And here we are at the final report of my trip to Vancouver. I know this has been a long series and while I’m excited to start writing trip planning posts on Vancouver, I’m going to miss reliving my trip. This final report will take us to Grouse Mountain and back to Stanley Park as we recap the last two days of my Great Canadian Adventure. So for the final time, snuggle up with some Tim Hortons hot chocolate and pancakes with maple syrup as it’s time for the final Vancouver trip report!
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A Late Start
My morning began with me sleeping in for a bit. Just like yesterday, I needed time to recover from the tiredness of the day before. I soon got up though and the first thing I did was book my Grouse Mountain ticket. Unlike Capilano I wanted to be sure that I had a ticket because I wasn’t sure if the free shuttle to the mountain would let people on if they didn’t have a ticket. So just to be safe I booked one for myself.
I then got up, got dressed, packed my bag, and was soon off for the day. The first order of business was breakfast and, as has been the case for the last few days, I decided to go to Tim Hortons. I rode the bus to Canada Place and got breakfast at the nearby Tim Hortons, which of course consisted of a biscuit and hot cocoa. I quickly devoured both and was on the first scheduled free shuttle bus to depart for Grouse Mountain.
Just like yesterday, the weather was overcast so I didn’t know how good the views from the mountain were going to be. It’s a good thing that Grouse Mountain has a lot of different activities that don’t have anything to do with the view so I knew it would still be a fun and jam-packed day.
After about 30 minutes on the bus we arrived at the parking lot for Grouse Mountain. It should be noted that at this point, it wasn’t an actual bus that took me there. It was more like those mini-buses that kind of resembled a van. I guess this was because it was the first one of the day so they weren’t expecting that many people to be on it, but I do remember seeing actual Grouse Mountain buses around Canada Place during other parts of my trip.
Soon I was off the bus and in the cable car station waiting to get taken up the mountain.
The Hills Are Alive…
One of the cable cars arrived and soon I was inside it, and within a few minutes I was on my way up the mountain. At first, everything was clear, that is until we got high enough to reach the clouds and soon a thick mist started to envelope the cable car. My heart sank a bit when this happened, because while I did not expect clear conditions, I was secretly wishing for them. I didn’t let it ruin my day though, and soon enough I was at the top of Grouse Mountain, excited for the day.
When we arrived, we exited into a lobby area. There was a restaurant serving coffee and baked goods and I decided, again, to get another hot chocolate. Partly because I was craving another one and partly because I needed it to warm my fingers.
I exited the station and quickly realized I didn’t know where everything was. There was a nearby map, so I went up to it and snapped a picture of it so I would know where to go. I also saw on the schedule for the day that the talks, presentations, and shows weren’t for a little while so I decided to go see the grizzly bears. Grouse Mountain has two resident grizzly bears in captivity. Their names are Grinder and Coola. I don’t think I had ever seen grizzly bears before so I excitedly made my way over there.
Even from afar, I saw them instantly. There were only a couple of other people around, and there they were, milling about. They were huge, with only a wiry fence separating me from them. They were really impressive up close, and seeing them already made my visit worth it. I had other things I wanted to see, but after seeing these bears I knew I was going to have a great day.
After watching Grinder and Coola for a bit, I realized that the Owl Talk was about to begin soon, so I made my way to the designated area for it. People started to gather around me and soon enough an animal trainer came out with a speaker, microphone, and the sleepiest looking owl on her arm. She then started to tell us about our feathered guest, talking about things like his eating habits and how the Grouse Mountain organization helps the local owls. It was a pretty informative talk, and one that I was glad I heard.
A few minutes after the talk, it was almost time for the lumberjack show. So I made my way over to the little show area they had for it and sat in the back row of one of the stands. This show was undoubtedly the highlight of my entire experience on the mountain. They had two lumberjacks compete in different lumberjacking competitions including a log roll, carving and cutting wood, and a tree climb. It was all very impressive, and just felt so distinctly Canadian. The end of the show even had this pretty awesome twist that took me by surprise. I won’t spoil it, as you’ve got to go and experience it yourself.
After that I made my way to another experience they offered which was a bird show. This was located near the lumberjack show so I made my way to the show area and again took a seat in the stands. At this point the fog was really rolling in so I was scared it would affect the show, but it proceeded as normal.
Similar to the Owl Talk, this show was mainly explaining the different kinds of predatory birds they had. The coolest part was when they made them fly from post to post, with some of the posts being behind and in the middle of the crowd. We were told before the show to duck if it looked like the birds were heading right for your head, and true enough there were moments when I thought the bird was going to crash into an audience member, including myself. I will forever remember the moment a hawk was headed straight for me and so I ducked to avoid it colliding with me. It was great to see these birds in fligh as they all looked so majestic. This was another highlight of the day for me, and one I’m glad I caught.
