Seeing Vancouver From Above

Re-establishing the Alpine Baseline: 2025

Last year, Jay and I finally broke a five-year hiatus of Grouse Mountain. The hook was a local residents' promotion for a free gondola ride, which ultimately ballooned into four separate ascents in 2025. Our first run on August 6th was foggy and cool; a solid 5°C drop from the city. We checked on the resident grizzlies, Grinder and Coola, but the skyline views were entirely socked in. Because of the gloom, the mountain threw us a makeup day on August 14th. Naturally, it was even wetter and colder. The bears stayed hidden, but the local deer were out in force. Even with the damp, we realized how much we liked having a 1,231-metre peak sitting right on our transit line.

Since the commute was so easy, we bit on an email offer for discounted senior annual passes. Three trips break even, so the math was simple. The pass paid off on August 24th, finally delivering a 29°C day with the clear blue skies we'd been hunting for. Plus, we closed out the season on October 5th. A distraction at the cruise terminal inspecting the Le Commandant Charcot ice-breaker cost us the last free shuttle of the season, but we made it up to the peak by transit for a pre-hibernation goodbye to the bears and a rare lunch in the chalet.

Today's Ascent: July 5, 2026

Today, the forecast showed a patch of blue, so we put those passes back to work.  They will expire next month.  We hit the SkyTrain at 9:40 am, easily catching the 10:40 free shuttle at Canada Place. Instead of the usual transit vehicle, a massive, dedicated tourist coach hauled us up to the gondolas. We’re basically old pros at the logistics now. Up top, we noticed a display "Grouse Gravity Coaster." It’s a new 1.4-kilometre track weaving through the trees where riders control their own brakes, dropping 90 meters at up to 45 km/h. At $29 for two minutes of gravity, it’s strictly for the adrenaline tourists. We stuck to the free chairlift.  The track itself was not in view, but we might let natural forces of nature work in our favour later this summer.  We'll see.

Grinder and Coola were dead asleep when we arrived. They've been up here for 25 years, so I suppose they've earned a nap. We left them to it and rode the lift to the peak. By the time we finished taking in the city views and breathing the thin air, the bears were awake and working the crowd.

We ended up out of sync with the return shuttle, so we just grabbed a public bus down to Lonsdale Quay and rode the SeaBus across the Burrard Inlet. Because it dropped us right at Waterfront Station, we skipped buying lunch, hopped the SkyTrain, and ate at home in New West by 2:50 pm. From the misty freebies of last summer to today's streamlined transit loop, Grouse Mountain remains an incredibly efficient backyard escape.  Ultimately, the true peak experience has nothing to do with the altitude and everything to do with successfully exploiting a senior discount to find a quarter-century-old bear taking a nap.

Sleep Well, Grinder and Coola!

We saw the forecast and the weather was going to be great today.  We were ready to use our Annual Senior Passes to visit Grouse Mountain.  

At 09:30 am, we took the SkyTrain, SeaBus, and Bus #236 to get to Grouse Mountain.  The going shuttle was full because I had us go look at an ice-breaker cruise ship called, Le Commandant Charcot, visiting the cruise terminal today.  It was the first passenger ship to head to the North Pole.  

This was the last day of the season for the free shuttle buses from the Vancouver Waterfront.  So, although we missed going on one, that is how we got back to the Waterfront.  It was 4:15 pm by the time we got to New Westminster by SkyTrain.

During our visit, we made it to the peak on the chair lift.  We spotted this buck from the lift.  However, we went to say goodbye to the two orphaned grizzlies, called Grinder and Coola, in their refuge area.  We are leaving and they will soon start hibernating for the winter.  So, we'll catch back up with them in the spring, when they're both hundreds of pounds lighter.  

It really was a gorgeous October Sunday.  On the mountain, it was probably a couple of degrees lower temps than at lower elevations.  We spent at least fifteen minutes watching a couple of grouse too.  I guess it is their mountain, at least in name.  They were very cautious but not jumpy at all.

We did have lunch in the chalet as it was getting towards 2:00 pm.  In the photo, Jay was eating a chicken burger but I had a salmon burger.  We seldom eat fast food, so today was not only beautiful but a little unique.

