Grouse Grind
49°22′ N 123°06′ W2.5 km one way800 m upClosed nowTemporarily closed
The Grouse Grind in North Vancouver climbs 800 metres in 2.5 km up the face of Grouse Mountain, and it suits fit hikers who want a steep, short workout with the city spread out at the top. Metro Vancouver bans hiking back down, so plan on a $20 gondola ride, and the trail is closed for maintenance 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 and others, credited in the gallery
Field card · Hike · No. 006 · checked 16 Oct 2026
Hiking down is banned, so buy the Download Ticket online.
Grouse Grind is closed right now
Metro Vancouver closed the Grind from 13 October to 10 November 2026 for annual maintenance and upgrades, and Grouse Mountain plans to reopen it on 11 November. A winter closure usually follows once snow and ice arrive.
Is it for you?
Go for the Grind if you're fit and want a short, steep climb with a gondola ride home.
You’ll love Grouse Grind if
- You train for bigger mountains and like a timed climb with a fixed start and finish.
- You're visiting between spring and fall and can ride the 236 from Lonsdale Quay.
Think twice if
- You have a heart or breathing condition, which Metro Vancouver says rules the trail out.
- You came for the view alone, since the gondola gets you to the same spot.
- You're travelling with a dog.
- It's winter, when Metro Vancouver usually keeps the trail closed.
Pick the right months for this hike
Metro Vancouver decides when the Grind opens and closes. Most years it shuts the trail for the winter once snow and ice make the steps too hazardous, and it closes it again in spring so crews can clear the debris the winter brought down. Grouse treats the Grind as a spring-to-fall hike, and its opening hours follow the daylight, usually 7 am to 7 pm at the height of summer.
Plan how you get back down
Metro Vancouver bans hiking down the Grind, because falling rock and crowding on its narrow sections make downhill traffic dangerous and descending boots damage the trail. Ride the Blue Grouse Gondola down with a one-way Download Ticket, which Grouse sells online for $20 for ages 13 and up and $10 for children aged 5 to 12 (2026). The Red Skyride has been closed since 28 September 2026 for new cabins, and Grouse hasn't set its reopening date. You can also walk down the BCMC Trail, which Metro Vancouver times at about two hours for the descent. The first download for hikers leaves at 7:30 am.
Know what catches hikers out here
- The Grind climbs at about 56 per cent, or 30 degrees, and Metro Vancouver tells anyone with heart or breathing problems to stay off it.
- Mild weather at the base can turn to snow and freezing temperatures near the top, and Metro Vancouver says the summit can run 10 degrees colder.
- Heavy rain or high winds can close the trail for short spells.
- Darkness comes early under the trees in fall, so Metro Vancouver asks hikers to carry a headlamp and leave enough time to finish before dark.
Give the wildlife room
Grouse Mountain Regional Park protects habitat for black bears, cougars, barred owls, black-tailed deer and northern red-legged frogs. Metro Vancouver asks hikers to keep their distance from wildlife and leave no garbage behind. Feeding bears, cougars, coyotes or wolves is an offence under BC's Wildlife Act. WildSafeBC says black bears usually den from December to April, and some stay active through the winter wherever they keep finding food.
Follow North Shore Rescue's advice
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 the list. Grouse adds its own reminder to tell someone you've set out on the Grind and when you expect to be back. Call 911 as soon as you know you're hurt or in trouble, since North Shore Rescue charges nothing for a rescue.
Mountaineers who wanted a steeper training climb than the British Columbia Mountaineering Club's trail began the Grind in 1981. They followed animal paths up the face of Grouse Mountain and finished the route in the winter of 1983. It took its name in the early 1990s with the first Grouse Grind Mountain Run, and Grouse now counts more than 100,000 hikers on it each year.
Grouse counts 2,830 steps between a base at 290 metres and the top at 1,090 metres. Metro Vancouver gives the climb two hours or more, and it says two to 2.5 hours is the average for hikers in good shape. Quarter markers break the trail up, and Grouse warns that the second and third quarters are the steepest. The forest closes over almost all of it, so the view waits until you step out onto the plateau beside the Peak Chalet.
The trail is narrow, and faster climbers chasing a personal best will pass you on the left. Grouse asks everyone to keep right and keep music low, and it says early mornings are the least busy time on weekends and weekdays alike. Swipe a Grind Timer card at the bottom and again at the top if you want your time on the board in the Peak Chalet.
Winter usually shuts the Grind. Metro Vancouver closes it most years once the steps ice up, and this fall's maintenance closure runs from 13 October to 10 November 2026 before Grouse reopens the trail on 11 November. Check Metro Vancouver's Grind page on the morning you go, because heavy rain or high winds can also close it for short spells.
The 236 runs from Lonsdale Quay to the Grouse Mountain stop at the base, so you can leave the car behind. Metro Vancouver's park page prices Lot D at $2 for three hours or $4 for the day (October 2026). Grouse Mountain lists $10 for three hours or $12 for the day at the base lots on its getting-here page, which names no lot letters (2026). Check the sign at the machine before you pay. Carry at least a litre of water along with a snack, a warm layer, a rain shell and a headlamp, and pack everything out, since the trail has no garbage cans.
Worth knowing
- Buy the Download Ticket online before you start the climb, because Grouse prices it lower online than at the mountain.
- Bring a dry shirt for the gondola ride down, which Grouse itself suggests on busy days.
- Metro Vancouver hangs defibrillators at the trail's quarter markers while it's open and takes them down for the winter.
- Pace yourself through the first quarter, which Grouse calls the longest but least steep.
Quick answers about Grouse Grind
Can you hike down the Grouse Grind?
No. Metro Vancouver doesn't allow downhill hiking on the Grouse Grind. Ride the Blue Grouse Gondola down with a Download Ticket, which costs $20 online for ages 13 and up in 2026, or walk down the BCMC Trail.
When does the Grouse Grind reopen?
The Grouse Grind reopens on 11 November 2026, according to Grouse Mountain, after Metro Vancouver's maintenance closure from 13 October to 10 November. The BCMC Trail stays open in the meantime.
How long does the Grouse Grind take?
Metro Vancouver gives the Grouse Grind two hours or more for 2.5 km and 800 metres of climbing. Hikers in good shape average two to 2.5 hours.
Is the Grouse Grind open in winter?
Usually not. Metro Vancouver closes the Grouse Grind most winters once snow and ice make it too hazardous, and Grouse Mountain treats it as a spring-to-fall hike.
Are dogs allowed on the Grouse Grind?
No. Dogs aren't allowed on the Grouse Grind or at the top of Grouse Mountain, and Grouse makes no exceptions.
Can you get to Grouse Grind by bus?
Yes. The 236 stops at Grouse Mountain (stop 54290).
Within 12 km
Hikes nearby
Within 12 km
Sights nearby
Within 12 km
Places to eat and drink nearby
In the journal and guides