Dawson Park

I love this park so I'd like the patrons to be aware of a woman who beat my senior dog (who recently was diagnosed with kidney damage) with a large baseball bat sized stick at 10:30am on April 2, 2023.The unhinged perpetrator was wearing a light purple winter coat, about 5'5 tall, olive skin tone and light brown eyes. She has two small terrier looking dogs. On the off leash dog trail, my dogs were walking past hers (as she seemed to be unaware dogs do at an off leash dog park). One of her dogs began posturing so our dogs had a negative interaction (the usual snarling and checking each other).While I was attempting to call my dog off with my partner, she proceeded to take a stick she was handling (about the size of a baseball bat) and beat my one dog. She then grabbed my dog by the neck and refused to give her back to my partner, holding the stick as if she was going to continue beating our dog and my partner.Her dogs were checked (by this insane person) and they had no injuries from a standard dog park situation. In fact, the dogs seemed afraid of her.As a result of this violent reaction, my senior dog has a large bump on her right hip and bruising we cannot see along her back. This could have further traumatized her kidneys.This woman reacted violently and was the sole danger in this situation; her dogs came to me and one sat at my feet while she told me it was normal to beat dogs with sticks. I feel very poorly for her dogs.We made a police report about this woman, and I have seen her frequent this park. Be aware of a woman with two terrier-like dogs carrying a beating stick, she clearly cannot handle herself without violence towards humans or dogs.She allegedly wanted to report us but would not give her information in return for ours, nor would she make the report with me standing there to collaborate on the report. If she sees this -- feel free to contact me here -- I'm okay being public about dog abusers!This brilliant woman asked how I would react to a dog biting" my dog

Absolutely love this park, I'm able to let my dog go off leash, he's very energetic and that he can run and burn off some energy is fantastic for him and me. I take him every few days and will attempt to take him during the winter, at least on nice days.

Parks deserve a 5 star rating for what they are. This one definitely deserves the 5 star rating. Open green spaces with trails and benches, what’s not to love. There are picnic tables and wood fireplaces that you can use if you bring your own wood. Public washrooms are available. There is a boat launch. It’s a great park. I definitely recommend this place. It’s also dog friendly.

Nice park to bring the dog. Best water access is at the beginning with the boat launch or at either end near the bridges. Park is open and well groomed lots of nice features though the path has seen alot of warping over time and can be deceptive to bikers at night, as the park is very dark after dusk.

I love bringing my pup for walks here. There is a long stretch of trail that is a designated off leash area. The bathrooms are well-maintained. It’s a gorgeous sliver of nature so close to the city centre. There are two paths - one paved and the other gravel, that are separated by a stretch of grass and sometimes trees and brush. Sometimes there’s mud puddles- but the city is quick to fill them in with wood chips.

This is a beautiful area for a family walk.Relatively quiet with off lease dogs running around.Was really surprised at how little traffic there was considering it’s part of the river valley walking system.I can’t wait to come back again during the summer with the family for another stroll and a picnic.Hidden gem along this pathway...a swing along the river bank.

Visit:April 2023Dawson park is very nice, it has long trails next to the river valley. It's an off-leash dog area as well, and there was a good amount of people and dogs at the time I went. It's a great nature spot and pretty isolated from traffic.Would definitely come back, and there's lots of areas to explore as you go down the trails

I've been on a couple of walks here with my friend and her dog. Most of the dogs are off leash, running around happily. It's a lovely place for a relaxing walk. Bicyclists might find it a bit challenging to get anywhere quickly -- pups and wayward humans are likely to be in their way.

I had nearly forgotten about this little gem in the river flats. Nice area that also has off-leash walks for dogs. Picnic benches, walking trails, and on top of it all, beautifully scenic vistas of Edmonton's impressive river valley at the height of autumn colours.