Lafarge Lake and Town Centre Park: Coquitlam's front lawn

Every city needs a front lawn, and Coquitlam's is Town Centre Park: 42 hectares (103 acres) of lake, lawns, trails and sports fields in the middle of the city, wrapped around Lafarge Lake and sitting directly beside the Lafarge Lake-Douglas SkyTrain terminus.

From gravel pit to city park

The park's origin story is a satisfying one. It was developed from a former gravel pit in the 1990s and has grown into what the city calls a premier destination urban green space, drawing both locals and visitors from across Metro Vancouver. The opening of the Millennium Line's Evergreen Extension in 2017, which lands passengers at the park's doorstep, locked in its role as the city's gathering place.

To keep it that way, Coquitlam adopted a Town Centre Park Master Plan in 2018, a 15-to-20-year framework built on four principles: a place of destination, connection, evolution and celebration. Upgrades are phased as short, medium and long-term projects running to 2037.

What to do at the park

• Walk the Lafarge Lake loop. The flat, paved loop around the lake is the park's everyday workhorse: joggers at dawn, strollers at noon, sunset laps after work.
• Watch or play sports. The park holds sports fields, courts and the adjacent Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex within a short hop.
• Fishing. Lafarge Lake is stocked and popular with casual anglers; check provincial freshwater fishing regulations first.
• Festivals. The park is Coquitlam's festival ground, home to big annual events including the city's winter lights display around the lake.
• SkyTrain-accessible picnicking. Few regional parks anywhere sit this close to rapid transit.

Construction to know about right now

If you visit this fall, expect some fenced-off areas. Construction of the Town Centre Park Tennis Court Relocation Project began in early October 2026, with the site fenced starting the week of October 5.

The new dedicated tennis facility will include 10 full-size courts and one half court, a net gain of two courts, plus LED sports lighting, spectator seating, a drinking fountain and bottle refill station, and four accessible parking stalls. Work runs in phases through the end of 2027, with temporary trail closures and detours around the work areas. The city asks visitors to follow posted signs.

Separately, a Metro Vancouver water main project (the Coquitlam Water Main, Robson to Guildford section) runs along Pipeline Road east of the park, and the city has its own planned upgrades to Pipeline Road.

Getting there

Take the Millennium Line to Lafarge Lake-Douglas Station and you are there. Driving works too, with parking lots around the park, though event days fill them up.

The master plan's three phases

The 2018 master plan organizes the park's evolution in three windows: short-term projects from 2018 to 2022, medium-term work from 2023 to 2028, and long-term projects from 2028 to 2037. The tennis court relocation now underway belongs to the medium-term wave. The plan's four guiding principles, place of destination, connection, evolution and celebration, are meant to keep each upgrade aligned with the park's role as a regional gathering place rather than just a neighbourhood green.

Festival central

Town Centre Park is where Coquitlam celebrates. The city's biggest outdoor events land here through the year, capped each winter by the lights festival around Lafarge Lake, when the loop trail becomes a free walk-through light display that draws visitors from across the Lower Mainland. The SkyTrain terminus beside the park is what makes those crowds possible, a point the city itself makes when pitching event sponsors.

Practical notes

The park is free and open year-round. Washrooms and community facilities are available at the Town Centre Park Community Centre and nearby recreation facilities. Parking is available in lots around the park but fills on event days, when the SkyTrain is the smarter option. Dogs are welcome on-leash on the trails.

Around the park

The park sits inside Coquitlam's city centre, so a visit combines easily with the rest of the district: the city's main library branch, the Evergreen Cultural Centre's theatre and galleries, the aquatic and recreation facilities nearby, and the shops and restaurants around Coquitlam Centre, all within walking distance. For families, the playground and spray areas near the lake make it a full half-day outing in summer.

For runners, the lake loop doubles as a measured, flat training lap, and the park's trail connections continue into the wider city trail network for longer routes.

Why it matters

As Coquitlam's city centre densifies, Town Centre Park is the release valve: the place where tower dwellers get their grass, water and sky. The master plan's long horizon to 2037 is essentially a promise that as the skyline grows, the park grows with it, which is why each construction fence, including the current tennis project, is a down payment on the park the city will need in a decade.