Half of Marymoor Park's popular off-leash dog area closed due to flood waters

Heavy, soaking rains and the rising Sammamish River have covered roughly half of Marymoor Park’s 40-acre off-leash dog area with water, leading to the temporary closure of flooded portions of the popular facility.

Norah Gaynor, Marymoor Park’s program manager for the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP), said water up to three feet deep is covering about 20 acres of the park. Signs, fencing and barricades have been installed to keep people and their pets out of the flooded area.

“While the portion of the off-leash area that is not flooded is open, we are asking people to refrain from visiting the off-leash area until after waters have receded and the soil has dried out,” Gaynor said. “Heavy use of the non-flooded portion of the off-leash area could result in significant damage, and that could mean even more closures in the future.”

King County manages the off-leash dog area in coordination with its volunteer group partner, Serve Our Dog Areas, and made the decision to close the flooded area on Thursday. Gaynor said the off-leash area would be checked regularly, and additional changes to access would be made accordingly.

The Marymoor off-leash area is one of the largest and most-popular off-leash areas in the country. An average of 700 people and their pets visit the off-leash area each day.

Park visitors should note that dogs must be on-leash in all other portions of Marymoor Park, and dogs are not allowed on athletic fields. More information on Marymoor Park is available at http://www.metrokc.gov/parks/rentals/pomjun99.htm on the Internet.