Day trip: Sandy River Delta Park – Big Dog Travel Blog

The original plan was to head to Seattle for the second part of my birthday excursion. Unfortunately, we were rained out of Washington, so we headed back to Oregon to explore more of the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. On the way, we recalled hearing about what locals call the Thousand Acre Dog Park, formally known as the Sandy River Delta Park. The Sandy River Delta Park, located in Troutdale, Oregon, is a dog’s paradise. The park has 1,400 acres of looping trails to explore, endless open fields to run around in, two rivers to swim and play in, wildflowers to adore, and wetlands to admire. The park, which is part of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, is also very popular for mountain biking, birding, and horseback riding. I have decided that this is my new favorite dog park in Oregon, and I hope to be able to visit often!

Stretching before the hike. There were miles of looping trails to explore. Beautiful wildflowers lined the trails. The colors were beautiful. Dad brought my new birthday present to kick around the trails for me! I popped it almost immediately.  There were paw prints everywhere.  Mom and Dad did not want to play in the muddy parts. We finally happened upon the Sandy River, where buttloads of dogs were playing! Like this one. And this one. To my parents’ surprise, I jumped right in! (I am known to not love swimming in the pool/ocean.) It took me a bit to understand where to go!  I finally got the hang of it when Mom and Dad started playing fetch with this big cigar-looking branch. All the doggies were racing for the cigars! I couldn’t stop smiling because it was one of the happiest days of my life.  After a long, successful day of swimming and hiking, I was pooped!

Rating for Sandy River Delta Park

I gave this park two paws up because it was lively, scenic, and full of adventure. The trails are very easy, and dogs are allowed off-leash unless they are on the handicap-accessible trail, which is marked throughout the park. Always remember to assess your pup’s health before hiking or swimming, make sure to bring plenty of water, and stay close to your pup on your adventure.

Pin this, pups:

Stay tuned for my next blog post, where I explore the Oregon coast!

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