Being so perfectly situated among all kinds of nature, Vancouver has a whole lot of outdoor activities available to both tourists and locals alike. There’s biking, camping, canoeing, rock climbing, caving, and hiking, just to name some so no need for a corporate limo service there, with all those ways to get around. And as much as I would love to talk about all of them, I only have so much space on these blog posts (well, until you guys start getting bored of reading about forest trails), and I promised I’d just do four attractions per city. So. Because the activities featured here are all potentially going to be done as part of a rail trip, I imagine that a. I won’t have a ton of equipment with me, and b. I’ll be pretty poor and thus unable to rent a whole lot of stuff (like all kinds of camping equipment). All this taken into consideration, I’ve decided that the activity in which I would most likely take part is the simple yet beautiful hike.

Helpfully, I’ve found a number of websites that divide up the many hiking trails around Vancouver into level of difficulty. The really ambitious part of me believes that I would totally be down to try the super tough ones. And you know what, some days, I know that I could. I have pretty strong legs, thank you very much. That said, I might not want to completely destroy my muscles at the very beginning of my trip with a trail, like, for example, the infamous Grouse Grind. This trail is, apparently, a good indicator of fitness as far as the locals are concerned. And with a total elevation gain of 853 metres, I can see where they’re coming from. Traveling the 2.9km from the bottom to the top is expected to take about 1.5-2 hours. A number of the websites I’ve looked at have actually had low-key warnings that if you’re tuckered or have run out of water at the quarter mark, you best be making your way back down, because the third quarter is the hardest. Luckily, there’s a bistro at the top, and the bistro has beer, so … worth the climb, I’d say.

If I’m not feeling quite so ambitious on the day of, I might choose to embark on a much less physically-taxing trail, like, say, Lighthouse Park. Doesn’t that just sound more relaxing? Probably because it doesn’t have the word “grind” in it. Just a thought. This trail should take you about two hours, but there’s minimal elevation gain, you can at least look forward to a nice flat journey. In this park you’ll find huge Douglas Firs and Western Red Cedars, picnic tables, and scenic views. There’s even a place called Starboat Cove, where you can picnic on the beach. I mean … how much lovelier could a place get? I’m thinking that maybe this park would be a good place to come after you’ve somehow managed to get your broken body back down from the top of the Grouse Grind.