When does the Grouse Grind in North Vancouver open?

The Grouse Grind reopens on Wednesday 11 November 2026, by Grouse Mountain's Download Ticket page. Metro Vancouver closed the trail on 13 October for annual maintenance and upgrades, seven days a week until 10 November. The window after that may be short. Most years Metro Vancouver shuts the Grind again for the winter once snow and ice make the steps too hazardous, and it posts no date for that ahead of time. Until then, the BCMC Trail stays open and tops out at the same place.

We read Metro Vancouver's Grind and park pages and Grouse Mountain's Grind, Download Ticket and Skyride pages on 16 and 17 October 2026. Metro Vancouver owns the trail inside Grouse Mountain Regional Park and decides when it opens. Grouse Mountain sells the gondola ride down.

When is the Grind open through the year?

The Grind runs as a spring-to-fall hike, with three closures that Metro Vancouver sets.

Period	Status	Who says so	What to do instead
13 October to 10 November 2026	Closed for maintenance and upgrades	Metro Vancouver	Climb the BCMC Trail
From 11 November 2026	Reopens	Grouse Mountain	Check Metro Vancouver's Grind page that morning
Winter, once snow and ice arrive	Usually closed, with no date posted	Metro Vancouver	Ride the Blue Grouse Gondola up with Mountain Admission
Spring, before the season	Closed to clear debris the winter brought down	Metro Vancouver	Watch Metro Vancouver's Grind page for the reopening
Any day of heavy rain or high wind	Can close for short spells	Metro Vancouver	Wait it out or pick a lower walk

Grouse ties the Grind's daily hours to the daylight, and it says the trail usually opens from 7 am to 7 pm at the height of summer. Metro Vancouver opens Grouse Mountain Regional Park from 7 am to 4 pm between 16 October and 10 November 2026 and moves those hours as the days shorten. Darkness comes early under the trees in fall, so carry a headlamp and start with time to finish before dark.

How do you get down from the top?

You ride, or you walk down the BCMC. Metro Vancouver bans hiking down the Grind, because falling rock and crowding on its narrow sections make downhill traffic dangerous and boots coming down damage the trail. Grouse sells a one-way Download Ticket online for $20 for ages 13 and up and $10 for children aged 5 to 12 in 2026, and its page prints no tax line. Grouse prices it lower online than at the mountain, so buy it before you start.

The ride down this season is on the Blue Grouse Gondola. Grouse closed the Red Skyride on 28 September 2026 to swap its original 1976 cabins for new ones that carry up to 95 people, and it hasn't set a reopening day. The gondola opened on 12 December 2024 and makes the trip in five and a half minutes. The first download for hikers leaves at 7:30 am.

What can you climb while the Grind is closed?

Climb the BCMC Trail. Metro Vancouver keeps it open through the closure and sends Grind hikers there. It gives the BCMC 2.9 km and 750 metres of gain in two hours or more, against 2.5 km and 800 metres for the Grind. The British Columbia Mountaineering Club's trail is the older route, and the Grind's builders went looking for a steeper line beside it in 1981. Its path is rougher than the Grind's built staircase, so wear shoes with good ankle support and carry warm layers with plenty of food and water, as Metro Vancouver asks. You may walk back down the BCMC, and Metro Vancouver times the descent at about two hours.

If you came for the view alone, ride the gondola both ways on a Mountain Admission Ticket. An adult pays $89 in 2026, and Grouse's pages don't say whether GST sits inside that price.

Who should climb the Grind once it reopens?

Fit hikers who want a short, steep workout with a timed finish get the most from it. Metro Vancouver gives the climb two hours or more for 2.5 km, and it puts the average for hikers in good shape at two to 2.5 hours. Grouse counts 2,830 steps between a base at 290 metres and the top at 1,090 metres, and it warns that the second and third quarters are the steepest. The forest covers almost all of it, so the view waits for the plateau beside the Peak Chalet. Swipe a Grind Timer card at both ends if you want your time on the board.

Skip it with a heart or breathing condition, which Metro Vancouver says rules the trail out. Dogs aren't allowed on the Grind or at the top of the mountain, and Grouse makes no exceptions. The trail has no toilets anywhere along it, so use the washrooms at the base.

How do you get to the bottom of the Grind?

Take the SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay and bus 236 from Bay 6 to the Grouse Mountain stop at the base, which Grouse puts at about 25 minutes. The 232 from Phibbs Exchange climbs through Edgemont Village to the same stop. Pay by tap or Compass Card, because a cash fare paid on the bus covers the bus alone and won't get you through the SeaBus gates.

What should you carry on the Grind in November?

Carry at least a litre of water, a snack, a warm layer, a rain shell and a headlamp. Metro Vancouver says the top can run 10 degrees colder than the base, and mild weather at the bottom can turn to snow and freezing temperatures near the top. North Shore Rescue answers about 130 calls a year, and it asks every hiker to leave a trip plan and carry its ten essentials, with a light at the top of that list. Call 911 as soon as you know you're hurt or in trouble. WildSafeBC says some black bears stay active into winter wherever they keep finding food, and feeding bears, cougars, coyotes or wolves is an offence under BC's Wildlife Act. Pack out every wrapper, since the trail has no garbage cans.

Quick answers

Is the Grouse Grind open now?

No. Metro Vancouver closed the Grouse Grind from 13 October to 10 November 2026 for annual maintenance, and Grouse Mountain reopens it on 11 November 2026. The BCMC Trail stays open meanwhile.

Is the Grouse Grind open in winter?

Usually not. Metro Vancouver closes the Grouse Grind most winters once snow and ice make the steps too hazardous, and it reopens the trail in spring after crews clear the winter's debris.

What time does the Grouse Grind open in the morning?

Grouse Mountain ties the Grouse Grind's hours to the daylight, usually 7 am to 7 pm at the height of summer. Metro Vancouver opens Grouse Mountain Regional Park from 7 am to 4 pm between 16 October and 10 November 2026.

How much is the gondola down from the Grouse Grind?

A one-way Download Ticket on the Blue Grouse Gondola costs $20 online for ages 13 and up and $10 for children aged 5 to 12 in 2026. Metro Vancouver doesn't allow hiking down the Grouse Grind.

Is the Red Skyride running?

No. Grouse Mountain closed the Red Skyride on 28 September 2026 to fit new cabins and hasn't set a reopening date. The Blue Grouse Gondola carries hikers down from the Grouse Grind and the BCMC Trail.