Grouse Mountain Hike – Day 5 in Vancouver

We decided on Grouse Mountain and specifically doing the Grouse Grind hike.

Before we departed for the day, I made up a little picnic with the left over ingredients from the previous night.

Grouse Mountain and the Grouse Grind

Grouse Mountain is about a 15 minute drive outside of Vancouver. We parked at the bottom of the mountain, at the start of the Grouse Grind trail.

Everything we researched ahead of starting this hike, certainly had not prepared us for what we ended up enduring. The Grouse Mountain website states:

The Grouse Grind® is a 2.5-kilometre trail up the face of Grouse Mountain, commonly referred to as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster”. 

It also mentions that the trail is “strenuous” and “there are a wide range of mountaintop trails that might better suit the average hiker”.

All of this didn’t flag the warning signs to us that it should. We also watched a YouTube video of a couple who were around the same age and fitness levels as us. Although they found it hard going, I still don’t think they prepared us either.

As soon as we started the hike, we immediately broke out in a sweat, which remained with us throughout. When you get to 1/4 of the way up, there are signs giving you the opportunity to descend back down the mountain.

I hate to admit it but I did contemplate it. The trail is a mixture of a hard hike and rock climbing. It is steps all the way. Some which are taller than your foot to knee height. Some are just boulders, which you have to find a way to conquer.

God only knows what this was like before it was rebuilt in 1996 to ensure optimum safety!

There are those people who have to show off and run up the mountain. When you see them at the beginning you think “oh this can’t be that hard”. By the end you realise they are mad but can’t rid yourself of an inner admiration .

I exercise everyday of the week for between 2-3 hours. I do a combination of running, strength, cardio, swimming, walking, pilates and yoga. Yet my legs had never experienced a workout like this. About three quarters of the way up, I finally found the stamina and will to see it to the end. Not that I had a choice.

There was a 77 year old woman who kept pace with us and in the end beat us to the finish. There was a man who carried a small child on his back all the way up! These were my heroes.

At the top of Grouse Mountain

When you get to the top you are greeted with these statistics:

Length: 2.5 kilometres (1.55 miles) 

Elevation Gain: 800 metres (2,624 feet) 

Base: 290 metres above sea level (951 feet) 

Summit: 1,090 metres (3,576 feet) 

Total Stairs: 2,830 

Average Time: On average it takes up to 2 to 2.5 hours to complete the hike.

We took just under 2 hours. When you finally get to the top you are also met with an unrivaled sense of achievement. Only your fellow Grinders feel this. And those that arrive in the Skyride cable car are treated to the smug and self satisfied face from all the hikers.

The views over Vancouver are amazing.

Once at the top there are a number of activities, which if you have any energy left you can partake in.

We chose to go and see if the bears, Grinder and Coola were entertaining. Unfortunately they were not. Instead they had decided to have an afternoon snooze. That meant we could just about see a couple of massive bear paws sticking out from the woods surrounding their habitat. Still cute though.

On the way to the cable car, we also stopped to take in the Lumberjack show. Corny but great entertainment for the kids and look at the speed in which they get up that pole…

Once you are ready to leave the mountain, then there is a Skyride. At 20 CAD, it’s definitely worth it to save those tired legs. I am pretty sure that I did see some people walking back down albeit not via the Grouse Grind.

Lonsdale Quay Market

Once we had finished at Grouse Mountain and whilst we were in North Vancouver, we drove to another place on my list to checkout. This was Lonsdale Quay Market.

This is on a much smaller scale than Granville Island Market but still worth a visit if you are in that part of Vancouver. There are also great views over the rest of Vancouver.

Whilst there we decided to sample some ice cream from Frux Gelato.

I had the Maple Walnut (pictured on the left) and my husband had the Tiramisu and Coconut. Both were delicious and we highly recommend. I liked the fact that, should you wish to you can also buy a full tub of any flavour!

Here is the selection available on the day we visited.

Once back at the AirBnB

The previous day, whilst we were at Granville Island Market we bought some steaks, potatoes and tomatoes for our dinner.

The steaks were from Armando’s and were the Canada Prime NY Striploin Steak. Look at the colour and marbling. How spectacular and unlike anything we can get in the UK.

Here they are cooking on the barbeque at our AirBnB.

Perfect companions…

And once they were finally served up.

Cooked to perfection – nicely medium rare!

Served with a bottle of our favorite grape from Liberty Wine Merchants.

Next up is our final full day in Vancouver….