My golden retrievers are begging..... (Evanston, Northbrook: price, beaches, nicest)

[GoldenRetriever]

... my goldens are begging for me to find a good sized dog park for them to run in. We just moved to the north suburbs near Deerfield. We've been to the Jaycee dog park on Wilmot but it's a tad tiny. They are used to big open spaces. Are there dog parks around Deerfield/Northbrook that are reasonably priced (I know most places require a permit and that can get expensive for non-residents), have a lot of space, and within easy drive from Deerfield/Northbrook?

Thank you so much in advance for your input!

[Flatlander]

If it's not too far to drive check out the Evanston dog beach. It's one of the biggest and nicest dog beaches I've ever seen (mine used to go all the time). It's technically open year round and I believe you won't need a pass after the month of October. You can check those dates and the rates for a pass at City of Evanston - Parks, Forestry & Recreation - Beaches - Dog Beach (http://www.cityofevanston.org/departments/parks/beach_dog.shtml - broken link)

I also saw a really huge dog park somewhere in Lake County; I'm sorry I don't remember what town I was in and this was a few years back but check out Lake County's website and you can probably find there dog parks. This might be a better option because it's probably free!

[TTTenor]

There are four dog parks in Lake County, but the annual fee is $120.00 if you are not a Lake County resident.

You could check out the website for the Beck Lake Dog Area which is part of a Cook County Forest Preserve.