After this, I saw that a crowd had gathered near where I saw Grinder and Coola earlier, so I went back there and saw them again. Apparently they had disappeared to a part of their enclosure that visitors can’t see and had just reappeared. As we were watching them, a staff member came out with a microphone and started telling us about the bears and how they came to live on the mountain, sprinkling facts about Grizzlies and their hibernation habits in between stories. It was all really interesting and I would later leave Grouse Mountain realizing I had learned a lot and more than I thought I would.
After seeing the different animals, I decided to ride the chairlift to the Peak of Vancouver lookout. I was hoping the clouds would clear up a little bit so I could get a good view of the city from up there. The ride up took about 10 to 15 minutes, and at the end I was greeted by a view blocked by a wall of clouds. I got that sinking feeling again and realized that I wasn’t going to get a good view. So after snapping some photos I went back down and decided to head out.
I walked back to the chalet where the cable cars were and bought a sausage roll from the bakery. I was ready to go down the mountain when I saw a view of downtown Vancouver! Shocked that the clouds had cleared up, I hightailed it back to the ski lift and rode it up to the Peak of Vancouver again. When I got back up there, I saw that the clouds had cleared up a tiny bit and you could see some parts of Vancouver. It wasn’t a perfect blue sky, but at this point I’d take whatever I could get. I spent some time enjoying the view, even helping two families with their photos, then made my way back down to the chalet.
I rode the cable car back down and headed for the bus (that was still the minivan looking thing) and rode it back to Canada Place. I then took the bus back to Granville Island. This was going to be my last visit to the island, so I made the most of it. I had a late lunch which consisted of this pepperoni pizza that I had been eyeing since my first visit, then bought some more of the Nanaimo bars. After eating and shopping, I headed back to my Airbnb.
And there you have it, my last full day in Vancouver. When I got to my Airbnb, I was a bit sad that my time in this amazing city was coming to an end. But good thing I still had one more day of Vancouver time tomorrow! So I started fixing my bag, buying some last minute things from the grocery store across the street, and turned in early.
Back to the Corner Where I First Saw You
I got up early at around 6:00 am because I knew I wanted to visit Stanley Park again on my last day in the city. I didn’t get to enjoy my first day in the city because I was exhausted from waking up at 4am, so I decided to walk to the totem poles and then head back to my Airbnb.
I left my Airbnb at around 6:30 and got to the park at 7:15ish. Since it was early in the morning, there weren’t a lot of tourists around, just locals milling about, doing their morning routine. It was a peaceful, clear day. The sun was out and I was just walking around, headphones in my ears, blasting music as I walked around the park.
I made it back to the totem poles and actually stopped to read each description. Afterwards I cut across the park to see the Lions Gate Bridge from the same angle I saw it on the first day. I stood there for a second, beautiful Grouse Mountain in the distance, and suddenly felt so grateful to be standing in the country I had been dreaming of seeing for a very long time. Canada had always been on my bucket list, and while I only saw a tiny sliver of it, I was grateful for the experience. I know how lucky I, and by extension you, am that we get to travel around the world. Not many people can do that, which is why I never take any of it for granted.
I finished staring at the view and immediately went back past the totems and walked through the park one last time. I took everything in, drinking in the scenery with my eyes as I glazed over every detail, trying to remember all of it. I then headed back to the bus stop and went back to my airbnb. I checked out at 10am, then headed for the airport.
Conclusion
These last few days were some of the most fun I’ve had while traveling. I finally went on my first solo trip since moving to the US, and to a country I had always wanted to visit. Doing a solo trip for the first time since my study abroad in France also helped me rediscover my love for travel. I have been caught up so much with life lately and have forgotten to appreciate the things around me, and I think this trip allowed me to do that. It was fun, exciting, nerve-wracking, and humbling.
I am filled with so much gratitude, which is why I just want to thank the city of Vancouver for being such a gracious host. Every person I interacted with made me feel so welcomed and did an excellent job of showing me why this city is so special. I hope to return some day soon, I still want to see an unobstructed view from Grouse Mountain after all. But for now I’m happy and content with the memories I’ve made.
Thank you for reading. Till the next trip report!
Vancouver, Canada ‘24 Trip Reports Introduction
Vancouver, Canada ‘24 Trip Report Part One: Almost Denied Boarding & The Most Beautiful Park
Vancouver Canada ‘24 Trip Report Part Two: The Most JAM PACKED Day Ever Part 1
Vancouver Canada ‘24 Trip Report Part Three: The Most JAM PACKED Day Ever Part 2
Vancouver Canada ‘24 Trip Report Part Four: Museums Galore!
Vancouver Canada ‘24 Trip Report Part Five: 200 Feet in the Air
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