Sep 3, 2026

Basin Recreation's Dog Areas: 43 Acres and a 150-Foot Rule

Forty-three acres below the Utah Olympic Park, a fenced park with an agility course and a pond, a one-mile off-leash singletrack, and a rule that keeps the lead on until you are 150 feet from the car.

Luis ZamoraCo-founder of PetCompass; Dog Dad to Banzo and Tuck

Park City, Utah9 min readThings to Do

The best off-leash ground near Park City is not run by Park City. It belongs to Snyderville Basin Recreation District, a separate special district covering the Basin outside city limits, and it publishes four dog areas plus a rule most visitors break in the car park.

The rule first, verbatim from the district's dog friendly areas page:

"Within designated off-leash areas, owners must have sight and voice control over dogs, carry a leash or lead, and keep dogs leashed within 150 ft of off-leash areas including in parking lots and trailheads."

A 150-foot leash buffer, explicitly including parking lots and trailheads. So the lead comes off 150 feet in, not at the tailgate. And inside the off-leash area you still need sight and voice control and a leash in hand.

The four sites

Site	What it is
Run-A-Muk Off-Leash Dog Area	43 acres of open space, hiking only, three trailheads
Willow Creek Dog Park	Fully fenced, grass and soft surface, agility course, pond alongside
Trailside Park	Two fenced parks, one small dog and one large, plus a one-mile off-leash singletrack trail
The Woods Dog Park	Half an acre, fenced, training features

All four are listed with parking, restrooms and "Accessible All Year" among their amenities.

Run-A-Muk, the big one

Verbatim: "Run-A-Muk is a 43-acre open space for off-leash dogs and their owners to explore and enjoy nature together. Located below the Utah Olympic Park, this recreational open space is perfect for those who want to let their dogs off-leash while experiencing the serenity of wildlife and the great outdoors. Plenty of parking is available with access to Run-A-Muk from three trailheads."

Forty-three acres is a different proposition from a fenced run. It is open space with trails, which means your recall is the fence.

And it is hiking only, which the amenities list states plainly. No bikes to dodge, which is part of why it works for dogs.

Three trailheads means you can spread out on a busy Saturday, and it also means your dog can end up a long way from your car. Worth knowing before you unclip, and worth reading the district's own rule again: sight and voice control, and a leash in hand.

The mention of "wildlife" in the district's own description is not decorative. Our Park City dog rules guide covers the county rule prohibiting a dog from charging or chasing any person or animal, and its fine schedule prices a chase with no contact at $300.

Willow Creek, the one with the pond

Then, verbatim: "Willow Creek Park also features paved and soft surface trails to explore with your dog on leash."

Fully fenced, with an agility course, which makes it the best of the four for a dog that needs structure rather than distance.

The pond is adjacent, not inside the fence. Read that carefully: the fenced dog park and the pond are separate spaces, and the paved and soft-surface trails around the park are on-leash.

A swimming option in a mountain town is worth planning around in July and August. Our summer heat safety for pets guide covers the wider question, and altitude makes exertion harder than the temperature suggests.

Trailside Park, the most versatile

Verbatim, the district's own list:

"A dog park for small dogs" "A dog park for large dogs" "An off-leash, singletrack one-mile trail"

Plus a warning, verbatim: "Pay attention to signs identifying the areas where dogs must be on-leash entering and exiting trails and dog park areas."

A separate small-dog park matters if your dog is genuinely small or recovering, and only two of the four sites offer a size split.

And a one-mile off-leash singletrack trail is unusual. It is a middle step between a fenced park and open space: off lead, but linear and bounded, which is exactly what a dog learning recall needs. Our how to leash train a dog and dog park etiquette guides cover the groundwork.

One prohibition at this site specifically: dogs are not permitted in the Trailside Bike Park, which sits in the same park. More on the prohibited list below.

The Woods, the small one

Verbatim: "The Woods provides a small, yet beautiful spot for your pet to play off-leash. This half acre fenced area has training features to keep your four-legged friend fit and healthy."

Half an acre, fenced, with training features. The right choice for a short session, a nervous dog, or a day when you have twenty minutes rather than an afternoon.

Everywhere else in the district is a leashed area

And the district's definition of restraint is broader than most. Verbatim:

"Singletrack, paved, and soft surface trails not listed above are considered leashed areas, and dogs must be under restraint. Restraints include a leash or lead, or e-collar with owner maintaining sight and voice control over dog and a leash on hand."

