Home The City of Vancouver Vancouver’s John Hendry Park Trout Lake Park and Community Centre

Trout Lake Park and Community Centre

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 five-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 your dog loves to). 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 aren’t allowed 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 geared for kids and some geared for adults.

The community centre got a new ice rink in 2010. It was used by athletes during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver as a place to practice. Now, it’s open to the public and has a good amount of programming. 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 used to include National Indigenous People’s Day on June 21st each year. That event last year, however, took place at Grandview Park instead. A few other events still happen at the park, though, including Bike the Blossoms in April.

 

Summer Outdoor Concerts

In 2023 outdoor concerts happened every Wednesday night from July 12th to August 23rd. They will likely happen again this year, but with exact details to be confirmed. The performances typically run 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 too. Below was the schedule for the summer outdoor concerts last year.

  • 12th of July, 2023Sanctuary Allstars
  • 19th of July, 2023South Van Big Band
  • 26th of July, 2023 – Mariachi Tabasko
  • 2nd of August, 2023 Out In Harmony
  • 9th of August, 2023 Western Swing with Sue Malcolm & Swingin’ Doors
  • 16th of August, 2023 – The Boytles
  • 23rd of August, 2023 Checo Tohomaso & VOC Sweet Soul Gospel Choir
  • 23rd of August, 2023 Carnival Band

After the final performance there is a lantern procession around the lake. There are also two children’s concerts that take place from around mid-July to mid-August, 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.

 

 

Other Information

For more information about the community centre and its events, see the Trout Lake Community Centre website.

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