Donaldson Park is a great destination for walking, biking, racquetball, and a wide variety of outdoor activities. I recently learned that it will also serve as the venue for Parkstock 2026, a summer concert series presented by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners. It's another reason to check out one of the area's most popular parks. read more

Donaldson Park - Parkstock 2026 - Playgrounds Near Me - Highland Park, New Jersey

This is one of the most beautiful, well maintained, vast sized and clean parks you will find in the Middlesex county. We have been here regularly for various purposes - walking, taking our kid to the play area, playing basketball or tennis. This is one of the few parks that also has a pickleball facility. The parking is in pockets in different parts of the park and easily accessible from Highland Park Main Street. read more

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I had my New Jersey beagle meetup hosted here and couldn't have been happier with the venue. The dog park was very clean and unlike the ones in my area of Maryland. I was pleasantly surprised by how courteous and polite other dog owners were too. Every person picked up after their dogs and actually were paying attention to what was going on. Although I appreciated the overall cleanliness of the park, there was construction going on that made parking difficult and confusing. I ended up parking in a residential area and trekked my way there with two beagles in tow. I also wished the bathroom and the water fountains weren't shut off for the season. Aside from the small inconveniences we had, I had a wonderful time perusing this dog park facility. I look forward to hosting another beagle meetup here in the future. read more

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It's a county park that sprawls across the bottom of the hill. There's a nice children's playground as well as a baseball field, basketball courts and plenty or green space in between for a picnic area or just hanging out and getting air. There's also a nice size hill at the entrance my kids and I use it for exercise. read more

Donaldson Park - The park. - Playgrounds Near Me - Highland Park, New Jersey

Love this park! There are 2 sides. One for the big boys and one for the little ones who are 25 lbs & under. Small side has 3 benches foe the humans & big side has 5 benches. Both sides are big enough for the pups to get a good workout. The small side is usually conflict free. I have seen some fights break out on the big side. read more

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A beautiful park along the Raritan River with sports fields, courts, picnic groves, and playgrounds. It became the go-to park for some of my friends and I during the pandemic due to the location and size. read more

I go to Highland Park often, but as much as I come to Highland Park, I've never come here. I decided today to go, and I was quite surprised. Really nice park! Has a great playground for children to play, and a nice dog park for dogs to run around! It has pretty much everything you want a park to have! It is large, but it is easy to find your way around the park! I found many things for me to do if I did come back to this park, as there is something for everyone! read more

YAY DOGGIES! There's a big and small dog park. Big dogs 25+ and small dogs below 25lbs. You can bring small dogs into the big dog park but at your own discretion. No one is really there to watch except the owners of the dogs. Someone does come to open and close it later in the night. It's open until 30 minutes before sunset. There is a water fountain and bathroom right next to it, I'm not sure if it's open during the winter time but in the summer it is (the utilities I mean). The park is fenced in and enough room for the dogs to run around. Benches for owners to sit at. Doggie bags for any messes, PLEASE CLEAN UP! Great people go here, I love it. Lots of dogs at certain times of the day, many regulars. It's great. And FREE! There are double doors so no accidents of opening doors and running out. Small parking lot next to it for owners. It's a great place to meet people and socialize your pets. read more

We love this park and the people there. The large dog side has woodchips and grass, the small dogs side has grass and dust. There are benches to sit (more on the big dog side), free bags for poop, trash cans, a dog water bowl/fountain. Basically everything you need to a nice trip to the park with your dog. If your dog isnt socialized, or gets aggressive, please control them. If it happens multiple times, you need to discipline your animal and remove it from the park. read more

Good dog runs in what looks to be a nice park. Things it has going for it: - Separate large and small dog runs - Dedicated dog drinking fountain right outside the dog run - Poop bags provided - Bathrooms for humans right outside the dog run - Dedicated parking - Decent fencing Things it has going against it: - Limited shade - Limited seating - Wood chip and dirt ground cover (gets muddy after a good rain) Another dog run that has the potential to be a great dog run. Add shade and seating and move dedicated water source to inside of each dog run and this can be a 4 start dog run. Add better ground cover and better fencing and this has the potential to be a 5 star dog run. Dog runs/parks I have been to so far: http://www.yelp.com/list/nyc-metro-area-dog-parks-runs-queens-2 read more

My gf and I were looking for some cheap entertainment so she suggested we have a swing. I have to say that this park is huge...yet only has 4 regular sized swings. Of the 4 swings 2 of them were M.I.A. So what we were looking at is a massive park and only 2 swings. That seems crazy. Considering how much money Highland Park has for all sorts of frivolous things, one would really think they could afford more than 2 swings. read more

Donaldson Park - Fields and things - Playgrounds Near Me - Highland Park, New Jersey

This is nearly a 20 minute drive away from me, but I've come here recently for trikking, since I've discovered that the air at the Middlesex Greenway is polluted by a few industrial buildings that run alongside it. It's a small local park, but it has enough smooth pavement that I can make a route out of it. The most scenic part of the park is along the river, where the opposite bank is very high up. read more