An e-collar counts as restraint here, provided you maintain sight and voice control and have a leash on hand. That matches Summit County's own rule, which our Park City leash law guide covers, and it is more permissive than most mountain-town systems.

"A leash on hand at all times" appears twice on the district's page, in the off-leash rule and again in the general rules. It is not optional.

The rules list, and the four places dogs cannot go

Verbatim, the district's own reminders:

"Always pick up after your dog." "Keep your dog on leash or e-collar, unless you are in a designated dog park or off-leash area where sight and voice control are required." "Have a leash on hand at all times." "Check the rules and regulations posted at trailheads and dog park entrances."

And the prohibitions, verbatim: "Please note dogs are not permitted in the Trailside Bike Park, in playground areas, on turf fields, or on designated Nordic groomed trails."

Nordic groomed trails is the ski-town line. In winter, the district's groomed cross-country trails are closed to dogs, which removes a chunk of the walking you might have planned. Our dogs in winter in Park City guide covers what is left.

Waste facilities are provided, verbatim: "Dog waste stations and trash cans are provided inside the parks and at many trailheads for your convenience. Thank you for picking up after your dog."

Who to ask, and which code applies

The rangers. Verbatim: "Contact the Ranger on duty. Hours: 7am-7pm"

Seven in the morning to seven at night, which covers most of the daylight in summer and none of the dark end of a winter afternoon.

The code. The district cites it on its own page, verbatim: "For more information, refer to Summit County Code 5-1-9".

One disclosure about that citation. Everything quoted in this guide comes from the district's own page.

And a broken link worth flagging. The live site is basinrecreationutah.gov, which is what we have linked throughout.

What the district's rules assume about your dog

Read the four sites together and a progression appears, which is useful if your dog is not yet an off-leash dog.

The Woods is the beginner slope. Half an acre, fenced, with training features. A dog that cannot yet be recalled out of play belongs here, where the fence does the work while you build the cue.

Willow Creek is the next step. Fully fenced but much larger, with an agility course and a pond beside it, so there are competing attractions to recall away from.

Trailside's one-mile singletrack is the real test. Off lead and unfenced, but linear: your dog can go ahead or behind but not sideways for long. That is the closest thing to a controlled trial of the standard the district actually applies, which is sight and voice control with a leash in hand.

Run-A-Muk is the graduation. Forty-three acres, three trailheads, wildlife, and no fence anywhere. If your recall fails here, your dog is somewhere in open space and you are the search party.

And the 150-foot buffer is the rule that spans all four, because it applies to the transition rather than the destination. Most incidents in any off-leash system happen in the car park, where dogs meet strangers while their owners are holding keys.

Our Summit County dog fines guide prices what goes wrong: $100 for a first at-large offence, $300 if the dog chases someone or something, and $500 for a first bite.

Choosing between the four

Distance and freedom: Run-A-Muk, 43 acres, hiking only, three trailheads.

Water and structure: Willow Creek, fenced with an agility course and a pond beside it.

Small dog, or a recall in progress: Trailside, for the size-split parks and the one-mile off-leash trail.

Twenty minutes: The Woods, half an acre with training features.

And whichever you choose: lead on until 150 feet inside, leash in hand throughout, sight and voice control at all times, and waste in the stations provided.

Inside Park City itself there are three more sites, run by the city rather than the district, and our Park City off-leash areas guide covers those. For the wider picture of restrictions, see where dogs are not allowed in Park City.

Frequently asked questions

Where can dogs go off leash near Park City? Snyderville Basin Recreation District runs four dog areas: Run-A-Muk Off-Leash Dog Area, Willow Creek Dog Park, Trailside Park and The Woods Dog Park. Park City itself designates three further sites.

How big is Run-A-Muk? 43 acres of open space, located below the Utah Olympic Park, with access from three trailheads and hiking only.

What is the 150-foot rule? The district requires dogs to be leashed within 150 feet of designated off-leash areas, including in parking lots and at trailheads.

Do I need a leash inside an off-leash area? Yes, in hand. The district requires owners to have sight and voice control over dogs and to carry a leash or lead, and repeats the leash-on-hand requirement in its general rules.

Which Basin Recreation dog parks are fenced? Willow Creek is described as fully fenced, The Woods as a half-acre fenced area, and Trailside has separate dog parks for small and large dogs. Run-A-Muk is open space rather than a fenced park.

Can I use an e-collar instead of a leash on district trails? On leashed-area trails the district accepts an e-collar as restraint, provided the owner maintains sight and voice control and has a leash on hand.

Sources

District rules and amenities change. Check the signage at trailheads and dog park entrances, which the district asks you to do.