Vancouver’s John Hendry Park is home to Trout Lake, the Trout Lake Farmers Market, Trout Lake Community Centre, a small sandy beach and a great children’s playground.
Vancouver’s John Hendry Park
At the John Hendry Park there are walking trails, an off-leash dog park, various sports facilities and the Trout Lake Community Centre. It’s one of the nicest and most popular parks within the City of Vancouver, especially in the summer.
About John Hendry Park
John Hendry Park is a great park to visit, especially between mid-spring and early fall. It’s located in Vancouver along Victoria Drive between 13th Avenue and 19th Avenue. The Trout Lake Community Centre is close to the southwest corner of the park at 3360 Victoria Drive.
In the winter, when the trees are all bare, the park is okay, but not so special. In the summer, however, it’s an especially beautiful and vibrant park with grass lawns, walking trails around Trout Lake and the occasional festival or event.
Trout Lake and Trout Lake Beach
Trout Lake is a small lake located at John Hendry Park. It has walking and jogging trails all around it and a couple of small sandy beaches.
There is a concession stand near the beach on the south end of the park, and there are lifeguards on duty from late May until early September. Seasonal fire restrictions permitting, barbecues are allowed in the area. Except with special permission, boating is not permitted.
There is a popular off-leash dog area on the north end of the park. When the weather is nice, there are often many dogs enjoying the water and running around freely.
Trout Lake Community Centre
The Trout Lake Community Centre is a neighbourhood community centre that offers year-round programming, a fitness centre, and outdoor tennis and basketball courts. It’s also where you find the park’s best parking.
One of the biggest features of the community centre is its ice rink. During normal times the rink offers public skating, drop-in hockey and skating lessons. It also served as a practice facility for athletes during the 2010 Olympics.
Other Park Amenities
Other great features of John Hendry Park include a couple of great children’s play areas, picnic sites, and jogging and walking trails. There are also a couple of baseball diamonds.
Special Events
The Trout Lake Farmers Market takes place on Saturdays from May to October. If you like farmers markets, then the one at Trout Lake is one of the best to see. It’s one of the area’s biggest markets, with a wide variety of food and local crafts available. In spring there is also Bike the Blossoms which is a leisurely cycling event that starts in John Hendry Park and part of the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival.
Trout Lake in Spring Video
Below is a video that will show you what Trout Lake and John Hendry Park look like in spring. It was taken in mid-March, which is why you’ll see cherry blossoms on some of the trees.
The video begins in the northwest corner of the park, not far from the main parking lot. It then goes around the lake in a counter-clockwise direction. It ends near the same spot, just past the beach and off-leash dog area at the north end of the park.
As you’ll see in the video, Trout Lake is pretty this time of year. It’s also a great spot for a stroll or leisurely bike ride.
To see a video of the same area, but in autumn, see our article about Trout Lake.
Other Information
To learn more about the park, see the City of Vancouver‘s website.
For information on other parks in the Lower Mainland, see Vancouver’s Best Places in Parks and Nature.
For details on the weekly Saturday summer farmers market at John Hendry Park, check out the Trout Lake Farmers Market.
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