Grouse Mountain is Vancouver’s most accessible ski hill. It offers the widest range of year-round activities including skiing, ziplines, shows and more.
For information about the hill during the ski season, see our article about Grouse Mountain in Winter. For details about the place between late May and September, click Grouse Mountain in Summer. To learn about the mountain in general, including its year-round activities, continue reading.
The resort’s ski season typically starts around late November or early December and runs to early spring, so around end of April. The 2024/2025 ski season started on November 23rd. Besides the winter activities that can be enjoyed, the resort remains open year-round for other activities (although it does sometimes shut down for a week or so for annual maintenance).
In this article you’ll find information about the following topics:
General Admission | Where is Grouse? | Grouse in Summer | Grouse in Winter | Y2Play Pass | Tips and Suggestions | Other Information
Click on any of the above links to skip to a specific section, or continue reading to learn all about Grouse Mountain.
Year-Round Grouse Mountain
Grouse Mountain is a ski resort in winter. It’s also one of Metro Vancouver’s most popular tourist attractions year-round. The resort is famous for its skiing, but also for its activities in summer, spring and fall.
For details about winter activities and ski rates, click Grouse Mountain in Winter. For details about activities in the late spring, summer and early fall, click Grouse Mountain in Summer. And for general information about the resort, see below.
General Admission
There are different costs to do things at Grouse Mountain. “General admission” gives you a ride up the mountain in one of the gondolas. There used to just be the Skyride taking people up and down, but now there’s also the Blue Grouse gondola. That means the lift capacity per hour has doubled!
Taking a ride up to the mountain gives you access to things like the snowshoeing and hiking trails, and the restaurants. Access to the skating rink, sliding zone, bear habitat and summer entertainment is also included with general admission.
If you want to go ziplining, up the Eye of the Wind (temporarily closed), or on the ropes courses at Grouse you have to pay for general admission. If you want to go Skiing or Snowshoeing you have to buy a different ticket altogether.
Below is information about general admission rates. Details about ski passes, Ziplining and other activities are further below or in other articles.
As of December, 2024, general admission to Grouse Mountain cost the following (excluding taxes):
- Adults (ages 19 to 64) – $80
- Seniors (ages 65+) – $70
- Youth (ages 13 to 18) – $60
- Children (ages 5 to 12) – $40
- Little Kids (ages 0 to 4) – Free
- Families (two adults and two children) – $205
You can buy tickets online through Grouse Mountain’s website or at the gate. You can also buy general admission for Grouse (but not ski passes) through Tiqets.com which is one of the world’s largest ticket-selling websites.
Where is Grouse Mountain?
Grouse Mountain is located at 6400 Nancy Greene Way. It’s at the very top of Capilano Road in North Vancouver. The resort is just a 30-minute drive from many parts of the City of Vancouver, and only 15 minutes or so from much of the North Shore.
Directions to Grouse and Accessibility
Grouse Mountain is without doubt Metro Vancouver’s most accessible ski hill, by both car and public bus.
Getting to Grouse by Car
Driving north over the Lions Gate Bridge from downtown Vancouver through Stanley Park, as you cross the bridge veer right towards North Vancouver heading along Marine Drive. At the first set of traffic lights, which is at Capilano Road, turn left and then just keep going up the hill for about 10 minutes.
Capilano Road turns into Nancy Greene Way and at the top is the mountain’s Skyride tram which takes you to the base of the ski hill. Rarely ever do you need winter tires to get there, which isn’t the case for all the other mountains.
Getting to Grouse by Bus
Grouse Mountain is also the Lower Mainland’s most accessible ski hill by Public Transit. Both the 232 bus from Phibbs Exchange and the 236 from Lonsdale Quay go right to the bottom of the mountain. Lonsdale Quay is home to the North Shore’s SeaBus terminal which connects with the rest of Metro Vancouver via SkyTrains and a 15-minute boat ride. See the TransLink website for details.
Starting at the end of May and continuing throughout the summer season most years, Grouse Mountain usually offers a free shuttle service to and from Canada Place in downtown Vancouver with the purchase of a Mountain Experience ticket.
Grouse Mountain in Summer (plus Spring and Fall)
Summer at Grouse Mountain is as busy with tourists and locals as it is in the winter when there’s skiing.
In the non-ski season there are Ziplines, hiking trails and trips up to the observation deck of the Eye of the Wind (wind turbine, which is temporarily closed). That’s in addition to all the regular year-round activities like the movie theatre, chairlift rides and restaurants.
In the summer there is also entertainment, including fun Lumberjack shows and Birds in Motion live presentations. There is a ton of things to do up at Grouse in the summer. Oh, and did we mention the paragliding (even for beginners!)
Coming to the resort in 2025 are a new mountain coaster (which is kind of like an alpine slide, or a summer luge or roller coaster that winds its way down the hill close to the ground). Also coming next year is a bike park!
Click Grouse Mountain in Summer for more information on the many exciting adventure opportunities available on the hill from May until October.
Grouse Mountain in Winter
Grouse Mountain is one of the North Shore‘s three local ski hills. Another one is Cypress Mountain which has the most lifts and terrain. The third is Mt. Seymour which is arguably the best for beginners and families with young children.
Grouse itself has over two dozen runs and four chairs, and its terrain parks are arguably the best on the North Shore. The resort offers great skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing, plus phenomenal views of Vancouver, especially at night.
