Ottawa is one of the more dog-friendly cities in Canada, with the city reporting roughly 153 designated off-leash dog parks spread across its neighbourhoods. This list was put together from City of Ottawa park information, National Capital Commission trail details, and details gathered from local park directories and review sites, to round up ten off-leash spots that consistently come up as the best places in the city to let a dog run free.
1. Bruce Pit
Area: Bells Corners and Nepean, in the NCC Greenbelt off Cedarview Road · Specialty: wooded trail loop with open grassland
Bruce Pit is widely described as Ottawa's most popular off-leash destination, a mix of open grassy fields and forested trails with a looped path of roughly 3.2 kilometres and some elevation change through the woods. It has benches, chairs, and communal water dishes near the open field, and it draws crowds on weekends, so early mornings or weekdays tend to be quieter. It suits owners with active, trail-loving dogs who don't mind muddy paws after a rain.
2. Conroy Pit
Area: South Ottawa, on Conroy Road south of Hunt Club Road · Specialty: sandy forest trails
Conroy Pit is a former sand pit turned off-leash area, with packed sand trails winding through mixed forest and a longer loop trail reported at around 5 kilometres. It's often mentioned as the runner-up to Bruce Pit for dogs that want more ground to cover, with a mix of open sandy clearings and shaded woods. It's a good match for owners looking for a longer walk with room to spread out from other dogs.
3. Jack Purcell Park
Area: Centretown, on Jack Purcell Lane · Specialty: fenced downtown off-leash area
Jack Purcell is described as the only fenced off-leash area in Ottawa's downtown core, with a fine gravel surface that's reportedly easy on paws and keeps the park relatively clean, plus a water fountain and shaded benches for owners. Its central location makes it a practical option for downtown residents without a car, and the fencing gives some peace of mind for dogs still working on recall.
4. Brewer Park
Area: Old Ottawa South, on the north bank of the Rideau River near Carleton University · Specialty: river access off-leash zone
Brewer Park's off-leash area sits south of the baseball diamonds, with a small area for dogs to swim and cool off in the Rideau River. Because the zone borders Bronson Avenue, it's worth keeping a closer eye on dogs still learning to come when called. It's a solid choice for owners near Old Ottawa South or Carleton who want water access without heading out of the city core.
5. Ernie Calcutt Park
Area: Riverside near Mooney's Bay, at 759 Mooney's Bay Place · Specialty: unfenced field with a small pond
Mooney's Bay Park itself doesn't allow dogs, but nearby Ernie Calcutt Park is the designated off-leash alternative, with an unstructured open field, benches, and a small wooded section. Visitor accounts mention a small pond on site that attracts frogs, turtles, and ducks depending on the season, which makes it a pleasant option for a slower walk rather than a long trail hike.
6. Sylvia Holden Park
Area: The Glebe, on Holmwood Avenue · Specialty: fully fenced off-leash section
Sylvia Holden Park has a fully fenced off-leash area alongside its playground, wading pool, and baseball diamond, with a water fountain and shaded seating for owners. Because it's fenced and sits inside a busy neighbourhood park, it's a practical pick for Glebe residents who want an enclosed space close to home rather than a long drive to a Greenbelt pit.
7. McNabb Park
Area: Centretown, at 180 Percy Street · Specialty: fenced baseball diamond, off-leash outside school hours
McNabb Park converts its renovated baseball diamond into a fenced off-leash space outside of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, with the space open off-leash all day on weekends. It's described as busy with socializing and off-leash play for dogs of all sizes, making it a good downtown option for owners who can time visits around the school-hours restriction.
8. Beaverpond Park / Graham Beasley Trail
Area: Kanata North, at 243 Walden Drive · Specialty: wetland loop trail with water access
This off-leash area follows a roughly 2.4 kilometre loop around the Kizell wetland and beaver pond in Kanata North, giving dogs access to water to cool off along the walk. It suits owners in Kanata looking for a scenic, nature-focused walk rather than an open field, and the loop format makes it easy to gauge distance for dogs of different energy levels.
9. Beryl Gaffney Park
Area: Barrhaven, at 3901 Rideau Valley Drive North, bordering the Rideau River · Specialty: riverside off-leash area with swimming access
Beryl Gaffney Park is one of roughly 20 off-leash parks in Ottawa with water access, sitting along the Rideau River with shaded seating for owners while dogs swim on warm days. It isn't fully fenced and doesn't separate big and small dogs into different sections, so it suits confident, well-socialized dogs more than nervous or reactive ones. Free parking and no entry fee make it an easy stop for Barrhaven residents.
10. Dogs-in-Parks program, City of Ottawa
Area: citywide · Specialty: official list and rules for all designated off-leash areas
Beyond the nine specific parks above, the City of Ottawa's own dog parks page is the authoritative source for the full list of roughly 153 off-leash areas across the city, along with the Dogs-in-Parks designation policy that governs where dogs can legally be off-leash. It's worth a look for anyone whose neighbourhood park isn't listed here, since new off-leash areas and temporary designations, like a recent one proposed for Alta Vista, are added or adjusted over time.
