Lively Park is quite a large park and is 31 acres in total. Right off the bat this should tell you that it’s plenty big enough to share, and has a lot of space for dogs of all temperaments and skill levels. It is dog friendly and is a very valuable resource for anyone who has dogs that struggle in public, or who are looking to raise the bar with their training.
Lively Park is a Springfield park, and a great asset to the local dog owning community!
The park has a lot of field space, and a lot of it is relatively unused. There are some areas that people will regularly walk through, which I outline in my video, but there is so much space that this can be used as a training opportunity, rather than something to completely avoid.
Another detail about this park is that it houses Splash, which is an indoor water park with pools and whatnot. It’s not very relevant to dogs so that’s all I’ll be saying about it.
Park features
Amenities
- Paved paths
- Dirt nature trail
- Basketball court
- Volley ball court – sand
- Picnic benches
- Sitting benches
- Play structure
- Shaded areas with trees
- Poop bags – at dog park area
- Trash bins
- Dedicated parking areas
- Shelters with cooking area nearby
- Restrooms
This park DOES NOT HAVE:
- Poop bag dispensers in the main area of the park
Lively Park is a free park with no fees or paid parking area. It has 3 separate parking areas to choose from. One in the front of the park which is more or less for patrons of Splash, one that is close to the dog park, and one that is dedicated for the shade structures at the rear of the park.
The park itself is located next to Thurston Middle School, and one of the school’s fields abuts the edge of the park. Near the dog park area is the school’s track, so there is potential for this side of Lively Park to have a lot of activity depending on what’s going on at the school. Lively park tends to be fairly busy in its high traffic areas, which is the dog park and the playground, and the rest of the park is quiet during the week.
On weekends the shade structures might also add to this busy dynamic. They are paved and have a ton of picnic tables, perfect for protection from the rain, but on days with sunny weather they commonly have groups using the area. This is another area of the park that you can use to your advantage when training your dog!
There is a short nature trail at the rear of the park which is almost totally shaded. It is gravel/dirt and simply goes from one side of to the other on the short end of the park. This path is not great for dogs who are reactive because the path just doesn’t have space to use to help your dog feel more comfortable or to get them out of any uncomfortable encounters they might be in. Overall I do not recommend this area of the park to owners of reactive dogs.
Park users tend to be very predictable, and the park has clear sightlines in most areas. People will stay in the areas they are in, and the open fields allow you to have a lot of space away from all the hustle and bustle. This park absolutely can have many people using different areas, however they are localized to specific parts of the park, making it a manageable situation with a little bit of forethought.
The shelters to the rear are first come first serve, with no reservations required. On weekends they can be busy.
Explore before you go! Take a look at my recent visit to this park.
Where is it?
Lively park is off of Thurston road and has a clear sign at the front at the turn off. It’s a simple matter of turning in, parking, and getting out there! The park is also very easy to scout, you can quickly see where the most activity is and plan accordingly for your dog. No fees or passes are required.
Here is the address : 6100 Thurston Rd, Springfield, OR 97478
