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JCL123 from North Vancouver writes:
Hot hike as it faces almost due south. Mostly rocks and loose dirt with very steep sections making for a boring and tedious climb. It meets a creek with the smell of skunkweed. A pipe sits in the middle of the path up to grouse and is slippery when wet. No views or anything remarkable except the occasional Grouse bird and old artifact discarded by Grouse mountain. It's not a great hike as far as North shore hikes go. Will probably not hike again.
Posted: May 9, 2020 06:54:10 PM PST
Brian Newman from Nanaimo writes:
Used to hike that trail in the late '50s and early '60s from my home on Montroyal. we always stopped at the crash site to see what was left behind. I could still see the swath through the trees left by the crashing jet, and there was a lot more debris at first, that decreased as people took souvenirs they could carry. My uncle owned one of those cabins near the base of the upper chair
The area became known as the Village with the cabins and the Village Lodge making a good place to stay for the locals, many who would come over on the old ferry from Vancouver and hike up to the ski runs before the lifts were built, and spend thier time in one of the cabins.
Posted: February 1, 2020 04:06:31 AM PST
Conner Brown from North Vancouver writes:
More Difficult than an intermediate but not a very long trail. Very similar to BCMC with less maintenance. The old broken down cabin is hard to miss off of the trail to the right and is a good 25-45 minutes up the trail depending on your pace. The Jet Engine is easy to find if you follow the trail directly uphill from the cabin and follow the natural curve to the right of the trail. Head back the way you came to find Skyline trail again.
Great trail and a great workout. It is also easy to go west and find the BCMC after getting to the cut chairlift if you want to continue to the Gondola to go back down.
Posted: October 15, 2019 02:03:03 PM PST
Don from Day Creek, WA writes:
Solid run/climb workout up a creek bed to the chairlift. Was exploring and found this trail and it looked promising. Wish there was a cruisy trail to come back down though, as the quads get a good steady burn both up and down. Can't wait to do this again in the summer when the top doesn't have a skiable snow still.
Posted: March 22, 2019 11:33:35 PM PST
Lauren Thomas from Vancouver, BC writes:
This is NOT an intermediate trail - beware. Very steep incline the entire way up, and many loose rocks. I kept thinking it would level out and it never did. I had to stop at about 90% of the way up because it was too snowy to continue, (which I knew was going to be a gamble at this time of year), so I can't comment on the view. Don't expect some picturesque stroll, this is literally clambering up the side of a mountain. Good workout though.
Posted: March 16, 2019 01:52:07 PM PST
Marylou from Vancouver writes:
It was a nice view reaching the base of the old lift, but that's about it. It's mostly uphill and the trail is not properly marked, and plenty of loose rocks. It is not as visited and busy as Grouse Grind.
Posted: August 29, 2018 04:55:57 PM PST
Mira from Vancouver writes:
THIS IS AN ADVANCED TRAIL. DANGEROUS! Imagine grouse grind before there were any safety measures put in!
Posted: July 30, 2018 07:10:15 PM PST
Jo from North van writes:
Hiked this trail this morning. It’s very steep with loose rock and very little enjoyable views on the way up. Ended up at the bottom of the cut after checking out the old cottages. Was cloudy so we didn’t see much of a view. We decided to walk up the cut to the gondola which was a longer addition than it looked! We took the gondola back after enjoying the grizzly bear inclosure. This hike is a good workout but not really all that enjoyable. You’re sure to break a sweat. Idk if I would do it again. The view wasn’t worth the effort in my opinion.
