Explore Vancouver Lake

This 190-acre regional park stretches for 2.5 miles along the west shore of Vancouver Lake. With 35 developed acres, visitors can enjoy picnicking, windsurfing and sand volleyball. Vancouver Lake is great for beginning windsurfing, kayaking and canoeing and hosts many rowing competitions during the year. Learn more about Vancouver Lake Rowing Club, a non-profit youth, collegiate and masters rowing club.

The park also serves as a haven for wildlife and migratory waterfowl. Visitors to the park can also enjoy views of Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams on clear days. Aside from guide dogs and service dogs, no domestic animals are allowed on the beach or surrounding turf area of Vancouver Lake Regional Park between April 1 and Oct. 31.

Vancouver Lake At-A-Glance

Amenities & Facilities

2 picnic shelters
24 barbecue grills
65 picnic tables
2 sand volleyball courts – nets are typically up May 15 to September 15
5 pieces of playground equipment
5 drinking fountains
3 restrooms
1.06 miles of asphalt path
0.7 miles of gravel/dirt path
147 parking spaces, plus 18 disabled parking stalls

Park Hours & Parking Information

Hours
7:00 am – Dusk

Parking fees
Clark County Parks charges parking fees year-round at Vancouver Lake Regional Park. Daily parking fees are:

$2 for motorcycles
$3 for cars
$6 for cars with trailers
$8 for buses or motor homes

These are parking fees, not entrance fees. There is no charge for people who walk or bicycle into Vancouver Lake Regional Park. During the busy season, parking fees are collected from a fee booth and a parking meter. When the fee booths are not staffed, park users need to use the parking meter. Both fee booths and self-pay stations accept cash, coin, debit cards, Visa and Mastercard. They do not accept checks, Discover or American Express cards.

Frequent park users can save money by purchasing annual parking passes, which are valid at the four regional parks charging parking fees: Frenchman’s Bar Regional Park, Lewisville Regional Park, Salmon Creek Regional Park/Klineline Pond and Vancouver Lake Regional Park.

For 2020, annual parking passes cost $30. Go to the parking fees webpage for information on how to purchase annual parking passes or click here to purchase a parking pass online. Under Clark County Code, parking a vehicle without paying the required daily fee or displaying a valid parking pass could result in a $40 fine.

Upcoming Events at Vancouver Lake

Carp in Vancouver Lake

Carp in Vancouver Lake & Columbia River

In 2021, Friends of Vancouver Lake will contract with commercial fishermen to net common carp on Vancouver Lake. The effort is aimed at reducing the large population of common carp that impair water quality at the lake by stirring up lake bed sediments contributing to turbidity and harmful algae blooms.

The common carp is regarded as a pest fish because of its widespread abundance and because of its tendency to destroy vegetation and increase water turbidity by dislodging plants and rooting around in the substrate, causing a deterioration of habitat for species requiring vegetation and clean water (Cole 1905; Cahoon 1953; Bellrichard 1996; Laird and Page 1996).

Learn more about Carp in Vancouver Lake here!

Vancouver Lake Recreational Activities

Fishing

Vancouver Lake is a very diverse fishery with multiple species available, providing good fishing year round. Anglers will find more than 8 miles of shoreline to work in search of bass, catfish, crappie, trout, sunfish, perch, salmon and sturgeon. Where La Frambois Rd ends, on the south shore of the lake, there is an unimproved boat launch ramp and parking. There is no marina or rental boats. RV parks and camping is close by. Keep in mind that if you fish from a boat, the Lake’s speed limit is “no wake”. Learn more about fishing at Vancouver Lake here!

Swimming

Swimming is allowed at Vancouver Lake Regional Park, but there are no lifeguards on duty. Park users swim at their own risk. Parents are urged to be vigilant watching children near the water. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Public Health routinely monitors local designated swim beaches for bacterial contaminants to determine if the water quality is safe for swimming and recreation. If there is a problem with E.Coli bacteria in the water or presence of algae blooms, advisory signs will be posted at the lake.

Picnic Shelters

Vancouver Lake Regional Park has two picnic shelters that can seat 216 and 144 people and can be reserved for $150 a day. Each shelter can be divided in half, with a half shelter renting for $75 a day. Picnic shelters at Vancouver Lake Regional Park can be reserved from Memorial Day weekend through September 30. The start date for shelter reservations is later than at other regional and community parks because the ground at Vancouver Lake Regional Park tends to remain rather soggy until the end of May. Learn more here!

Kayaking & Canoeing

Grab your paddle and head to the water! The calm, shallow waters of Vancouver Lake create an ideal spot for kayaking, canoeing, and standup paddleboarding. Also home to masters and collegiate rowing competitions, the lake offers two and a half miles of sandy shore and picnicking grounds to enjoy when you are back on land. There is also a professional rowing club that holds competitions on the lake, so plan ahead. If a competition is taking place, parking can be a challenge as well as launching into the lake, while trying to stay out of the way of the rowers.

Hiking

Visiting Vancouver Lake is a great way to get outdoors & enjoy the wildlife & natural areas surrounding the Lake. A 2.5-mile, 12-foot wide paved trail connects Vancouver Lake Regional Park with Frenchman’s Bar Regional Park, and there’s a forest walk beginning on the North end of Vancouver Lake Park.

Hunting

Hunting is permitted in multiple areas of the Vancouver Lake wildlife units. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife offers a variety of tools to help hunters follow the regulations throughout the state. Be sure to also check the Big Game and Migratory Waterfowl and Upland Game hunting pamphlets before you go. Learn everything you need to know about hunting in the Vancouver Lake area here!

Rowing

The Vancouver Lake Rowing Club offers rowing & dragon boating to adults & children. Their primary mission is to serve the youth of our community, at risk individuals and adult rowers by teaching rowing techniques, water safety, sportsmanship, teamwork, and stewardship of resources. The Portland-Vancouver Rowing Association also provides great resources for rowing on Vancouver Lake!

Sailing

Formed in 1967 to promote one design centerboard sailing and racing, Vancouver Lake Sailing Club is a family oriented club that has included national champion sailors and even US Olympic team sailors. VLSC provides sailing educational, social, and racing events for its members, as well as sailing classes for anyone with an interest in learning how to sail.