New Caribou Bark Park gives dogs a public place to run loose and play

IDAHO FALLS – A brand-new, one-acre dog park is welcoming furry friends to a world of socializing and exploration.

The Caribou Bark Park on Easy Street behind Winco in Idaho Falls officially opened over one week ago with a ribbon-cutting by the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber. It’s a fenced in area where dogs can run and play without the owners worrying about where they’ll end up.

It consists of two fenced, triangular segments with a division between big dogs and small dogs. Caribou Bark Park features benches, seven new shade trees, a water spigot and a Mutt Mitt for dog poop scoop bags, developers said.

The park is a collaboration between the developer of the nearby Caribou Crossing townhouses — Haven Idaho — and the City of Idaho Falls. When it’s fully built, the Caribou Crossing project will consist of 89 townhomes.

Initially, the concept for a canine retreat was generated by 600 neighborhood members at a community trunk-or-treat, where 60% of respondents on a Google form said they’d like to see a dog park in the space, said Julia Ruiz, marketing manager for Caribou Crossing.

“The development decided to team up with the city of Idaho Falls and then give back by putting in this dog park first,” Brad Camphouse, Homes of Idaho realtor and the listing agent for Caribou Crossing, said.

The city will maintain the park, while Caribou Crossing provided the funding to build it.

In the future, the developers are considering adding a shade structure, along with agility equipment for the dogs.

The dog owners who visited the Bark Park for its grand opening were thrilled with the new space.

“I’m glad it’s so close to home, not on the other side of town,” Ammon resident Edie Schwarz said. “I have a small yard, which is doable, but this is far better, and (my pet Sadie) can interact with other dogs. So this is wonderful. You get to meet some of your neighbors too.”

Jenikah and Cedric Meservy brought their two dachshunds, Maverick and Lily, to explore the area.

“I love how big and spacious it is,” Jenikah Meservy said. “I like how it has little trees for shade for the dogs.”

The couple exercises their pets on an “almost daily” basis and also takes them to the Snake River Animal Park. They are grateful now for two options in Idaho Falls to meet new people and their dogs.

The grand opening also included a dog costume contest, hot dog barbecue and music.

Lonnie Lewis’s poodle Dandy won the “coolest” dog award.

Lewis moved to Idaho Falls a year ago and owns a dog grooming business.

“I like the fact that there’re small and large (dog areas) and that they’re separated out,” she said. “As a groomer, that’s super important because you don’t want to have any injuries or attacks or anything like that.”

So far, the Caribou Crossing development is in phase one, with 17 units built and 12 more under construction.

In 2026 or 2027, when all three phases of Caribou Crossing are completed, developers will build an additional park area for the community on the north side of the substation behind WinCo.

“We’d like to do pickleball courts, and we’d like to do a playground and a fitness trail,” Caribou Crossing’s Principal Developer Tanner Verhoeks said. “We’ve been talking about expanding the dog park into this area (south of the substation) too, so you have an (expanded) large dog and small dog (area). We talked about building a Hobbit Hill. Then in the winter, it could be a sledding hill for the kids.”