Walking Miles in Herman Frank’s Park
Nestled between two baseball fields, Herman Frank’s Park has a small, oddly shaped dog park that is extremely popular with Salt Lake residents. If you did not know it was there, you could easily drive by the park and not notice it. I park my car in the small parking lot off of 700 East and take Miles on leash up to the gates. Marking the three entrances are boxes with free doggie bags that are filled by local volunteers. In the main part of the park is a large square woodchip area that has a small, cement bridge with a tunnel underneath it. This area is surrounded by a cement path with chairs and benches for dog owners. Depending on the time of day and the day of the week, this dog park can be packed with a hundred dogs and their owners or completely empty.
Immediately, Miles is tugging at the leash seeing all of the other dogs frolicking with each other and chasing balls. I let him off the leash and he ran ahead to greet and sniff the other dogs.
Dotted along the sidewalk are dog owners watching their pets and chatting with each other. Most people who bring their dogs here are extremely friendly and love to talk about their animals. Occasionally, there are people training dogs in the center of the woodchips. People come from all areas to this dog park. I have met people from all ends of Salt Lake County, from Sandy to Bountiful.
Between the baseball fields is another area of the dog park. A grassy area buffers the fields to the end of the park. Here, dog owners are playing catch, walking their dogs, and enjoying a little more privacy from other dogs.
Miles does not care for playing catch, instead he runs around saying hello to people and dogs alike. He runs hard and gets thirsty quickly. For thirsty dogs, dog owners bring bottles of water for the dogs. On an average day, there are five large bottles with water available for all of the canines. The park also comes with a water spigot, but the water is only turned on during the summer and is not filtered or treated.
After greeting and playing with dozens of dogs and dog owners, Miles was tired. I led him to the gate, put on the leash, and walked him to the car. Slowly, he climbed into the back seat. By the time I walk around to the driver’s side door, he is asleep.
IF YOU GO:
Herman Frank’s Park is located on the southeast corner of 700 East and 1300 South in Salt Lake City. There is a parking lot on 700 East just south of the park or parking on the street at 800 East. The park is open from 6 a.m.-11 p.m.