Westminster Hills Open Space Off-Leash Area
420 acres of off-leash trails with wide-open Front Range views
About this park
Westminster Hills Open Space is a 420-acre off-leash natural area with miles of easy trails, panoramic views, and genuine wilderness. This is not a fenced dog park but an off-leash open space where dogs and owners can actually hike together. Regulars have been coming for decades and describe it as the best dog-friendly spot in Colorado. Note: rattlesnakes are present in warmer months.
Amenities
Westminster Hills Open Space Off-Leash Area reviews
What visitors consistently sayTwo-decade regulars call Westminster Hills the best dog-friendly spot in Colorado, praising the miles of easy, mostly flat trails, the Front Range views, and how a quiet path away from the crowd is always findable. Reviewers love that it was preserved as genuine open space rather than boxed into a fenced park, and note consistently friendly interactions with other dogs.
Longtime regulars come multiple times a week and know the land intimately. Weekday mornings and Mondays are calm; weekends pull a bigger crowd that fills the lot. A local vendor sells house-made bones, broth, and treats from the parking lot, giving the place a small-community feel.
Best for
Before you go
Rattlesnakes are active spring through fall, so stay on trails and keep your dog close in brush. Recall needs to be solid; this is unfenced and vast. The terrain is mostly flat, making it accessible for older dogs too.
Frequently asked
- Is the whole area off-leash?
- Yes, and by design rather than by omission. The land was kept as open space instead of being fenced into a standard dog park, so dogs cover trail miles instead of circling a lot.
- Is any of it fenced?
- No. Nothing along the perimeter is enclosed, and longtime visitors are blunt that a dog without reliable recall should go somewhere else.
- Are rattlesnakes a real concern?
- Rattlesnakes and bull snakes live here, and coyotes pass through. Visitors who stay on the trails and keep dogs out of the brush report two decades of safe outings. Cactus just off the path is the other regular hazard.
- How hard is parking?
- The lot fills on weekends and reviewers are firm that the surrounding neighborhood is not overflow parking. Monday and early-morning visits leave plenty of room.
- Does Westminster Hills work for an older dog?
- The terrain runs mostly flat and the trails rate as easy, which keeps them workable for senior dogs and for anyone pushing a stroller or a wheelchair. Mileage adds up fast, so pick a turnaround point early.
Nearby parks in Denver
View all
West Arvada Dog Park
Nonprofit-run acres with Flatirons views and a walking loop
Broomfield Commons Dog Park
Oversized sand-gravel park with a responsible-owner culture
Tony Grampsas Dog Park
A fenced mini-forest with trails, a bridge, and a creek