Grouse Mountain and Gondola, the experience was the standout disappointment among my explorations for a month traveling through Canada. There’s no way around it. I had high expectations for the visit. And it fell flat, big time.
So, here goes all the reasons why if I were visiting Vancouver, British Columbia, I’d skip the ride to the top.
First off…to take the gondola to the summit, which from there allows you access to other hikes, attractions and accessibilities, it’s not worth it.
They charge $80 for the roundtrip ride. And then with another $4 in tax, plus another $4 to park down near the entrance…you’re hit with $88, though it is $88 Canadian dollars for all those who are fortunate enough to be US citizens. Then if you are American, it’s only $66 altogether.
I have a problem with this $80 because just down the road from Grouse Mountain is the Capilano Suspension Bridge attraction, and they charge $70. Point is…the typical and average tourist will probably come to both attractions to make the most of their Vancouver experiences so then why should one be $10 more than the other?
Plus, just up the road in Squamish, BC is Sea to Sky Gondola and they charge $72 for their ride to the peak. So you may be thinking what’s the big deal of $8 between Grouse Mountain and the Sea to Sky Gondola? Well, good question but that’s very simple to explain…
The views, sceneries and panoramas from Sea to Sky Gondola were outstanding! You get sights from high above colorful Howe Sound and downtown Squamish.
While, here at the top of Grouse Mountain, you see virtually nothing!!! The views were bad! How else can I be more blunt? The parts you do get to see here at Grouse Mountain display a little area of downtown Vancouver, but hardly recognizable and distinguishable from any other city in the world.
Also, the haze at the summit here was tough to deal with. Ultimately, being at the peak of Grouse Mountain, if you’re a photography enthusiast (like I am) you won’t capture many memorable moments.
I believe the authorities really need to stress that if you come to Grouse Mountain for sightseeing, be prepared for very little.
And…most of Grouse Mountains’ visitors are tourists, who fork over the $80+ to make memories or moments with their families and I believe cherish-able instances cannot be achieved.
So then you may be asking, well is there anything to do at Grouse Mountain?
Let me run down what there is to do at the summit. Btw, for me, I found the activities to be pretty underwhelming.
- Grizzly Bear Habitat - the mountain showcases 2 grizzly bears on display. And it’s a crowd pleaser to many who don’t get up close to bears in nature. But it’s difficult to watch bears domesticated. Basically, I could visit a zoo if I wanted to watch bears sitting around and eating through a fence.
- Bird Show - every few hours throughout the day, they put on a show about owls, falcons and other birds of prey giving tourists an opportunity to learn about the species. Again, I could go to a zoo if I wanted that.
- Lumberjack Show - this is interesting. During various times of the day, you can view lumberjacks on full display putting their skills to the test. Although I didn’t sit for a show, it’s a unique chance to see something out of the ordinary.
- Take the Ski Chairlift to the upper region of Grouse Mountain. So although you arrive at the Peak Chalet among the grounds of Grouse Mountain, you can then take a leisurely ride on your own chairlift through the park to Vancouver Peak Lookout. There, you can see some distant views of the landscape. But, overall, nothing special. And the haze is annoying as well.
- They have zip lining for extra $$$
- They have paragliding with a trained professional for extra $$$.
- There’s the Eye of the Wind attraction where you can get inside a wind turbine and ride it to the top, but it was closed.
- You can eat at the cafeteria inside the Peak Chalet. There’s also a Gift Shop inside, but offering extremely limited mementoes.
- You can eat at a restaurant outside overlooking the views beside the gondola. But, what views? There aren’t any views! And yet I overheard visitors saying how “lovely and beautiful it is up here at the top”!Really? I disagree.
- There’s cornhole, a playground and picnic tables for families if you want to sit down and relax. But then why pay $80 for a picnic?
For me, and I believe I speak for a majority of folks out there who pay $80 so they can be rewarded with marvelous sightseeing views of Vancouver without having to work hard like hiking, and it’s frustrating not to receive it.
I actually was close to asking Guest Services about a refund but had to bite my lip and walk away.
In the end. I spent 4 hours at the summit and left underwhelmed. I never received what I came for and would never return to Grouse Mountain again.
Sorry for the poor review!
#grousemountain #gondola #vancouver
