Hiking the Grouse Grind

My friend Christopher and I hiked the Grouse Grind Trail during my week long visit to Vancouver, B.C. in May, 2016.  The trailhead is on the right side of the road about 25 meters before the Grouse Mountain gondola parking entrance.  The hike is a 2.9 kilometer trail up the face of Grouse Mountain, one of the North Shore Mountains of the Pacific Ranges, in North Vancouver, B.C.
Here are a few Grouse Grind facts:
Elevation Gain: 853 metres (2,800 feet)
Base: 274 metres above sea level (900 feet)
Summit: 1,127 metres (3,700 feet)
Total Stairs: 2,830  (it’s not all stairs, but mostly)
The Grouse Grind is considered a serious workout and Chris and I were up to the challenge.  We shared a day pack to stow our rain jackets, energy bars, some dehydrated fruit, and 2 1-litre bottles of water.  With my camera bag in tow, we started about 1100h and made our way up the mountain side at a leisurely pace and stopped from time to time for a rest and for some photo taking.  The trail was fairly busy, always people in close proximity either passing or being passed.  Some hikers were clearly motivated to get up to the mountain top quickly.  Such hikers were in fine form, some were gasping loudly for air short of hyperventilating.  There was low cloud cover so it didn’t take long before we ascended into the mist which gave it an ethereal feel.  After 2 hours of hiking we reached the top, brushed our shoes from the dirt, and relaxed at the Grouse Mountain restaurant for lunch.  The Grouse Grind sandwich was delicious, highly recommended!  Although the hike up the mountain was free, it cost us $10 for the gondola ride back down.  Hiking down the mountain is not allowed.
Click on photos for larger size.

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The hikers (me on the right and photographer at work)

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