The Grouse Grind is open: what North Vancouver District residents need to know for the November season

The Grouse Grind trail on Grouse Mountain reopened Thursday, November 12, at 9:00 am. The opening marks the return of one of the busiest trails on the North Shore after its seasonal closure, and comes as November brings cooler, shorter days to the District of North Vancouver.

Grouse Mountain confirmed the reopening on its trail page. The trail is 2.5 kilometres long with 800 metres of elevation gain and 2,830 stairs. Grouse Mountain puts the average hiking time at two to two and a half hours.

What you need before you go

Hikers who reach the top must take the gondola back down. Grouse Mountain says downhill hiking on the Grouse Grind trail is not permitted, and that hikers must download a gondola descent ticket before they start the climb. The first tickets for downhill travel are available each day at 7:30 am.

Tickets can be downloaded from Grouse Mountain's website or its app before leaving home. Hikers who arrive at the trailhead without a valid descent ticket will not be able to ride the gondola down.

The gondola at the top of the trail is the Blue Grouse, which runs specifically for trail users during the hiking season. It is separate from the main gondola that runs for other mountain visitors.

East Entrance and Viewpoint Trail closed

Hikers planning to use the East Entrance on the trail's south side will find it closed. Metro Vancouver, which manages the parks land around the trail, says the East Entrance and the Viewpoint Trail have been closed from November 2 for about two weeks of tree work. That puts the expected reopening around November 16, though Metro Vancouver has not given an exact date on its conditions page.

All hikers must use the main entrance, which is at the base of the gondola building on Nancy Greene Way. The BCMC Route and the Baden Powell Trail, which connect the Grouse Grind area to the wider North Shore trail network, are accessible from the main entrance and remain open.

The Baden Powell Trail is a 48-kilometre hiking trail that runs across the North Shore from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove, passing through the District of North Vancouver. It connects Grouse Mountain to Lynn Canyon, Mount Seymour and Deep Cove, and is maintained jointly by Metro Vancouver and local municipalities including the District.

Metro Vancouver lists the current status of the trail and any closures on its Grouse Grind conditions page. The page is updated when access changes. Hikers are advised to check it before heading out, particularly during November when weather on the North Shore mountains can shift quickly.

Other activities at Grouse Mountain

Skiing and snowboarding remain closed on Grouse Mountain as of November 12. The mountain's Kids Tree Canopy Adventure is also closed until November 20, but will reopen once snow conditions allow. The Blue Grouse gondola is the main facility in operation alongside the trail itself.

Grouse Mountain sits within the District of North Vancouver, at the top of Nancy Greene Way. It is one of three North Shore mountain parks named in the District's emergency planning and natural hazards work, alongside the Lynn Headwaters and Mount Seymour. North Shore Rescue carries out calls on all three mountains throughout the year, including technical rescues on the Grouse Grind trail and on the cliff bands above it.

District residents can reach the trailhead by taking TransLink bus route 232 from Lonsdale Quay. The route runs to the base of Grouse Mountain. Check the Grouse Mountain website for current operating hours and conditions before heading up. The mountain is at an elevation where wet conditions on the lower slopes can be icy or snowy higher up, so hikers in November are advised to check the weather for the summit, not just the city.

School District 44 public Board meeting

School District 44, which runs schools in both the District of North Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver, holds its first public Board of Education meeting of the new term on Monday, November 17, at 6:30 pm.

The school district's November 2026 events page lists the meeting. The Board of Education was inaugurated in November after the October 17 election, and Monday's meeting is the first open to the public in the regular calendar.

The District of North Vancouver elected four of the seven School District 44 trustees in October. The City of North Vancouver elected the other three. The four trustees elected in the District are on the promise tracker at /bc/north-vancouver-district-2026/tracker.

Coming up this week

The District of North Vancouver's next Regular Council meeting is Monday, November 16 at 7:00 pm at District Hall, 355 West Queens Road, North Vancouver.

For trail conditions and any new closures on the North Shore mountains, check Metro Vancouver's current conditions page at metrovancouver.org/current-conditions/grouse-grind-trail before heading out.