Four Itchy Feet

June 30, 2025. North Vancouver, Canada. Day 40 of 170

Today we hiked our most awaited trail of the trip: The Grouse Grind. Grouse Mountain is an all-encompassing attraction located in North Vancouver. The most sensible way to reach the top of the mountain is via the Skyride, a 100-person tramway system. You can also board an 8-person gondola to reach the majestic Peak of Vancouver. Once you’re at the top, a whole playground opens up! There are numerous trails offering even better views of the surrounding mountains, city, and lakes. You can board lift chairs to go even higher for spectacular vistas. You can return to the ground on exhilarating zip line course, a mountain bike or like we saw some do, paraglide to the base of the mountain. There’s also a Grizzly Bear refuge where two rescued grizzly bears, Grinder and Coola, have a comfortable habitat. In addition, you can catch a raptor birds show and an entertaining lumberjack show.

Now, back to the Grind trail. This is a brutal, punishing trail, measuring just 1.55 miles, but its 2,624-foot ascent makes it one of the toughest trails we have ever tackled. The average completion time is between 2 and 2.5 hours. Our 14-year-old grandson completed it in 1:07:49, while the rest of us finished in 1:39:00. It was an exhausting climb, but once completed, we were overwhelmed with a sense of accomplishment. We hung around for a couple of hours, visited the bears, and took in the bird show. This will certainly be a hike we return to!

If you’re visiting Grouse Mountain, plan on spending the greater part of your day there. You can pack a lunch or eat at one of the couple of restaurants at the top. You can check the weather before you head over, and if you do climb the Grind, your return can be made easy with a “Download” ticket, which allows you to ride the gondola or Skyride down. If you’re in North Vancouver, this is one of the top attractions in the area—don’t miss it!