Want to walk among the branches of 100-feet redwoods? A walk on the Capilano Suspension Bridge will do just that. Capilano Suspension Bridge is a must see in the Vancouver tourist book.
What makes this park so special is the 450-ft long suspension bridge that stretches above the Capilano River among the giant redwoods at a height of 230-ft. This is a bridge like no other.
The Capilano Bridge
The bridge was originally built in 1889 and though over the decades it has switched owners many times, one thing has remained the same – the strong safe and awe-inspiring suspension bridge that still lures visitors from all over the world.
I did wonder how the name Capilano came about?
The names origins goes back to the First Nations name belonging to the Squamish Nation and was originally spelled Kia’palano, meaning beautiful river. Over time “Kia’palano” was anglicized into Capilano, a word that has now become the common name of the bridge and the surrounding areas.
Treetops Adventure
Treetops adventure is an attraction where visitors can walk from one giant Douglas-fir tree to another on a series of elevated suspension bridges.
Here some redwoods reach as high as 110 feet (33.5m) above the forest floor. This is a fun series of seven suspension bridges that are attached to eight 250-year-old Douglas-fir redwoods.
This innovative and award-winning treetops bridge series was designed to accommodate the continuous growth of the trees. The viewing platforms are attached to a unique tree collar system that is adjustable and moveable and has no nails or bolts hammered into the trees making it safe for the trees and like no other canopy walk in the world.
These environmentally conscious suspensions bridges have been recognized for extraordinary innovation with numerous national tourism and engineering awards.
Coincidentally we ran into our friend John who was giving his brother-in-law and grandkids from UK a tour of the suspension bridge park as well 😀.
Cliffside Walk
Cliffside Walk is the newest attraction at the park which gives visitors a chance to walk on the side of a cliff on suspended walkways that jut out from the granite cliff above the Capilano River.
Walking on these suspended steps one can see the forest floor below and in some areas look down through glass steps to the river as well. This was a very unique experience!
Walking on the suspension bridges and the cliffside steps is not for the faint of heart.
Anjali and I were hesitant to go any of these as we get seasick pretty fast 😳 – seasick you wonder, what does that have to do with the bridge? Well, walking on 450-ft of a suspended bridge with lots of people – the bridge sways back and forth and it makes you feel like you are swaying in the ocean and you kind of get seasick. One can get a good ab workout too 😊, because one has to balance effectively to stay upright while walking on this bridge.
Same goes for the cliff side steps, you have to have no fear of heights! Since the objective of this nature hike is to experience how it is to be 100 feet high up off a cliff looking down.
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is a must see when visiting Vancouver. The best part of this excursion is the clean fresh air once experiences while exploring this giant redwood forest and the opportunity to feel like Tarzan walking from one redwood to another.
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
