may risk a fine of $365

Recommended park usage

Because of its location (several minutes walk inside a trail), its size and terrain, Raymore Park is a very quiet Toronto dog park that few dog owners frequent.

Ultimately the surrounding area is by far its biggest pro for making a visit here. With its lush surroundings filled with greenery and the peaceful sounds of a river dipping down a small waterfall, Raymore Dog Park had the potential to be an absolutely amazing off-leash play area.

Unfortunately, if we were to objectively look at just the designated off-leash dog park within the park – it’s a below average dog park at best:

1. The terrain while great for drainage and keeping the park clean – also keeps dogs away too
2. The small dog enclosure while large in relation to the entire off-leash dog area, is difficult to enter – and potentially dangerous too since you must cross the width of the large dog area to enter
3. The lack of shade and drinking water make this dog park a non viable option during the summer months save for the early morning and evenings – and even then there’s insufficient lighting to really help with visibility
4. Relatively small off-leash area with low stimulation for dogs unless you bring your own toys

HOWEVER, don’t completely cross this off your list yet! Raymore Park’s leash-free zone is an excellent choice for new dog owners or puppy owners to work on socializing your dog.

As most dog owners prefer to let their dogs off-leash beside the designated off-leash area, or walk by the area, the enclosed dog park is a great tool for socializing your dog without directly interacting with other dogs.

The small dog area is almost guaranteed to be empty too – so even if there are dogs in the main area, the small dog area is a safe space to introduce your pup to new dogs without direct interaction.

Because the dog park is rarely used, the space is well maintained, and clean too.

As a mostly empty dog park, it’s also a great space to practice recall, tricks, or desensitization activities in a new environment too.

Seasonal Details

When I write my dog park reviews, I try to include seasonal details – even if I’ve only visited the dog park location a few times. I refer to Google Reviews for some additional seasonal information if I’ve only visited a few times to fill out the other seasonal information as much as possible.

If you have any tips or additional comments, feel free to send me an email, message me on Twitter, or slide me a DM on Instagram!

Here are some key points to note depending on which season you are visiting this dog park.

Spring – No reviews mention this season – however from personal experience this dog park is actually a great place to visit thanks to the pea gravel and low mud generation.

Summer – Avoid the park on especially hot days. The stone can burn your dog’s paws. From personal experience, I’d go so far as to recommend only visiting this dog park in the early morning or late evenings and to bring a LOT of water for yourself and your dog. I’d also recommend a hat and sunglasses since there’s really no shade anywhere.

Fall – No reviews mention this season – from personal experience this is a fantastic time to visit Raymore Park in general. During early November, you might even be lucky to see the salmon run up Emmett Waterfall too! Highly recommend taking a walk around the area during the fall.

Winter – Make sure that it isn’t too cold for your dog to go outside, and watching out for slippery surfaces the dog park should be good fun!

What other reviewers are saying

According to Google Reviews and at the time of publishing, Raymore Park Dog Off Leash Area has 65 reviews with an average of 4.1 stars out of 5 – a very positive rating.

Here are the recurring positive comments:

• Great Location
• Peaceful
• Beautiful walking trail and nice waterfall
• Well fenced and good sized off-leash area
• Very clean

In terms of negative or low-rated reviews, this is what most dissatisfied visitors have to say:

• Gravel sucks
• Poor design for the small dog enclosure
• Boring space
• No shade
• Can’t find parking

Raymore Park Off-Leash Dog Area – Summary

If we were to look exclusively at Raymore Dog Park without factoring in the surrounding amenities, I’d have to say that this dog park is best reserved for local dog walkers and owners.

However, much like how a great ambiance can elevate a dining experience, Raymore Park’s value and appeal is much greater after looking at the sum of its parts. 

With a lush surrounding, a mini waterfall, riverside reviews, a quiet forest trail, and a friendly community, Raymore Park’s charm is in its surroundings.

It might not be the best place to go if you’re looking for high energy off-leash play – I’d recommend Etobicoke Valley instead –  but how many other dog parks in the Greater Toronto Area can boast a quiet dog park with riverside views and a mini waterfall to enjoy the tranquil sounds of nature? I think that’s at least worth a visit! 

Sources

• Humber River Soil and Topgraphy / Geology
• Raymore Park Dog Zone Official Opening