Today we went for a walk at La Plancha Park, the newest huge infrastructure in our beautiful city of Merida, Yucatan. We could go on about the size, the modern architecture, the amenities, and so much more – because they are all impressive – but this is a dog’s eye view. After all, we are Pet Friendly Yucatan!
What is La Plancha Park?
La Plancha Park is a huge project build by the Federal Government of Mexico to provide a much needed large recreational area for this fast growing city. The park is nearly 10 acres in size and the designers have managed to provide an incredible number of activities within this space. We’ll list some of them below.
- Bicycle, walking, and jogging paths.
- Skate park.
- Two dog parks – one for big dogs and one for little dogs.
- Covered and open children’s play areas.
- A lake with fountains that are lit up at night.
- A huge amphitheatre.
- A swimming area.
- A food court.
- Trains – lots of old trains as the area used to be a train station.
- A new tram station – not yet open but will connect Merida to the Tren Maya station in Teya
- So much more.
Is La Plancha Park pet friendly?
We wanted to tell you about the park from a pet friendly perspective and, of course, this is just our opinion, so we’d love to hear what you think if you visit the park with your dog.
There are lots of great things for dogs and dog carers to enjoy in the park, but we also have some concerns. So, we’ll list the Pet Friendly Pros and Cons below.
Pros
- Dog parks within La Plancha Park for large and small dogs.
- Robust and fun equipment for dogs to play on in the dog parks.
- Dog poop bin well placed and visible in the dog park area.
- Lots of space for everyone to find a spot to enjoy with their dog.
- Great paths for walking and a large lake to enjoy a relaxing stroll with your dog.
- Lots of trees and landscaping for dogs to enjoy sniffing.
Cons
- Dog park areas are next to skateboard park with lots of loud unpredictable noise. Not good for sensitive dogs.
- No airlock on dog park gates making them unsafe for off lead play or for preventing altercations between dogs in the park and those entering.
- No list of rules or guidance on using dog parks safely and responsibly.
- The food court is not pet friendly.
- Swimming area is for children and not for dogs, but we expect there may be some overlap as there is no fence around the area.
- Not enough bins throughout the park and definitely more dog poop bins are needed.
Where is La Plancha Park
La Plancha Park is located in Merida, Centro along Calle 50 from around Calle 39 – Calle 47. There is parking all around the park and soon it will be a public transportation hub with the new tram station opening next year.
Our pet friendly conclusion
We are very excited about La Plancha Park. It is not finished yet and we are looking forward to seeing more of the improvements and activities they are making available to the community within this wonderful space. We hope those improvements will include better fencing, maintenance of the grass in the dog park areas, shade in the dog park areas and places for dog walkers to purchase refreshments that are pet friendly.
We recommend that dog walkers bring plenty of water as the park is deceptively large and right now shade is limited until the newly planted trees start to spread and grow. We also remind everyone that this area is very prone to firework and banger activity, so if you have a noise phobic dog, it may not be a safe place for you.
If dog walkers respect the space by picking up after their dogs, and respect each other and other park users by keeping their dogs on a lead in the public areas, it will be a wonderful place for everyone to enjoy safely.
If you want more information about Park La Plancha from a Pet Friendly Perspective, let us know. Or, if you have your own stories to share, we’d love to hear them.
Pet Friendly Yucatan 
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