No Travel Plan : Grouse Grind

NORTH VANCOUVER, BC - It's known as "Mother Nature's Stairmaster" and it never gets easier. At least not for me. I can't speak for high-level athletes like the Vancouver Canucks. But even for them, the Grouse Grind is no walk in the park.

The Grouse Grind® (which is a registered trademark) is a 2.9 kilometre trail up the face of Grouse Mountain. It's a challenging trail and not for everyone, especially unprepared tourists. This was my fifth time climbing the Grind. I usually take time to snap a few photos and don't worry too much about my time. But being fairly competitive I really wanted to finish under an hour - which I did. My companions finished in about 46 minutes. The super-fit athletes are considerably faster, around 30 minutes.

Gets the heart going!

A long way up

A few things to keep in mind if you are planning to climb the Grouse Grind:
Check grousemountain.com to make sure it's open. Weekends are very busy. Also, bring water, a snack and proper footwear. Plan for poor weather too, just in case. And remember, it's straight up the entire way. Take lots of breaks if you need too. Plus, you have to pay $10 to take the gondola back to the bottom.

Made it!

Trail facts (courtesy Grouse Mountain):

Length: 2.9 kilometres (1.8 miles)
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

Statistics: More than 100,000 people hike the trail each year

On average it takes up to an hour and a half to complete the hike. For novice hikers, two hours is recommended

Hikers range in age from 7 to 90, with an equal male/female split

-Hikers were first recorded on Grouse Mountain in 1894 when a hunting party shot a blue grouse bird and named the mountain in the bird’s honour.

-Today's Grouse Grind was first developed in 1981 by mountaineers looking for a challenging, convenient aerobic workout to sustain them for their longer hikes.

-A revival began in the early 90s, when the trail was named the Grouse Grind in conjunction with the first ever Grouse Grind Mountain Run.

And the view is amazing...