Quick Facts

• Parking: 49°12’29.4″N 122°26’54.3″W
• Launch: 49°12’32.7″N 122°26’59.6″W
• Launching type: sandy beach
• Difficulty – very easy
• Boat traffic – no motor boats allowed
• View – conifer-covered lakeshores
• Facilities – playground, picnic tables, sandy beach, porta potties at the park.
• Overall score – 7/10

Whonnock Lake is a small, calm lake in Maple Ridge, accessible to the public from Whonnock Lake Park.

At about 800m in diameter, it’s on par with the nearby Rolley Lake in size. Being a small municipal park, the parking lot here is much smaller and there is no hiking trail around the lake. The park features a sandy beach, a playground, a covered gazebo picnic area, which provides a great variety of activities for children.

Whonnock Lake is home to the Ridge Canoe and Kayak Club. Richard Rosenthal, vice-commodore of the club of the club donated $10,000 to rebuild a flat water race course in honor of his late wife Laura Rosenthal.

I saw a series of buoys across much of the lake marking the race course. If I have a chance to paddle here, I will explore more from the water.

2024 August Update

3.5 years after our first visit under a gloomy April sky, we came back in August 2024. This time, summer was in full swing, with temperatures flirting with 30^oC.

We initially went to Rolley Lake, hoping for a hike around the lake and a bit of paddling. But the parking lot was entirely full by 11am, and cars spilled over onto the gravel road. Undeterred, we went straight for our back-up plan: Whonnock Lake, a mere 15 min drive away.

Whonnock Lake was also busy on this sunny weekend, but thankfully the parking lot was only about 90% full. We grabbed a parking spot near the lake, and set up a small picnic area right next to the sandy beach between another party and some garbage cans. Our new addition for the year: a folding BBQ table came in handy.

After a nice BBQ lunch, we went paddling on this small, calm lake. Big Bro did more swimming than paddling again, and the lake was quite warm near the surface. Water below 3-4 feet was surprisingly cold.

The lake was booming with lily pads and Blue Dasher dragonflies. And, of course, swimmers and paddlers.

After everyone had their fill of paddling (a paddle around the lake was just over 2km and took me 24 minutes), the kids had fun at the playground for a little bit. While Whonnock doesn’t have a hiking trail, it more than makes up for it with a nice playground, running water, and a covered picnic area that can be rented.

Overall, Whonnock Lake is an excellent choice for beginner paddleboarders. It’s similar in size to Rolley Lake and Sasamat Lake, two other small swimming lakes and premier destinations for beginners, but the facilities and relative ease of finding parking at Whonnock Lake makes it our new favorite small lake to recommend.