Photo Credit: Courtesy of R.A. Smith National
Granville Park in Milwaukee, Wis., is somewhat of a secret for the dogs and their owners who are drawn to the park because of its rustic setting, as well as its access to the Menomonee River.
Owned and operated by the Milwaukee County Parks Department, the dog park was the first in the county where dogs could exercise and run off-leash. Today, it’s the largest park of its kind in the region. Although incredibly popular among regular users, there are many residents who are not aware the park exists because of its remote proximity to—and access from—a frontage road along a highway interchange. The 26-acre park is located upstream of Lake Michigan along the Upper Menomonee River.
Use of the park is limited during certain times of the year, however, because the current river-access area is in a large floodplain. In addition, many years of heavy and unrestricted trail use have caused severe soil compaction and erosion along the riverbank. This has compromised the stability of the river’s streambank, which has resulted in large amounts of sediment pouring into the river. Much of the area along the riparian terrace has been completely depleted of topsoil, uncovering the clay subsoil, which gets extremely muddy following rain events. The roots of the trees are exposed, and any understory vegetation is almost non-existent.