BCMC Trail
49°22′ N 123°06′ W2.9 km750 m up
The BCMC Trail in North Vancouver climbs 750 metres in 2.9 km through old-growth and second-growth forest to the top of Grouse Mountain, and it suits fit hikers who want the Grind's challenge on a rougher, more rustic path. Metro Vancouver lets you walk back down it, so the gondola fare is optional, and it stays open while the Grind is closed until 10 November 2026.
Trail closure
The Grouse Grind closes for maintenance until 10 November
Metro Vancouver closed the Grouse Grind on 13 October 2026 so crews can repair and upgrade it, and it stays shut seven days a week until 10 November. Grouse Mountain plans to reopen it on 11 November. The BCMC Trail stays open and tops out at the same place, so wear hiking shoes with good ankle support and carry warm layers and plenty of water.
Checked 2026-10-17 · metrovancouver.org
Closed
The Red Skyride stops running while Grouse fits new cabins
Grouse Mountain shut the Red Skyride on 28 September 2026 to swap the tram's original 1976 cabins for new ones that carry up to 95 people. The Blue Grouse Gondola keeps running between the base and the top of the mountain, and hikers coming off the BCMC Trail or the Grouse Grind ride it down. Grouse has set no reopening day yet and says it will announce one.
Checked 2026-10-16 · grousemountain.com
Photo Ecoscapes · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Field card · Hike · No. 001 · checked 16 Oct 2026
From October, carry a headlamp, since dark comes fast in the trees.
Is it for you?
Pick the BCMC when the Grind is shut or when you want to walk back down to the base.
You’ll love BCMC Trail if
- You want a Grind-sized climb with the choice of hiking back down.
- You like a rustic path through old-growth trees.
Think twice if
- You want an easy walk, because Metro Vancouver rates the route challenging.
- You're bringing a dog.
Pick the right months for this hike
Metro Vancouver opens Grouse Mountain Regional Park from 7 am to 4 pm between 16 October and 10 November 2026, and it changes those hours with the daylight. It publishes no winter closure for the BCMC. Its Grind page warns that mild weather at the base can turn to snow and freezing temperatures near the top, so set a turnaround time on a cold day and use it.
Plan how you get back down
Metro Vancouver lists the BCMC as one of the two ways down from the top of the Grind, and it times the walk down at about two hours. To ride instead, buy a Download Ticket from Grouse, which costs $20 online for ages 13 and up and $10 for children aged 5 to 12 (2026) and covers one trip down on the Blue Grouse Gondola. The Red Skyride stays closed for new cabins until Grouse announces a reopening date.
Know what catches hikers out here
- Metro Vancouver rates the BCMC challenging for its steepness despite its short length, and the path is more rustic than the Grind.
- Snow and freezing temperatures can wait near the top on days when the base feels mild.
- The descent takes about two hours on Metro Vancouver's estimate, so keep enough daylight in hand for the walk down.
- Metro Vancouver installs defibrillators at markers on the BCMC and the Grind while they're open and removes them for the winter.
Give the wildlife room
Metro Vancouver says the park is habitat for bears and cougars, and it asks hikers to stay well back from wildlife and leave no garbage. Feeding bears, cougars, coyotes or wolves breaks BC's Wildlife Act. WildSafeBC says black bears usually den between December and April, and some keep foraging all winter where food is easy to find.
Follow North Shore Rescue's advice
North Shore Rescue answers about 130 calls a year, and it asks hikers to leave a trip plan with someone reliable and to carry its ten essentials. Set a turnaround time before you start, as it advises. If you get lost, stay put and avoid heading downhill off the trail, because the ravines here are steep and unstable. Call 911 early, since a North Shore Rescue callout costs nothing.
The Grind's builders went looking for a steeper line than the British Columbia Mountaineering Club's trail in 1981, and that older club route is the BCMC. Metro Vancouver now runs it as part of Grouse Mountain Regional Park. Steep slopes and rock cliffs line parts of the climb under big trees, and the forest mixes second growth with old growth.
Metro Vancouver gives the BCMC two hours or more for 2.9 km and 750 metres of gain, and it allows the Grind the same. Grouse puts the average at two to 2.5 hours and rates the trail challenging. The path is rougher than the Grind's built staircase, and both trails finish at the same place on the plateau near the Peak Chalet.
While the Grind is shut for maintenance from 13 October to 10 November 2026, Metro Vancouver sends hikers here and asks them to wear shoes with good ankle support and carry warm layers along with plenty of food and water. The park opens from 7 am to 4 pm until 10 November, and Metro Vancouver changes those hours as the days shorten. Grouse runs a timer at the BCMC as it does on the Grind.
The 236 runs from Lonsdale Quay to the base of Grouse Mountain, and drivers pay $2 for three hours or $4 for the day in Metro Vancouver's Lot D (2026). If you walk down to save the Download Ticket, leave about two hours of daylight for it.
Worth knowing
- Decide before you start whether you'll walk down or ride, and buy the Download Ticket online if you're riding.
- Carry a headlamp from October on, because Metro Vancouver warns that darkness comes quickly under the trees.
Quick answers about BCMC Trail
Is the BCMC Trail open while the Grouse Grind is closed?
Yes. Metro Vancouver keeps the BCMC Trail open during the Grouse Grind's maintenance closure from 13 October to 10 November 2026, and both trails finish at the same place at the top of Grouse Mountain.
Can you hike down the BCMC Trail?
Yes. Metro Vancouver lists the BCMC Trail as a way down from the top of Grouse Mountain and times the descent at about two hours. The gondola down costs $20 for ages 13 and up with an online Download Ticket (2026).
How hard is the BCMC Trail?
Metro Vancouver rates the BCMC Trail challenging. It climbs 750 metres in 2.9 km on a more rustic path than the Grouse Grind, and Metro Vancouver gives it two hours or more.
Are dogs allowed on the BCMC Trail?
No. Metro Vancouver doesn't allow dogs on the BCMC Trail or the Grouse Grind.
How long is the BCMC Trail hike?
Metro Vancouver Regional Parks gives BCMC Trail as 2.9 km, 750 m climb, 2 hrs+.
Can you get to BCMC Trail by bus?
Yes. The 236 stops at Grouse Mountain (stop 54290).
Within 12 km
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