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Grouse Mountain: Travel to a Nearby Winter Wonderland
Explore this snowy peak during the holidays
This article originally appeared in the December 2015 issue of Seattle magazine.
Where: Grouse Mountain, a snowy peak just 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver, British Columbia
What: The annual Peak of Christmas event (11/28–1/4/2016, grousemountain.com), when this mountaintop resort becomes a winter wonderland, perfect for families and romantic getaways.
For the kids: There are breakfast and photo ops with Santa, screenings of holiday classics at the Theatre in the Sky and crafty winter activities, such as making your own elf hats. And big kids, too: Zip through forests in a sleigh, glide across the 8,000-square-foot skating pond, hit the slopes at night to ski or snowboard (13 runs are open until 10 p.m.), then take the Skyride tram (a one-mile aerial adventure with ocean views) to the cozy Peak Chalet to eat, drink and make merry while local choirs perform.
Side trip: Swing by the nearby Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. During the Canyon Lights celebration (11/27–1/3/2016, capbridge.com) the suspension bridges—as well as the rain forest and river they tower over—are illuminated with festive, glittering lights. Not a bad place to take this year’s holiday photo.
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