Portage opens 20-acre off-leash park for energetic dogs

Seven fenced acres gave Portage’s newest off-leash destination room for sprinting, recall work and safer play when the Rolling Prairie Conservancy & Dog Park opened at 211 Gunderson Drive.

The city said Portage residents can use the park free of charge. Non-residents can buy an annual pass at City Hall or pay a $3 daily fee at the park, a simple setup that makes the space useful for both local regulars and visiting handlers looking for a low-cost outlet for a high-drive dog. The park is open from dawn to dusk, which gives owners an early-morning window to burn off energy and an evening option after work.

The facility covers 20 acres total, with the dog area fenced in and split into both a small-dog area and a large-dog area. That matters for dogs that do best with room to move, because the scale is far beyond a cramped neighborhood run. It also gives handlers more flexibility for controlled free running, impulse control work and socialization without crowding. For many owners, that mix of space and separation is the difference between a quick potty stop and a real exercise session.

The dog park was part of the larger Rolling Prairie development on Portage’s north side, where it was originally expected to come later in phase two. UW-Madison civil and environmental engineering students helped shape the project by developing three dog-park design concepts through a UniverCity Alliance effort that weighed construction cost, site work, sustainability and aesthetics. Earlier project reporting had described the broader development as a 100-lot subdivision, the first of its kind in Portage in more than two decades, and said the dog park would be paired with restored prairie and walking paths.

Portage’s park system gives the new site some added context. The city says it has 22 parks and open spaces, with 19 including play or park structures, and it maintains 132.79 acres of developed park area. The Rolling Prairie Conservancy & Dog Park now adds a north-side destination built specifically for dogs that need more than a short leash and a quick loop.

The city’s Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan 2026-2030, adopted by the Common Council on Jan. 8, 2026, includes the dog park as part of that longer-range recreation push. With dawn-to-dusk access, 20 acres of total space and a fenced layout built for different sizes and energy levels, Portage now has a place where hard-charging dogs can finally run hard enough to matter.