Trout Lake in Winter

Trout Lake is a small lake at Vancouver’s John Hendry Park that’s also home to the Trout Lake Community Centre and a large farmers’ market in the summer.

This article contains information about the lake, the community centre and events that take place in the area. For more information about the park and its Saturday summer market, click John Hendry Park or Trout Lake Farmers Market. For information about other events at Trout Lake, see below.

Vancouver’s Trout Lake

Trout Lake is a small urban lake located in John Hendry Park between East 14th and East 19th Avenue. Victoria Drive runs along the western side of the park and South Grandview Highway passes its northeast corner.

At the south end of the lake there are public washrooms, a concession stand and small sandy beach. Barbecues are permitted in the area and in the summer there is a swimming raft in the water. Lifeguards are on duty between late May and the beginning of September.

At 3360 Victoria Drive, the Trout Lake Community Centre is less than a 5-minute walk from the beach and between the community centre and the lake there’s an amazing children’s play area.

At the north end of the lake is another beach, although that one is also in an off-leash area for dogs (so not recommended for swimming unless you have four legs and a tail). All around the lake is a walking path, and at the park there are basketball courts, a soccer field, baseball diamond and tennis courts.

Parking at Trout Lake is free and boats are not permitted in the water (except with special permission).

The Beach at Trout Lake — Beach at south end of Trout Lake

Trout Lake Community Centre

The Trout Lake Community Centre’s address is 3360 Victoria Drive. The facilities are in the southwest corner of John Hendry Park. It’s a pretty typical community centre with a fitness centre and programs for all ages.

At the Trout Lake Community Centre there is a preschool, sports activities in the gym and programming for seniors. There are also fitness, art, dance and other classes for children, teens and adults. There are plenty of recreation programs available to the public, some aimed at kids and some at adults.

In 2010 community centre got a new ice rink. It was used by athletes at the 2010 Olympics as a place to practice. Now, it’s open to the public and has a good amount of programming – at least in normal years when there isn’t a pandemic. There is public skating, drop-in hockey and skating lessons on offer.

Trout Lake Events

A number of events take place at Trout Lake, both in the park and at the community centre. Major events include National Indigenous People’s Day on June 21st each year. There are also monthly luncheons for people aged 50 and up. A few other events happen at the park including Bike the Blossoms in April.

Summer Outdoor Concerts

In 2022, outdoor concerts are being put on every Wednesday night from July 13th to August 17th. The performances are from 6:30 pm until 8:30 pm. At the events there is usually popcorn for sale (as a fundraiser) and sometimes food trucks are there as well. Below is the schedule for the summer outdoor concerts this year.

13th of July, 2022 – Jesse Waldman
20th of July, 2022 – The Swingin’ Doors
27th of July, 2022 – Kaya Kurz
3rd of August, 2022 – Vostok
10th of August, 2022 – South Van Big Bang
17th of August, 2022 – Mariachi Tabasko
24th of August, 2022 – Checo Tohomaso and Gospel Choir

After the final performance there is a lantern procession around the lake. There are also two children’s concerts taking place on July 8th and August 19th, 2022, hosted by Music with Marnie.

Trout Lake in Autumn Video

To get an idea of what Trout Lake and John Hendry Park look like in the fall, watch the following short video.

This video shows scenes of the park in mid-October of 2020. As you’ll see the autumn colours this time of the year are impressive! In the video you’ll see ducks swimming, dogs playing at the beach and lots of people going for walks and enjoying the scenery.

For ideas on other beautiful places to explore this time of year, see our article about Vancouver’s Best Places in Autumn.