Grouse Mountain & Stanley Park

We slept in this morning and woke up at 8:30am. We had decided to go to Grouse Mountain and we would hike up as it was about 3km to the top of the mountain. We walked to the Safeway and bought some yoghurt smoothies for breakfast and a few snacks to get us through the day. We then caught an Uber to Grouse Mountain which was about 20 minutes away. The Uber driver said he was also walking up Grouse Mountain, I thought that was a pretty good deal for him getting paid to drive somewhere!

We arrived at Grouse Mountain and paid for our tickets to go down the Gondola which was $20 each as opposed to $80 both ways. The person said all the activities at the top of the mountain were free which we wanted to walk to. We found the start of the BCMC trail and started walking. As we were walking I noticed signs saying 1/50, then 2/50…, I realised this was to mark how far up the mountain had climbed. The climb was very steep and included lots of stairs. We were quite exhausted going up the mountain and stopped for a snack and a rest before continuing. As we were walking through a forest as well there were no views, just the steep sides of the mountain below us.

We continued on our way and finally made it to the top. It took us 1 hour and 57 minutes to make it to the top. The information board did say it usually takes 2 – 2.5 hours, so we were happy to have made it to the top under the 2 hour mark. There were a number of people that clearly do this climb for fitness and even a timer at the top to measure your time. We sat in the café and ordered a drink each while we ate our lunch. The views over Vancouver were beautiful, and a sign said on a clear day you can see as far as 80km.

After lunch we walked towards where the Grizzly Bears are kept. Grouse Mountain has two Grizzly Bears named Grinder and Coola.

Grinder was discovered in 2001 near Invermere, wandering alone and in poor condition. Weighing only 4.5 kg at the time, he was dehydrated and weak. Despite his smaller size, Grinder has established himself as the dominant bear in their habitat.

Coola, also found in 2001, was orphaned after his mother was killed by a vehicle near Bella Coola. He had two siblings, one which died and another which ran away and was never found again.

Both bears were brought to Grouse Mountain because there were no existing rehabilitation programs for grizzly cubs in British Columbia at that time. They now inhabit a spacious 5.5-acre natural habitat where they can engage in behaviours typical of wild bears while being protected from threats.

We stood and took photos of both the bears and watched as they were fed their lunch. We also walked past their “Den” which was an enclosure built for them when they enter hibernation. After visiting the bears, we headed back to the Gondola and waited until it was time for us to head down. There are only two Gondola’s that operate, and they can fit 100 people inside them. We crammed into the Gondola and took it back down to the carpark.

We then caught an Uber to Stanley Park where Scott had seen that we could walk along the Seawall back to the accommodation which was about 6km. The walking path was busy with people walking and cycling. As we walked towards the city, we could see the mountains in the distance and Grouse Mountain, surrounded by a port with cargo ships. We walked past the Brockton Point Lighthouse and the Nine O’clock Gun which is a historical cannon that fires every night at 9pm. We continued along the track before walking through Coal Harbour and heading back to the accommodation. We bought a few snacks to make a cheese board and some Aperol Spritz to have back at the accommodation for dinner. We tidied up the hotel room and packed up our things as we were both departing in the morning.Read more