Best Dog Run Rillito River Park STAFF PICK: Technically, there's not a single place in
Pima County where you can let your pup roam freely on public land.
That's a tough piece of rawhide for our four-legged friends to
chew. But there is a place that, for the most part, you
can let the pooch stretch his legs without bothering any fellow
park users: the sandy expanses of the Rillito riverbed.
The steep, soil-cement walls on either side of the wash serve
as a natural containment area, and keep loose dogs from troubling
joggers, pedestrians and cyclists. Of course, the same attributes
that benefit dog owners--isolation, vegetation, openness--also
serve the local coyote population. Coyotes generally avoid conflict,
but if you have a moist and tender lap-dog, it's something to
consider before venturing into the wash in the lesser daylight
hours.
