After a half a day exploring Grouse Mountain, we hopped on the free shuttle that took us directly from Grouse Mountain to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. (Note that you need to have pre-purchased tickets to Capilano in order to use this inter-attraction shuttle.) As of summer 2019, tickets to Capilano are $53.95 CAD for adults, $29.95 CAD for youth 13-16 and $16.95 CAD for children 6-12. While Grouse Mountain tickets are date-specific, Capilano tickets are good for any single day up to 1 year from the purchase date.
My husband and I had been to Capilano almost 20 years ago and it has changed quite a bit since then. I will admit my memory of that trip is a little hazy now, but at the time I think the bridge was really the only attraction at the park. Now in addition to the bridge they have a Cliffwalk, Treetop Adventure, Raptors Ridge, totem poles, hikes, nature tours, and more.
After entering the park, you walk through the Story Centre on your way to the attractions. This short walk-through museum provides a brief history of the bridge. There are some neat displays and old photographs. We lingered in the area checking out the exhibits while our family made pit stops, grabbed a quick snack, and generally re-grouped before moving on to explore the park.
After walking through the Story Centre, we came to Kia’palano. This area of the park teaches about British Columbia’s First Nations people and explores their cultural connection to the natural world.
The name “Capilano” is derived from the Squamish Nation word Kia’palano, meaning “beautiful river”. When “Mac” MacEachran became the third owner of the bridge in 1935, he invited local First Nations to put totem poles in the park. The park now houses North America’s largest privately owned collection of totem poles. This was our first of several opportunities to see totem poles on our trip, and it was probably the most impressive collection.
After exploring the totem pole area, we came to the park’s main attraction – the suspension bridge. Perched 230 feet above the Capilano River, the bridge stretches 450 feet across the canyon. Originally constructed of hemp rope and cedar planks, George Grant Mackay built a suspension bridge in 1889 to connect the 6,000 acres of dense forest land that he owned on either side of the river. In 1903 the hemp rope bridge was replaced with a sturdier wire cable bridge. The bridge was completely rebuilt again in 1956 and turned into a major tourist attraction. Today the park has over 1.2 million visitors a year.
The bridge is wobbly and not for those with a fear of heights. It is also not for wheelchairs, strollers, or visitors with mobility challenges. It swayed quite a bit and visitors would be most stable if they held onto both sides going across. Unfortunately, the bridge is quite crowded and it is usually not possible to do that. So just hold on where you can, move carefully, and don’t forget to enjoy the views. The scenery off both sides of the bridge is amazing.
There is plenty to do on the other side of the bridge too. Our boys loved the Treetops Adventure, which is a series of viewing platforms and suspension bridges connecting 8 250-year old Douglas Fir trees. With the bridges as high as 110 feet, the Capilano website boasts that it “offers a squirrel’s eye view of a thriving coastal forest.” My boys definitely enjoyed scurrying around among the treetops.
Finally, we walked along the Nature’s Edge Boardwalk. This walk teaches you about the rainforest ecosystem. Along the path you can learn about the trees, the ponds, the plants, the animals, the bugs, and even the rocks that make up the temperate West Coast rainforest.
My nephews also completed the Kids Rainforest Explorer Program. In the treehouse at the start of the Treetops Adventure, they picked up the explorer activity guide. They followed the clues to different spots around the trails, where they found answers to questions about the rainforest. At the end, they turned in their completed activity guide for a Rainforest Explorer Badge. (At 8 and 9, they found the prize a little disappointing for all their hard work, but they enjoyed the activity.)
We had a tired crew at this point and headed back across the bridge. Sadly the kids were too pooped to do the Cliffwalk, which looked fun. Located on the near side of the suspension bridge, the Cliffwalk is a series of cantilevered and suspended walkways coming out from the cliff. Some of the ones that reach far out over the river even feature glass floors so you can see down into the canyon below.
Much like Grouse Mountain, we probably could have spent a whole day here. There was much more to explore than I had anticipated and I felt like the park and its activities were really well executed. Everything seemed safe, clean, and like new. It was educational, interesting, and beautiful, and we enjoyed being out in nature and learning about the unique ecosystem in this part of the world.
