Conquering Heights: Our Adventure Climbing Grouse Mountain
Venturing further afield, we took a short trip to Grouse Mountain, a popular winter ski destination that transforms into a haven for outdoor enthusiasts during the summer months.
There are 2 ways to get to the top of the mountain. The Skyride gondola which costs $75, and includes a round trip and access to the mountaintop activities or climb the 2830 steps to get to the top!
We decided to do the Grouse Grind climb, also known as Mother Nature's Stairmaster!
The 2.9 km trail, with an elevation gain of 853 metres (2,800 feet), was a challenging climb, composed of steep inclines and rugged terrain.
The trail's markers, each indicating a fraction of the journey completed, provided a sense of accomplishment that propelled us forward.
Finally, after hours of exertion, we reached the summit! We had conquered Grouse Mountain!!
At the top of the mountain, there are several attractions and activities including a lumberjack show, a chairlift ride, a grizzly bear habitat, bird shows and shopping. Before we could do any of that we needed food!
There are several places to get food at Grouse Mountain. We chose to go to Altitudes Bistro because I had seen online that they have vegan food options. When I looked at the menu, I saw vegetarian options but nothing vegan. I asked the waitress and she said they only had salad. There was a Beyond Meat burger on the menu and when I asked if it was vegan, she said the patty wasn’t vegan but she also didn’t seem overly confident. We decided to get the burger anyway and just asked for no cheese or mayo. We had just hiked for two hours and a salad wasn’t going to cut it!
After lunch we did some souvenir shopping and checked out the bear habitat.
We finished the day with an iced coffee on the upper deck while we enjoyed the amazing view.
I am terrified of heights so the thoughts of the Skyride down the mountain was much more scary than climbing up. I had read online that standing in the middle is best for people afraid of heights so that’s what I did and I was completely fine. The ride down was quick and we were back in the car in no time.
Just so you know, you aren’t allowed to climb down the Grouse Grind and they make you pay $20 for the Skyride down.
However, we did see another pathway down that some people were taking instead of paying for the Skyride.
