VANCOUVER - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 69

MM Grouse Mountain Skyride
Continuing north, Capilano Road becomes Nancy Greene Way and ends at the base of
the Grouse Mountain Skyride (604/980-9311, adult $40, senior $36, youth $24, child
$14), North America's largest aerial tramway. For an excellent view of downtown Van-
couver, Stanley Park, the Pacific Ocean, and as far south as Mount Baker (Washington),
take the almost-vertical eight-minute ride on the gondola to the upper slopes of 1,250-meter
(4,100-foot) Grouse Mountain. The gondola runs year-round, departing every 15 minutes
10am-10pm in summer.
The trip to the top is a lot more than a gondola ride—and it's easy to spend the best part
of a day exploring the surrounding area and taking advantage of the attractions included
in the price of the ride up. Of the many possible hikes, the one-kilometer (0.6-mile) Blue
Grouse Interpretive Trail is the easiest and most enjoyable, winding around a lake and
through a rainforest. Another trail leads to a fenced area where wolves and bears are rehab-
ilitated after being orphaned. The best-known hike is the Grouse Grind, from the base of
the gondola to the top. It's so named for a reason: The trail gains more than one kilometer
(3,300 feet) of elevation in just 2.9 kilometers (1.8 miles). Thousands of locals make the
trek daily as part of a self-imposed fitness program, with upwards of 100,000 completing
the trail each summer season. Once at the top, it costs $12 for a one-way ticket back down.
Other summit activities include a fun but touristy logging show, chairlift rides, a First Na-
tions longhouse with dancing and storytelling, and widescreen movie presentations of the
outdoor wonders of British Columbia and local wildlife.