Region: The North Shore
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 2 hours
Distance: 3.8km
Elevation Gain: 100 meters
Season: year-round
Camping: No
Dog Friendly: Yes
Public Transit: Yes
Approx. 30 minutes from Vancouver
Things to bring: towel, granola bar + snack, water bottle, sunscreen, camera

Although you see that it’s under the easy level, and only a gain of 100 meters, this one was tough for me. I dunno if it’s because of the hip and knee problems I have from time to time (although they didn’t bother me that much when I went twice over the summer), but perhaps I was really out of shape, and perhaps the minor heart regurgitation I have could be the reason to have me puffing and dying already at 10 minutes into the hike, while everyone is fine. “this is so easy!” a girl says as she had done the Grouse Grind the day before. Note to self = never to the Grind. And my friend who does the Grind at least a dozen times over the season wants me to go along, but is afraid I’ll never make it up…and with all the warning signs at the entrance, and no emergency to fall back on, I guess it’s just not meant to be in my bucket list. I have no problem with that since I’d rather travel to experience different culture than do the Grind.

I was last in line of a group of dozen to get to the rock. Everyone else was already relaxing and enjoying the spectacular view from above. At least this hike is very rewarding. There is quite a bit of going up and down during the hike. Wear comfortable and supportive shoes, though I have seen many girls in their flip flops. Good luck.

Once you’re down, it’s nice to have restaurants to dine in at, enjoy some ice cream, and chill by the waters. There is more to do here before/after the hike at Deep Cove that makes the journey more interesting.