Thunderbird Ridge hike is one of the snowshoeing trails in the Munday Alpine Snowshoe Park managed by Grouse Mountain Resort. For Sunday, December 17, the weather forecast for Grouse Mountain was scattered showers in the morning, typical Vancouver weather. Slawomir and Beata were available and would join me on the hike as well. Yes, the same Beata who said my cheese smelled like vomit on the Garibaldi climbing trip.
The plan was to go up BCMC, do the Snowshoe Grind to Dam Mountain, continue hiking the other side on Dam Mountain loop and access Thunderbird Ridge trail. We would retrace our steps and get down the mountain via BCMC. About 11.5 km with a total elevation gain/drop of 1300 m.
BCMC Trail
Slawomir and Beata were already waiting for me when I reached the trailhead around 8 am. It had stopped raining but was still overcast. As good as it gets some days. Soon, we were hiking up the BCMC trail.
About twenty minutes into the hike, we came across a group of men singing their way up the trail. In the last four years I have been on this trail, I have met quite a diverse group of people, but none were as entertaining. David Goggins in his book “Can’t Hurt Me,” describes how he used to sing during some of the most challenging exercises in Hell Week. Was this a Hell Hike for this group?
As the group took a break from walking and singing, we hiked past them. Even though the weather was less than ideal, it was a busy day on BCMC. About fifty minutes into the hike, there was snow on the trail. We continued to hike for a few minutes and then had to put on our microspikes as the trail was icy.
It took almost an hour and a half for us to reach the Chalet on Grouse Mountain. After a quick break, we continued our hike on the Snowshoe Grind to Dam Mountain.
Snowshoe Grind – Dam Mountain Trail
All the snowshoe trails were open, with Avalance Danger Scale at Moderate. Since we were on marked trails in the Munday Alpine Snowshoe Park, the Avalanche risk was relatively low.
As we made our way up the Snowshoe Grind, the visibility was limited.
Around 10:30 am, we reached Dam Mountain. After a short break, we continued our hike on the Dam Mountain loop trail. I had been on the other side of the Dam Mountain once in December and in the summer of 2020 when I did Crown Mountain Scramble.
Thunderbird Ridge Trail
The last time I was on this trail, I believe I had seen a Thunderbird Ridge sign at the junction, but it was not there last weekend. Thunderbird Ridge trail is about 1.5 km out and back trail from Dam Mountain loop trail.
We had carried snowshoes with us specifically for the Thunderbird Ridge hike. But the snow was packed, and we continued to hike with our microspikes. The trail is well marked and easy to follow. We saw maybe five people in total on our hike to Thunderbird Ridge and back.
Around 11 am we were at Thunderbird Ridge. Fortunately, the weather cleared up a bit, and the visibility improved.
We had a fantastic view of the nearby mountains and the Grouse windmill (The Eye of the Wind).
After a quick break, we retraced our steps to Dam Mountain Loop trail and then to the Chalet, where we took a longer break. It was Beata’s second time on Grouse, and she was fascinated to know about the bears and see them hibernate through the bear den cam.
As we came down the BCMC trail, it was a lot more foggy.
We were back at the car around 1:15 pm. It took about five hours for the entire trip. Overall, the weather was less than ideal, but it was a great workout with some amazing views at the top.
Have you done this hike in winter? What is your favourite snowshoeing trail in Vancouver? Let me know in the comments below.
Resources:
Grouse Mountain: Munday Alpine Snowshoe Park Map | Current Conditions
Disclosure: I am not affiliated with any of the above individuals or organizations.
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