The Northbrook Dog Park is located here, with two fenced-in areas for large or small dogs. There is also a Picnic Shelter, Dog Wash, Benches and Parking.

Access to the dog park requires an annual membership. Visit the Northbrook Dog Park Page to learn more about the membership process.

History

Adjacent to the Northbrook Post Office, this site originally housed a Coast Guard radar station. The Park District developed the dog park in response to a growing interest from the community, as expressed in surveys and public meetings.

On July 24, 1978, the Park District acquired just over four acres of land from the U.S. Department of the Interior after the radar towers were torn down and the property declared surplus. The Cook County Forest Preserve and the U.S. Postal Service split the rest of the 25-acre parcel. The Park District chose the name Coast Guard Park on September 29, 1993.

The park sits on Dundee Road, which is a state-designated Blue Star Memorial Highway, paying tribute to the U.S. Armed Forces. The Northbrook Park District and Northbrook Garden Club created a memorial garden at the park and dedicated a Blue Star Marker to honor local veterans on May 9, 2002. In 2007, the Park District installed four trees to frame the garden and provide wind protection. Garden Club members planted perennials and annuals to provide continuous color in a red, white and blue theme, with yellow for remembrance. Members of American Legion Post 719 attended a rededication of the site, and the garden restoration won a blue ribbon and the Education Award at a flower show at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

In September 2013, construction began on the dog park, after the Park District obtained easement agreement with Underwriters Laboratories to allow the use of its driveway as an entrance to the park. The District also signed an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County that allows access through the park for prairie maintenance in exchange for the use of its fence. The Northbrook Dog Park at Coast Guard Park opened on December 17, 2013 and is the only public area in Northbrook where dogs are allowed to run and play off-leash.