Calumet Park dog park is the Chicago Park District’s Dog Friendly Area in Calumet Park, at 9801 S. Avenue G on the Far Southeast Side, near the Indiana state line. It sits on the east side of the park’s landmark fieldhouse and opened in June 2019, giving East Side dogs a legal place to run off-leash in a 181-acre lakefront park.
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Where the Calumet Park dog park is
ABC7 Chicago reported on 28 June 2019 that the Park District and 10th Ward Alderman Susan Sadlowski Garza had opened the new dog-friendly area the previous morning, and that it is “located on the east side of the Calumet Park Fieldhouse, 9801 S. Ave G.” The Park District uses the same address for the dog area and the park.
The Park District’s listing gives no size or amenities. The best description is from WTTW’s report on the July 2018 groundbreaking: a 7,100-square-foot dog park near the west end of the parking lot across the street from the U.S. Coast Guard station at Calumet Harbor (ABC7’s opening report later placed it on the east side of the fieldhouse), to be surfaced with asphalt and pea gravel, with trees, benches and a drinking fountain. WTTW called it the first official dog park on Chicago’s South Side. Those were plans, and we have not found a later source confirming what was built, so check the surface and the fountain on your first visit.
Like all of the city’s Dog Friendly Areas, it requires your dog to carry a Park District permit tag, which the Chicago city guide explains.
Quick facts
- Address: 9801 S. Avenue G, Chicago, IL 60617
- Location in the park: east side of the fieldhouse
- Hours: 6am to 11pm daily (Calumet Park’s posted hours)
- Opened: June 2019
- Planned size (2018): 7,100 sq ft
- Community area: East Side
Is Calumet Beach dog-friendly?
No. Calumet Park has lakefront beaches at 96th, 98th and 99th Streets, but Chicago’s municipal code (10-36-020) bans dogs from bathing beaches except in beach areas the Park District designates and posts as dog friendly. The Park District’s Dog Friendly Area listing for Calumet is the area by the fieldhouse, not the beach.
Calumet Park and its fieldhouse
Calumet Park covers 181.70 acres. The South Park Commission began planning it in 1903 and bought its first 40 acres in 1904, but held off building because of the area’s fast-growing immigrant population and its Lake Michigan frontage. The Olmsted Brothers drew up early landscape plans.
The park grew partly on landfill. The City of Chicago’s landmark report says that in 1920 and again in 1924 the commission used slag from nearby steel mills as fill, adding 100 acres. The Park District says more land was acquired in 1993. Today the park has about 0.9 miles of lake frontage between 95th and 102nd Streets, and the point where the Illinois-Indiana border meets the shoreline is close to its southern tip.
The Classical Revival fieldhouse, next to the dog area, was built in 1923 and 1924 and designated a Chicago Landmark in 2006. It is made of exposed aggregate concrete, sometimes called “popcorn concrete.” Inside are murals painted between 1927 and 1929 by Tom Lea, showing Native Americans, explorers and settlers of the region.
The Park District lists a wide range of other facilities, including north and south boat launches, a fishing area, a natural area with dunes, a picnic grove, a playground, a running track and sports fields and courts.
Other South Side dog parks
- McKinley Dog Park on the Southwest Side, with a small-dog section
- Wentworth Park Dog Park in Garfield Ridge
- Bronzeville Dog Park (Park No. 591) in Oakland
- See every option in the Chicago dog parks list
Calumet Park dog park FAQ
Where is the dog park in Calumet Park?
It is on the east side of the Calumet Park fieldhouse. The address is 9801 S. Avenue G, Chicago, IL 60617.
Can dogs go on Calumet Beach?
No. City code keeps dogs off Chicago’s bathing beaches unless the Park District has posted an area as dog friendly, and Calumet’s dog area is by the fieldhouse, not on the sand.
When did the Calumet Park dog park open?
It opened on 27 June 2019, with a 9am ceremony led by the Park District and Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza, according to ABC7 Chicago.
What are the hours?
The Park District lists Calumet Park as open from 6am to 11pm daily.
Last reviewed: September 2026. Sources: Chicago Park District: Calumet Dog Friendly Area, Chicago Park District: Calumet Park, ABC7 Chicago (28 Jun 2019), WTTW (17 Jul 2018), City of Chicago: Calumet Park Fieldhouse landmark report, Wikipedia: Calumet Park, Chicago Municipal Code 10-36-020. Park details change, so check before you go.