Grouse Mountain: Third Time's a Charm

Today, we were up on Vancouver's Grouse Mountain for the third time this August.  It started back on August 6th.  That was when the mountain offered one-day, free access to the mountain for local residents who were quick enough to snap up an online offering.  Unfortunately, it turned out to be a dark day and not a great opportunity to showcase the mountain which is only a 20-minute, free shuttle bus from downtown Vancouver.

The offer was expanded because of the first poor weather showing.  We used the same free tickets when ascending on August 14th.  That Thursday turned out to be rainy and foggier than our first trip up.  Jay and I enjoyed it nevertheless.  We saw lots of deer even though it was rather cold and damp.

We got email last week indicating that annual passes for seniors were on sale for around $30 less than the normal fee. We thought about it and decided it would be pretty easy to arrange three outings over the course of a one year period, even if we are out of town for five of each twelve months!   That is the point we break even so any additional days up there will be gravy, as the saying goes.  We got our e-passes by email but picked up the physical cards and lanyards today.  It was a grand day for our first use of them.  

The peak on the last two occasions was socked in with fog and clouds.  Today, as the pictures show, we had fine blue sky.  It was a hot day of about 29C in New Westminster and nearly the same on the top of Grouse Mountain.  We like the fact we can now go anytime when we see that the weather is good.  It takes around one hour from our apartment in New Westminster to get there.  We can go just to eat a picnic lunch and say hello to the orphaned grizzles, Grinder and Coola. 

 

     

Grouse Mountain: A Second Try.

Last Wednesday, we went up Grouse Mountain on the new, blue gondolas for free. We'd gotten tickets online before they ran out. We had to show ID as they were only available to local residents. Last week, it was a bit misty and dark so the usual stunning views of the city weren't possible. After returning home from a nice outing, we received an email.  It said that due to the poor weather conditions, we'd have another chance this week! Of three possible dates, we chose today.

   

We knew that rain is approaching the area, so we tried our second attempt in the morning. We again took the SkyTrain to the Waterfront and grabbed a free shuttle bus from there.

 

It took a few minutes to turn our paper QR codes into tickets, but we were at the top chalet by 10:55.  It was very foggy as we were in the clouds.  We could feel the mist as we moved through the cool, wet air.

   

We walked to see Grinder and Coola first. They weren't near the creek but on a far side of their 5.5-acre, fenced-off refuge area, It was pretty hard to see far, but we continued to the chairlift and went up to the peak.

   

We couldn't spot the grouse that call that area home. However, we saw more deer than ever. This doe and fawn were not afraid of us. We got really quite close.  It felt cold for mid-August.  The weather forecast mentioned the high for the day would be 16C but the wind made it feel much cooler than that.  We'd worn jeans and long-sleeved t-shirts.  So with a thin jacket we were comfortable.  I could have used gloves though.  Of course, some visitors came up in shorts and tank tops.  We saw one young guy buying a hoodie at the gift shop at the chalet.

   

We saw more deer as we descended from the peak on the chairlift.  There was a big buck that still had velvet on his new antlers.  We must've seen a total of more than six.

When we got back to where the shuttle parks, we learned that no busses were running during lunch hour.  Rather than wait 45 minutes, we took a public bus back to the Lonsdale Quay.  I don't think we'd been on the Translink Seabus yet this summer.  The short, 15-minute trip back across the Vancouver Harbour was enjoyable.

The original idea was to have lunch at the food court at the Harbour Centre.  However, as it was just 1:40 pm, we 'SkyTrain-ed' home to New Westminster for a lunch at home.  It seems as though the weather was not cooperative for our second visit to Grouse Mountain this summer.

We enjoyed our outing.  How lucky we are to live in place that so many tourists come to see!

Our Day as Local Tourists

This morning was pretty wet. We didn't rush to get ready for our trip up Grouse Mountain today. We took the SkyTrain to the Vancouver at around 11:15. That put us at the Waterfront at about a quarter to twelve. We used the proximity to have a quick food court lunch at Waterfront Center. It was our first time eating at a Basha restaurant. I guess the Lebanese food chain, founded in the 1970s, has quite a number of places in malls around the area. We were full and feel as though it was good food at a reasonable price. We'll probably look to eat at Bahsa's in their other locations. 

