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| Hiking | 1.65 Miles |
2,582 AEG |
| | Hiking | 1.65 Miles | 56 Mns | | 1.94 mph |
| 2,582 ft AEG | 5 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I headed up to Vancouver for a long weekend and had a few hours to adventure on my own. I did some hasty research and most of the hikes I wanted to do were either too far or buried under snow. I came upon the Grouse Grind and thought it looked fun. I did more research and it was still closed for the season. I had a feeling this was one of those trails that said it was closed but was unofficially open. I looked over a map and came up with backup options and decided to go for it!
I left my hotel in downtown Vancouver and made the drive to Grouse Mountain. It was an overcast day with some light rain falling. I arrived at the resort and was able to park for free on the street. You pretty much have to pay to park everywhere in Vancouver. I got lucky here! I walked around the area and then headed over to the trailhead. There are some informational signs and a fence that was locked open. I walked past the fence and started in. A short walk ahead brought me to a closure sign stating the trail was not open. I could see two other hikers on their way up so I decided to head on up!
The Grouse Grind immediately starts out with a big climb that never lets up. I set a moderate pace as I made the climb up. Along the way there are markers announcing your progress that are broken down one at time ending at 40. The trail also has markers for the quarter, halfway and three-quarters mark. I kept at the climb and hit snow roughly two-thirds of the way up. I kept going and the snow grew heavier and became a bit sketchy. I was wearing trail runners and my Jansport backpack and was dripping with sweat. I removed my fleece and wore my tee shirt. I continued up and started to have some doubts on conditions and considered turning around. I could see a hiker approaching on his way up so I waited and asked him some questions. He said the trail is always open and asked if I had a traction device. I told him no and asked him the same question. He said no as well and also stated this was his second summit of the day. I decided to follow him and I’m glad I did. The rest of the way up went well. The snow has a foot path beaten into it and is fairly easy to stay on. A few minutes later we topped out at the ski hut.
I said goodbye to the local and headed into the ski hut which is loaded with amenities. There’s a coffee shop, restaurant, gear store, gift shop and a Gondola. I hung out for a while and then paid the ten bucks (Canadian Dollars) and rode the Gondola down. This was a great option but the top of the mountain was choked in with fog so my views were limited. This concluded my first hike of the day. I then headed over to Cleveland Park and returned to my hotel afterward. I was off to a good start!
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