Mill Valley’s only off-leash dog park is at risk
A proposal would turn part of Bayfront Park's off-leash area into a bike pump track.
This is the only place in town where dogs can run off-leash, and kids, retirees, families without yards, and residents of The Redwoods next door use it every day of the year.
Help us keep it.
Our History
1996: After a long public fight over where dogs could run, the City Council sites the off-leash area at the south end of Bayfront Park and cuts it from about 4.8 acres to 3. The group Park People & Dogs raises about $22,000 for benches, trees, and a water area.
1997: Local press reports that dogs have kept their park "for now."
2018 onward: The City reviews its off-leash policy several times. Each review keeps Bayfront as the town's only designated off-leash area.
2023–24: The City reopens discussions about how to spend $25,000 on the Bayfront Dog Park. After a year of surveys and community meetings, the Parks and Recreation Commission approves a list of improvements in March 2024, funded with $25,000 in capital money.
2026: The Mill Valley Pump Track Alliance launches a campaign to put a bike pump track at Bayfront.
What the City of Mill Valley Already Approved
$25,000
In March 2024, the Parks and Recreation Commission approved these dog park improvements: a dog wash-off station, weekly watering from May through October, waste stations, a chicane entry gate, grading, benches, and a volunteer station. The City set aside $25,000 for the work.
The City has made only one improvement to date: a chicane entry gate.
Do you oppose a bike pump track??
1
No. Many of us ride bikes, and some of us have kids who would love a pump track. We support one in Mill Valley, just not in the town's only off-leash dog park.
Why can’t dogs and bikes share the park?
2
Off-leash dogs chase fast-moving things. Putting dogs side by side with bikes creates injury risks for both, and the likely result is that the off-leash area shrinks again or disappears. Marin County's own Stafford Lake Bike Park doesn't allow dogs for the same reason.
Is the park underused?
3
No. People and dogs are there every day of the year, including holidays and rainy days. The City has neglected the grass and amenities for years, and people still show up.
How much space does the dog park use compared to youth sports?
4
About 3 acres, including a protected habitat. The dog run used to be about 4.8 acres, but in 1996 the City Council cut it to 3 acres after soccer families complained. The City manages nine athletic fields for youth sports: Alto, Bayfront, Bell/Ropers, Boyle Majors and Minors, Friends North and South, and Hauke North and South. Together, they cover roughly 11-13 acres, and that total excludes the fields at Tam High and the local schools. Many of those fields are reserved for leagues or for school use during the school day.
The dog park is open to everyone, across all ages and abilities, every day, and it is the only place in Mill Valley where dogs can legally run off-leash. We’ve already given up space for youth sports once.
Where can people ride bikes?
5
Almost everywhere. Mountain biking started on Mount Tamalpais in the 1970s, and riders still come from around the world to ride its fire roads. The Mill Valley–Sausalito path runs right alongside the dog park.
Stafford Lake Bike Park in Novato has 17 acres of free public riding, including a kids' learn-to-ride pump track and a beginner pump track.
Who is behind the pump track proposal?
6
The Mill Valley Pump Track Alliance is a group of local cycling advocates and bike store owners. We share their goal of more places for kids to ride. We disagree about where.
What are you asking the City to do?
7
Keep Bayfront's off-leash area as is, complete the improvements the Commission approved in 2024, and find another location for a pump track site elsewhere than the city’s only off-leash dog park.
How can I reach you?
8
Email savebayfrontdogpark@gmail.com.
We read everything and try to reply within a day or two.