A lunch out really helped make it feel as though we local tourists today. The reason we chose to take a trip up the mountain was because of the free admission offered to a limited number of local residents. We filled in the online form early enough and snagged two. We availed ourself of one of the free shuttle bus provided from the tourist area next to the cruise ships this morning.  After the 25 minute trip up to the base of the mountain, we showed our ID and changed our print-out for today's tickets.

We ascended into the fog.  It was a bit cooler with the rise in elevation, probably about 5C lower than in the city.  The fog would come and go giving us glimpses of sun and blue sky.  We didn't linger at the lumberjack show, instead, we headed to see the bears.  Grinder and Cooler were orphaned more than 20 years ago and have been residents of the 5.5 acre wilderness refuge area on the mountain since then.  We often check in on them during their winter hibernation on the webcams in their enclosure.  They were out and about today.  

Jay and I went to the peak too.  It was even chiller up there but such a great ride up the chair lift in the fresh, moist air.  We felt privileged to do this today.   It had been five years since we up here last.  The last time was during COVID distancing and we had strict timings allotted.  Today, our tickets were valid from 9 am to 9 pm.

From the chairlift, we saw a doe and her offspring.  

We did get to see some grouse on the top as we did during the last visit.  It's a good name for the mountain!  The hen was large as a chicken had seven large chicks that we noticed.  When the sun came out for a few minutes, they were happy to stretch their wings to dry in the sunshine.

We headed back to the mountain base to catch a 3:40 shuttle bus back across the Lions Gate Bridge and to the Waterfront.  A SkyTrain was waiting and we smoothly made it home before 5:00 pm.  What a nice day as local tourists!  We have to do this more in the future.

Orphaned Grizzles

 

We haven't been up to see Grinder and Coola for nearly five years. 

Last week, we were happy to log into the Grouse Mountain website for free passes up the gondola for local residents. I guess the response was overwhelming as tickets were only available for several hours before they were completely gone.   We were pretty pleased to be among those who snatched several. 

Now that tomorrow is approaching, so is rainy weather! I cannot remember when we last had rain but I know we will have some tomorrow! Even if we don't have stunning views high above the city of Vancouver, we will have a chance to say hello to the bears. 

If you happen to click at the right moment, on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, you may see Jay and I doing so on one of the mountain's webcams.

Grouse Mountain by Gondola

Last night, we bought online tickets for the Grouse Mountain gondola. It was a good choice to get up in elevation as today was reported to be the hottest day of this summer. Google maintains it was 33°C in New Westminster, but roadside temperature signs indicated a whopping 37°C. 

We'd requested tickets for a 10:30 am ride up. We were a tiny bit early and pulled into Cleveland Dam for a short walk to look at Capilano Lake. We could see the gondola from there, of course. The parking lot is only about 10 minutes further up the hill.

 

The ride up Grouse Mountain takes only about seven minutes and the view of Vancouver seemed more stunning than ever on such a clear day. We think the last time we climbed the Grind, a  nearly vertical trail, was 2003 and that would've been our last visit up Grouse Mountain.

     

After a quick look in the visitor center we set out for the grizzly bears. On our last visit they were still small as they arrived at the mountain in 2001. One came from about 1000 miles north of here on the coast and the other from an area near the Rockies and Alberta. Both were cubs whose mothers had been killed. At the time, BC had no policy for abandoned wildlife. They live year-round on the mountain. They are enclosed during summers in a large area but hibernate for six months a year on their own in secluded caves nearby.

 

 

We then headed to the board the lift to the peak.

 

   

 

I am pretty sure we had never visited the very top. We saw some folks on zipline tours. We also spotted a grouse minding her four small chicks. Now the mountain seems appropriately named to us. We got a chance to walk to the large wind turbine.

 

 

It was a leisurely time up on the peak. We eventually headed back down to the main area and waited to see a presentation with three owls. We were under an umbrella because the sun was brutally bright.  We ate the sandwiches and snacks we'd brought along before the little talk.

   

Our booked ride back to the parking lot was 2:30 pm. We left a bit before that and followed the social distancing regulations by donning our masks and staying on the floor stickers in the cabin of the gondola.

Vancouverites are lucky to have this accessible mountain right on the edge of the city. It took around a half hour to get back to New Westminster via the Trans-Canadian Highway, or as we say out here, Highway 1.