With most ski hills in the area you have to drive by car or pay for a shuttle bus. With Grouse there is easy public bus transit access. The parking lot is also usually well below snow level.
At Grouse you park, board the Skyride or Blue Grouse gondolas (which is an attraction in itself), and arrive minutes later at the base of the ski hill. It’s fast and easy to get to. With Grouse you also don’t normally have to worry about winter driving, which in Vancouver is challenging because nobody knows how to drive well in the snow.
Click Grouse Mountain in Winter for more information on the ski hill’s wintertime activities. Or click Night Skiing at Grouse to learn more about the resort in winter at night.
Click Grouse Map for a map of the ski hill.
2024/2025 Winter Ski Rates
Below is what day ski passes cost for the 2024/2025 ski season as of early December.
- Adults (ages 19 to 64) – $65
- Seniors (ages 65+) – $56
- Youth (ages 13 to 18) – $45
- Children (ages 5 to 12) – $36
- Kids (ages 4 and under) – Free
Night ski passes are valid after 3:00 pm most years. 2024/2025 prices are to be confirmed. Rates from the early stages of last season were the following:
- Adults (ages 19 to 64) – $67
- Seniors (ages 65+) – $55
- Youth (ages 13 to 18) – $55
- Children (ages 5 to 12) – $31
- Kids (ages 4 and under) – Free
Y2Play Pass
The Y2Play Pass is the most affordable way to ski at Grouse Mountain. It’s a special pass that goes on sale each year in February. It’s valid until the end of the current ski season plus all of the following year’s ski season as well.
This special Grouse Mountain pass is usually valid from mid to late February until March or April of the year that it’s purchased, and then again from the following October until spring the next year.
Grouse Y2Play Rates
Prices for Y2Play Passes for the 2024/2025 season are listed below. First prices in the list are what existing pass holders paid for renewals up until March 6th, 2024. The prices in parentheses are what the passes cost for everyone else up.
- Adults (ages 19-64) – $299 ($429)
- Seniors (ages 65+) – $129 ($189)
- Students (ages 19+) – $199 ($289)
- Youth (ages 13-18) – $199 ($289)
- Children (ages 5-12) – $89 ($129)
- Tots (ages 4 & under) – $39 ($39)
Y2Play Pass Benefits
There are many benefits to having a Y2Play pass in addition to the more than a full season’s access to the ski slopes.
Some of the benefits for the 2024/2025 season are the following:
- A free ski lift ticket for a friend (who must be of the same age group)
- Discounts (including 10% off food services and 20% off Starbucks purchases).
Note: Some restrictions do apply. Click Grouse Y2Play Pass for more information.
Tips & Advice
Grouse Mountain is one of the best places to spend the day in the Lower Mainland. Below you’ll find some tips on how to make the most of your experience and time on the hill.
TIP #1: The only way up the mountain other than via the Grouse Grind trail and its 2,800+ stairs is by one of the gondolas (aerial tram). They are not the best though for people who are truly claustrophobic or afraid of heights.
TIP #2: If heights don’t bother you, when boarding the Skyride try to get close to the front of the line and sit or stand near the windows at the end facing the city. If you do this you can enjoy the scenery and/or get one of the few benches to sit on.
TIP #3: If you plan to use the Skyride to go up Grouse at least a couple of times (other than to ski), consider getting an annual pass to visit the resort.
TIP #4: The resort offers a special season ticket each year starting around the end of February – the Y2Play Pass. It’s available for purchase for just a limited time and it’s valid for skiing until the end of the season plus the entire following season as well. The price is low compared to a regular full season pass, so it’s highly recommended if you plan to ski lots.
TIP #5: When visiting in the summer, get there early in the day – not late afternoon – so you’ll have time to see the Lumberjack and Birds in Motion shows.
TIP #6: Grades 4 and 5 BC students can ski at Grouse Mountain (and many other Canadian ski hills) up to three times for free with a SnowPass, which costs only about $30.
Other Information
If you want more details about Grouse Mountain at different times of the year, or information on other similar places and things to do in the Lower Mainland, then check out the following:
- Click Grouse Mountain in the Summer for information on activities in the late spring, summer and early fall. Activities include daily live entertainment, hiking, grizzly bears, Theatre in the Sky movies, mountain disc golf, ziplining, the Grouse Grind and the Seek the Peak race, and the Grouse Mountain Coaster.
- Click Night Skiing at Grouse Mountain to learn about what the ski hill is like in the late afternoons and evenings.
- See Mountain Ziplines for more details specifically on the ziplining adventures at Grouse.
- Click Grouse Mountain Snowshoeing for details about winter trails on Grouse.
- Check out the Peak of Christmas for information on festive activities at Grouse Mountain from late November, throughout December and into January.
- Click Grouse Mountain for the ski hill’s website and more information.
- To learn about other local places to ski at check out our Lower Mainland’s Ski Hills article where you’ll find a comparison of the different mountains.
Year-round, Grouse is used for weddings, private receptions, and a wide range of both public and private activities. Want to include ziplining on your wedding (year-round), then this would be a memorable place to go!
ACCESSIBILITY NOTE:
Grouse Mountain is fairly wheelchair accessible in the non-ski season. Wheelchairs can’t get everywhere in the summer, but there are paved pathways to most places of interest. It isn’t wheelchair-friendly when there is snow on the ground, however, although people with mobility issues that have the right equipment find it an exceptional place to ski.
