Grouse Mountain, Vancouver

.....in the Sumertime, Grouse mountain becomes a place for a hike. The Grouse Grind, sometimes called "Mother Nature's Stairmaster," is a 2.9 km trail leading hikers up the face of Grouse Mountain. While it is not a long trail, it is a steep and rugged one, rising 853 metres (2,800 feet).
It is a very challanging climb and once on top you can see a great sunset! If your exhausted, a cable car can provide you a ride back down however if the climb was not enough of an adventure I saw guy dressed in all kinds of padding and helments with lights take a quick agressive ride down on mountain bikes.

Grouse Mountain is an easy 15 minute drive from downtown Vancouver, located in the city of North Vancouver. From here you will get some great views of Vancouver, Stanley Park the ocean and other mountains in the area.

You can also hike to the top of Grouse Mountain but it is much easier beleive me if you just take the sky lift, it will be just a couple of minutes this way. Grouse Mountain is a ski hill in the winter but with summer events, hiking, a great restaurant and view, resident grizzley bears and much more it is a year round destination now.

Examples include the world famous Lumberjack Show, Birds in Motion, Eco Walks and summer camps.

Sweat to see Vancouver. You can get a stunning view of Vancouver on top of Grouse Mountain. Most tourists take the gondola up. But if the weather is good in the summer, why not do some exercise and go up the Grouse grind?

The grind is a trail that goes up the mountain. It is very steep (45 degrees in some places and your elevation gain is 800m in the 2.9km trail). While it takes the average person around 100 minutes, I've known people who need 3 hours to get to the top. Take small steps and pace yourself and you should be ok.

The condition in the winter can be rather dangerous, so take the grind only when weather condition permits. I don't like walking through mud, so I always wait until there had been a few sunny days before going.

Not quite up to doing it yourself in a foreign country/city? There is a local business that will ensure that you are prepared for the grind and show you the way up.

Once you get up to the top, you can purchase a gondola ticket down for $5. Credit cards are accepted.

Pick a clear day to go. Unfortunately, the weather condition on the top of the mountain changes quickly and somehow it is often foggy when I get up to the top. You would have been able to see downtown Vancouver in this picture if it wasn't for the fog.

Don't forget to walk around Grouse mountain when you are up there. There are view points and sculptures around. In the summer there are different types of interesting shows (e.g. the bird show) and moutain biking. There is also a wildlife habitat. As of 2002 there are 4 grizzly bears there.

Try taking the aerial tramway up Grouse Mountain for a hike in brisk mountain air, or just to take in the awesome scenery. It's got a restaurant on top with a great view of Vancouver and Burrard Inlet on a clear day. It also has skiing and snowboarding in the winter, which is very convenient at only 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver. Start by going north on the Lion's Gate Bridge from the city, and take the North Vancouver exit to Marine Drive, then left up Capilano Road for 5 km.