Great park for a number of reasons. We primarily go for the dog park. Messy after it rains, otherwise a nice, quiet place to check out. read more

It's a great all around Park. Lots of basketball courts. Plenty of walking paths, baseball fields, and 2 dog play areas (large dog & small dog). Also has soccer fields, boat ramps to enter the Raritan River, and BBQ areas. A great place to unwind. read more

We have been looking for big dog parks and heard about this place from another person at an East Brunswick park. When we arrived, a number of dogs were already there. Ours took off to play right away. The people generally keep an eye on their dogs so we were comfortable from the very beginning. The park provides you with waste bags, benches, water fountain, and bins for regular garbage and recycling. The bathrooms are also nearby. The only downside of the place is it's mostly mulch and dirt so make sure you have something to clean off your pup if you're concerned about your car getting overly muddy. read more

Donaldson Park - Doggie bags are provided - Playgrounds Near Me - Highland Park, New Jersey

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Very nice dog park! They a big enclosed area for dogs under 25 lbs and one for above 25. Waste bags available and benches to sit. Plenty of area for the dogs to play and run hard! My dog finally was able to get a lot of her energy out! Nice place! read more

Donaldson Park - Playgrounds Near Me - Highland Park, New Jersey

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My girlfriend and I take our ferrets here. We love the big open fields, and let our ferret run free. The dog section is fenced off and it is quite the space. The park is clean as well. read more

this riverside park in the flood plain of the Raritan River is a nice place to go if you live nearby, not really worth going too far to see, an elliptical paved loop running/walking trail goes around the park.. there is a dog park, soccer field, a baseball diamond, tennis and basketball courts, numerous picnic areas including a covered one, and a boat launch. a lot of people run and walk here.. since the park is in the flood plain, sections of the path have pretty poor drainage and are often giant puddles or small ponds after rain, in which case you may prefer to walk or run on the road which leads around much of the park.. mostly this is a place to go exercise, although the view of the river and of new brunswick from here can be nice depending upon season and weather conditons read more

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Love launching the jetski here. Beautiful park, clean and well maintained. The ramp is just a little short to launch if it is low tide. Otherwise, my favorite place to launch read more

Came here for a picnic a couple of weeks back and I was generally happy with my experience here. The only downside was that there was only one bathroom (I believe) for the entire park and it was like a bathroom out of a jail. There was one urinal and one toilet. The sink was extremely dirty and the bathroom in general was dark and musty. Other than that, I enjoyed my stay here as the park offered numerous BBQ grills, playing fields, basketball courts, baseball diamonds and tennis courts. Would I come back? Probably. read more

Huge park. Bathrooms (though dirty and no soap). Good boat ramp. You can ride down to New Brunswick and dock for free, which allows you to walk around the city a bit. read more

Large dogs romp and play. Small dogs usually sit next to their families. Just watch your dog if it's less aggressive.

This is a large park that has at least one soccer field, baseball field, tennis court, playground set, picnic area, and pedestrian path. It's almost always full of locals, which depending on you is a good thing or a bad thing. My grievance is the swing situation. There are only two that aren't obviously for little children. It's a huge park, but only has two small swings? The park gods would not approve. read more

The park is well kept and the dogs that visit are pretty friendly. Athena loves this dog park.

Great clean park for big and small dogs. Sometimes there is a great group of dogs and other times it's just me and my dog. I'm sure weather determines this. Available poop bags. Water fountain outside gate. Parking nearby. Cool place for you and your doggies. read more

Great place to have your dog socialize. My only complaint is that there aren't many trees on the side for small dogs.

Love this park. Other reviewers have all stated the amenities, but I will add that if you come here regularly you get to be part of a schedule. The same people come at the same times and days. It is really quite a wonderful community to join. read more

small, fenced in area at the corner of the park closest to suskind bridge which for some reason is bedded with mulch. the mulch, which smells a little like manure fertilizer, is changed every six months or so. it's very dusty and your dog might need a bath after playing here. a few small trees, not a lot of shade. some benches, i think four. water pump is located outside the dog area by the bathrooms. a lot of patrons will bring a big bowl to fill and let the dogs share but it's a good idea to bring your own. there is a separate area for small dogs, though the rule is not enforced at all and sometimes a small dog owner will decide to come in the large dog area. this is fine, if they know their dogs' ability to play with larger dogs but often they bring them in, then complain that the owners of large dogs aren't keeping their dogs away. all dogs must be spayed/neutered but this is also not enforced at all. the only drawback on this place, besides the mulch, is the people. the vast majority are friendly, but half the time you go there you'll hear someone lecturing other dog owners on how to control their dogs. arguments seem more frequent than other dog parks, and if everyone who claimed to be "a trainer" actually was one there'd be a lot less of them. so basically, while there are very prominently posted rules (no food, no small children, no leaving your dog there unattended etc), they rely on self-policing of the owners. [this is an observation, not a criticism. i don't think there should be authorities there, it just creates a situation where it's only as good as the owners who happen to show up that day.] everyone's basically nice, but there's a lot of differing opinions on dog discipline that are strongly held, and expressed vocally by people who know a lot less about canine behavior than they think they do. read more