Posted: July 18, 2018 12:15:31 PM PST
James from Auckland New Zealand writes:
Re:the Plane Crash on Grouse Mountain in 1954....This is a mystery that has been with me since 1982....i emigrated from Scotland to Vancouver in 1980 and got a job at Grouse Mountain nest restaurant as a chef..i used to hike the mountain quite often from Mountain Highway North Vancouver where i lived..then i started to hike from the base of the old cable car route car pack..i had hiked the route about maybe 5 times then one day i went off into the woods on the near some old cabins at the top and after a while i came across what looked like a jet engine and was stunned at what i saw,i asked a few locals if they knew of it and got some strange looks like i was on something so i never pursued it further,i had told members of my family and a few friends about it and once took my young nephew who was 8 yrs old at the time for a hike and showed him the engine as well..so after seeing a youtube video on it and some facebook pages on the discovery of the engine in 1994 i was quite taken aback...so i can say it was first seen by me and my nephew back in 1982...if only i had looked into it further back then. i moved to New Zealand in 1996 and lost touch about news and events going on in Canada..it was not until last week i decided to see if i could find anything about this mystery that's been with me all these years that's when i found the video on youtube about the discovery in 1994 and some facebook pages,i showed my wife daughter and friends the video this morning as it was a story i told them back in the 80s and now it is proven.
Posted: March 8, 2018 10:57:46 AM PST
Heather from Abbotsford writes:
Hiked today, in late April and there was still snow and people snowboard/skiing at the top. Felt a bit bizarre. Route is very steep the whole way and is hard to navigate near the top, at one point felt like I was just hiking up a creek bed. But great view at the top saved it.
Posted: April 30, 2017 09:39:07 PM PST
Kyle Wallis from Port Coquitlam writes:
Pretty decent incline all the way up; we were doing a bit of huffing and puffing. We didn't manage to find the jet engine, but still a pretty good workout. Would be good to try it as the second half of a loop after doing the grind.
Posted: November 28, 2016 04:43:23 PM PST
Nina from Vancouver writes:
We hiked this trail on Oct 09 2016,the trail is very narrow and steep,it was a good workout, the main trail is quite marked,,, however we got lost on our way back when trying to visit the jet engine crash site, the site is very close to the trail but because of high density of trees,no mark and the fact there was no one else hiking the trail that day at that time, we could not find our way back for half an hour, got to tell you, it was quite scary,,, so just make sure to stick to the main trail, and travel in groups
Posted: October 12, 2016 06:34:45 PM PST
John L from Chicago writes:
Hiked this July 25th when it was cloudy, foggy, and misty up the mountain. It does climb up relentless till the end. It was cool to see the jet engine and made the hike more worthy. We ended up at the bottom of The Cut, and instead of hiking down, we hiked up The Cut to the peak and took the Gondola down, which was a good idea since we didn't drive.
Posted: July 9, 2016 02:43:35 PM PST
Lennie R from Los Angeles writes:
I have done this hike many times over the years. When I was a kid, there was a chairlift that went to the base of the cut ski run, and this is where the trail goes. For a great 2.5-3hour loop, I recommend going up the grouse grind then going down the cut and down the skyline trail then back along the power line to the car park area for the grind.
Posted: June 13, 2016 10:20:58 AM PST
Matthew McDonagh from Vancouver, BC writes:
Good alternative to the otherwise over travelled Grouse Grind. Decently steep which means a good workout. Pretty straightforward once you reach the chairlift at the top - take the trail just past the chalet on your left and you'll end up at the main Grouse Mountain lodge. Once down the mountain via gondola or BCMC, it's a nice easy walk back if you left your car at Skyline Dr. As of early April there is some snow atop Grouse but not on the Skyline trail itself. Bring layers as temperatures/conditions change. Overall the trail was dry or moderately wet on 04 April.
Posted: April 4, 2015 10:44:04 PM PST
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jeff from ottawa writes:
it was an ok trail, but we started hiking up the old gondola skyline drive trail. It was pretty rough in spots esp now in dec as the snow gets deeper as you climb up. We got to the grouse chairlift then stopped due to lack of sunlight but then found a switch back trail to take down which was better. The little switch back seems to come out on the first curve of the skyline drive road which is hard to see. Its a much better way up and down rather than going straight up. Esp if you are coming down with limited light. Its an ok hike if you are limited in time with some good views as you reach the top. Might be better in spring and summer though (?)
Posted: December 24, 2020 12:15:52 AM PST