Alouette Lake Beach Lawns

Alouette Lake is about 10 kms from Maple Ridge in Golden Ears Provincial Park and it is a large lake with one of Metro Vancouver’s most popular campgrounds.

This article includes the following information about Alouette Lake:

Alouette Lake Beach

The beach at Alouette Lake is one of the most popular in Metro Vancouver, both for people and geese. The views of the lake with the surrounding mountains are quite spectacular, and the expansive lawn in front of the beach is a great spot for picnics.

Golden Ears Provincial Park is about an hour’s drive from downtown Vancouver, and Alouette Lake lies seven kilometres beyond the park entrance.

At the beach there is a designated swimming area, canoe and kayak rentals in the summer, and BBQ attachments on some of the picnic tables. Fishing, windsurfing and water-skiing are also popular on the lake.

The beach itself isn’t the best, but it’s still okay. It’s more rocky than sandy, and can be muddy in parts in the water and near the shore. If you have water shoes they can be good to wear.

There are no lifeguards at the beach, so you swim at your own risk. There are flush toilets and sinks with running water, but only during certain hours and peak months. At other times there are outhouses.

The parking lot at the Alouette Lake beach day-use area is massive, but it can still fill up on hot days in July and August. It fills especially quickly on statutory holidays and weekends.

Alouette Lake Campground

Alouette is one of three campsite areas in Golden Ears Park. It is the largest of the three campsites and is a really good one, although it’s a bit of a hike from the water. The only other slight drawback is that the roads are gravel and can become dusty. Other than that, the campground is near perfect and one of the very best in Metro Vancouver.

At Gold Creek and Alouette, the camping fee is $35 per night in 2025. Overnight the campgrounds are for registered campers only, but a parking lot for visitors is available during certain daylight hours. Golden Ears campgrounds tend to fill up most weekends during the summer, early booking is recommended.

Alouette Campground offers hot showers, flush toilets and a small on-site coffee shop. It sits in a beautifully forested area with mossy ground between sites and plenty of shade and privacy. Golden Ears Campgrounds tend to be lively with a younger crowd and lots of families visiting from the city.

Click campground map for a map of the Alouette campground.

TIP #1: Camp sites A85 to A91 are closest to the trail to the lake, as well as close to washrooms and water taps. Try to get one of these if possible.

TIP #2: Alouette is a popular campground in the summer, so be sure to make reservations (starting around mid-March and up to three months in advance of your reservation date). Click camping reservations to book your spot.

TIP #3: Wear sturdy shoes for the walk from Alouette Campground to the beach. The trail is steep in sections and can be up to 1 km from the farther campsites.

Alouette Lake Video

The following video is of Alouette Lake in May of 2020. It shows the beach, surrounding mountains and views from the lake. As you’ll see in the video, the place is popular with geese. There are often at least a few of the large birds in the area, plus lots of their droppings on the beach and surrounding grassy lawns.

In the Alouette Lake Area

Alouette Lake is in Golden Ears Provincial Park, which is one of the largest parks in British Columbia. There is a river and trails to waterfalls just a short drive from the Alouette Lake beach and campground. The park also features extensive trails that are popular with both hikers and horseback riders.

Not far from Alouette Lake is Rolley Lake, another one of our top recommended provincial campgrounds, and Stave Falls Powerhouse, where BC Hydro has an interesting visitor’s centre, which is an especially good place to go on rainy days while camping.

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE TIP

Not far from Alouette Lake and Golden Ears Park is WildPlay. It’s an outdoor adventure centre with ziplines and ropes courses in Maple Ridge. If you’re in the area and looking for an incredibly fun activity, then check it out! You won’t be disappointed!

Tips & Advice

Below are some suggestions and additional information to help you make the most of your visit to Alouette Lake.

TIP #1: Dogs aren’t allowed on the main beach (which is typical for Lower Mainland beaches). Just up from the main beach and right beside it, however, is a smaller beach where dogs can go.

TIP #2: Because of the mountains and forest, the sun goes down early at Alouette Lake. On the May Long Weekend, for example, the sun starts to disappear at around 6:30 pm.

TIP #3: The change house at the beach at Alouette Lake is open from around mid-May until mid-September between 8:00 am and dusk. It’s closed at other times. Pit toilets up by the parking lots, however, are available year-round.