Breakfast with the Bears

Prior to our Alaskan cruise, we spent a couple of days in Vancouver, BC. Vancouver is a beautiful city, rich in culture with plenty to do. The morning of our cruise we ventured out to Grouse Mountain and had breakfast with the bears.

Grouse Mountain is located 15 mins from downtown Vancouver. It overlooks this beautiful city. In the summertime, there are numerous activities for people of all ages to do. The mountain offers zip lining, hiking, heli-tours, tandem paragliding, mountain biking and more. For the less adventurous, there are ranger talks, a sky ride to the top, world famous lumberjack show, birds in motion show, an owl show, guided hikes, fine dining, and the ever favorite Breakfast with the Bears.

Honestly, when I booked the breakfast, I did not take the time to research what else there was to do on the mountain I wish I had. There is so much to do, and I wish we had saved it for after our cruise. The day we went, we only had enough time for breakfast.

We started the morning by taking the Skyride 2800 feet up toward the top of the mountain. The mountain is just over 4,000 feet, so about three-quarters of the way up, is where the bear habitat and other activities can be found.

When we arrived, we followed the bear paws toward the bear habitat.

Along the way, we saw these wood sculptures. There are 31 of these sculptures in all. Each was carved from dead standing trees found in British Columbia. The 31 carvings are called the Tribute to the Forest. They are quite stunning.

As we headed toward the bear habitat, we met up with our ranger. He took us over and introduced us to Grinder and Coola.

Both bears are orphans. Grinder was found roaming the roads back in 2001. His mother was nowhere to be seen and he was clearly malnourished. Coola was only one of three cubs that survived after his mother was hit and killed by a truck. The bears were brought to Grouse Mountain, where they are safe and secure.

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After learning the history of the bears, how they spend their days and had the opportunity to ask questions, it was off to the Grizzly Lookout Cafe for a “beary” good breakfast.

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The cafe overlooked the bear habitat. The menu had both cold and hot options. There was Candied and Smoked Salmon, Red Onions, Capers, Crème fraîche Brown, White, Multigrain and Gluten Free Breads, Assorted Muffins & Pastries – including Bear Claws Assorted Cereals and Granola“Beary” Yogurt, Milk and Honey Forest Apple Crumble, Fresh Cut Fruit Salad and Coastal “Bearies”. As for hot food, the menu included Coola Pancakes, Honey Butter, Grouse Mountain Syrup ,Grinder ,“Bearioche” French Toast, West Coast “Bluebeary” Preserve, Scrambled Eggs, Braised Beef and Root Vegetable Hash, Bratwurst and Smoked Bacon Hash Browns. There was plenty of coffee, tea, milk, and juice. The food was delicious and the visit with the bears was even better. If you are ever in the Vancouver area, I highly recommend it. I know when we go back, we plan on taking advantage of everything the mountain has to offer.