As dark grey skies enveloped the sky above, I forced my legs to keep moving upward. The rough terrain of jagged rocks and makeshift stairs towered above me with no end in sight. I could feel the burning sensation throughout my legs intensify as I consciously dragged them up step after step. Beads of sweat mixed with fine droplets of rain fell down my brow as I shouted, “Why on earth did I agree to this?”
The Grouse Grind is known as the quintessential hike in Vancouver. After two years of living here, I felt as if I had no choice but to finally face the dreaded 2.5 km climb with 800 metres of elevation.
With a promise of trivia at the summit and a personal goal of trying to reach Vancouver’s stereotypical “granola girl” status, I set out with three friends to tackle the face of Grouse Mountain.
Here’s exactly what I thought of the hike.
Terrain – 7/10
Luke Faulks/Submitted
It’s no wonder the Grouse Grind is known as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster.” With a total of 2,830 stairs, the trail definitely makes you work for it.
The terrain is on the rougher side, with a mix of wooden steps and sharp rocks acting as the basis for the climb. While I had been warned about the size of the steps, nothing quite prepared me for how high I had to lift my legs with each stair.
Fortunately, as a woman around 5’9″ in her early twenties, I managed fairly well with the large steps. Don’t get me wrong, though. No amount of leg days could make this hike painless.
The best part about this hike was that it was covered. It steadily weaves its way through the trees at Grouse Mountain, which means you won’t get sunburnt as you climb.
My hiking crew and I lucked out with the conditions, with a light rain cooling us down as we moved upward. The only downside is that the rain makes the top few rocks fairly slippery as the forestry starts to become more sparse.
Overall, I would rate the terrain and conditions of the Grouse Grind a solid 7/10.
View – 3/10
Luke Faulks/Submitted
Unfortunately for the Grouse Grind, I was less than impressed by the view.
When you climb up 800 metres of elevation, the least you can have waiting for you at the end is a stunning view of BC to help make you forget the cardio you’ve just done. This hike’s view was nothing special.
I have to say that I am biased in this opinion because we went on a rainy evening, and most of the view was covered by clouds. However, I have been up Grouse Mountain before by the gondola, and even then, the view was mediocre at best.
With nearby hikes like Pump Peak or Tunnel Bluffs offering jaw-dropping scenes of mountainsides and oceans, it’s hard for the Grouse Grind view to compete.
Sorry, Grouse, you get a measly 3/10 for your view.
Crowdedness – 9/10
Luke Faulks/Submitted
With many people choosing to hike the Grouse Grind by themselves to try and hit their personal record in time, this hike was one of the busiest ones I’ve ever been on.
Despite some people preferring a less busy trail, I found it refreshing to be surrounded by hikers attempting the same challenge.
It’s comforting to say hello and make jokes through strained breaths with fellow hikers as we all ascended the mountain with red, puffy faces. Call it corny, but misery truly does love company.
It was also fun hiking this in a group, with silly games making the climb a thousand times more bearable. I’m even saying it was fun in spite of hiking with two people who just ran the half-marathon and could probably ascend the mountain in half the time we did it.
Now I’ve joined the unofficial Grouse Grind hikers club with a time of one hour and 13 minutes, I’m determined to go back and hike it in under an hour.
Yes, it was a brutal hike that left me feeling as if I had no oxygen left in my lungs. But was it worth it? Completely.