What To Expect At Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in Vancouver, Canada

Post Summary: Guide To Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, what to see, and how to prepare for your trip to Vancouver.

Just north of Vancouver, British Columbia is a park known for its treetop adventures, thrilling bridges, and perfect forest setting.

In recent years, Capilano Suspension Bridge Park has attracted over 800,000 visitors a year to Vancouver from all over the world. It’s natural setting and beautiful landscape is unlike anything else in the world!

Berty and I, with our friends Jeffrey and Jonathan, decided to make a mid-week day trip out there and see what this place was all about.

In this post, we’re sharing our experience and letting you know what you might expect on a trip to these incredible suspension bridges in Canada!

Just FYI, this post is intermixed (including the cover photo) with photos from Berty and our good friend Jonatha Gipaya. You can check out his wedding and commercial work over at www.JonathanGipaya.com!

Emily at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

What To Expect At Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Vancouver, Canada

You can follow all our adventures and see more pictures from this day on Instagram at @themandagies!

GETTING THERE

The easiest and most efficient way to get to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is by car.

There is also a free shuttle from downtown Vancouver if you don’t want to worry about driving. To give you an example of how far it is, here are some cities nearby for reference:

  • Bellingham, WA: 60 miles, 1.2 hours drive
  • Seattle, WA: 146 miles, 2.5 hours drive
  • Portland, OR: 319 miles, 5 hours drive

The Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is about 20 minutes north of the city of Vancouver.

Once there, you’ll have to pay for parking – but you can do that at the same time you buy your ticket.

General adult entrance ticket prices to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park (as of Feb. 2018) are $42.95 which we know is a little pricey, but if you make a day out of it we think it’s worth the price.

If you want to visit a suspension bridge for free, we recommend checking out Lynn Canyon (which we wrote a blog post about!)

Read More: 30 Necessary Road Trip Essentials For Your Next Trip

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park Total Poles
Photo Credit: Jonathan Gipaya http://jonathangipaya.com/
Berty and Jeffrey at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Photo Credit: Jonathan Gipaya http://jonathangipaya.com/

WHAT’S INSIDE?

This park was made into a worldwide destination attraction in the 1980’s and is on par with other famous Canadian stops like Lake Louise, Jasper National Park, and Moraine Lake.

The Kia’palano Tribe (which means “beautiful river”) was invited to place several totem poles throughout the park to represent the tribe’s culture and connection to the grounds.

Visitors can learn about the tribe’s history and significance in this area of British Columbia.

As far as attractions go, there are tons of things to see and do in Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. We’ve written a more detailed account of what you can expect below…

Emily Walking on Capilano Suspension Bridge

Best Views At Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

1. The Capilano Suspension Bridge

The crown jewel of the park, this bridge swings 230 feet above the canyon floor and stretches 450 feet from end to end.

The bridge was initially constructed in 1889 made of rope and cedar logs to get to a cabin across the canyon. In 1903 they replaced the ropes with wire cables, and in 1953 they reinforced it with concrete.

It stands strong today and on the Capilano Suspension Bridge website, it boasts that the bridge can “hold up to 96 fully grown elephants”!

Want More Great Canada Winter Views? Read About Amazing Banff Winter Activities Here!

Capilano Suspension Bridge
Photo Credit: Jonathan Gipaya http://jonathangipaya.com/
Emily at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Photo Credit: Jonathan Gipaya http://jonathangipaya.com/
Emily and Berty on Capilano Suspension Bridge
Photo Credit: Jonathan Gipaya http://jonathangipaya.com/

2. Treetops Adventure

This attraction in Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is a set of seven bridges suspended between trees. They stand as high as 100 feet above the ground and give a wonderful perspective of the surrounding forest.

The unique thing about these platforms is that they are adjustable and not permanent, which means they allow for the continued growth of the Douglas firs on which they are fixed. No nails or bolts are used!

This is where you can find the iconic “treehouse” of Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Make sure to get their early so that you can spend some time enjoying the trees all to yourself!

Read More: Stay In The Woods In This Adorable PNW Cabin

Stairs at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Photo Credit: Jonathan Gipaya http://jonathangipaya.com/
Emily at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Tree house at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Emily and Berty at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Photo Credit: Jonathan Gipaya http://jonathangipaya.com/
Emily at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Photo Credit: Jonathan Gipaya http://jonathangipaya.com/

3. The CliffWalk

The CliffWalk is a path that is suspended from a granite rock wall in a semi-circle.

The narrow path doesn’t allow for a lot of room for viewers to walk past one another, so people have to lean to one side to get by!

A little scary to be honest, but discovering that it can hold up to the weight of 35 grown whales, it might make people feel a little better about walking on the pathways.

For Berty and I, it was actually a little more nerve-racking than we were expecting! I spent a lot of my time trying not to look down and enjoyed the views around me instead.

Read More: The 8 Most Amazing Photo Spots In Jasper National Park

Emily at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Emily at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Emily at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park - The Cliffwalk
Emily and Berty at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Photo Credit: Jonathan Gipaya http://jonathangipaya.com/
Jeffrey at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Photo Credit: Jonathan Gipaya http://jonathangipaya.com/

4. Living Forest Walk

This attraction is a series of boardwalks on the ground with information plaques to learn about the delicate forest, plants, and animals that live there.

You have the opportunity to take a free guided tour during certain times of the day to listen to staff share more knowledge and wisdom about the temperate rainforest.

During the holiday season, the park is lit up with a beautiful display of Christmas lights that turn on as the sun is setting. Berty and I need to take another trip out here to see them in their full glory!

Read More: How To Spend 24 Hours In Vancouver, BC

Emily and Berty at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Photo Credit: Jonathan Gipaya http://jonathangipaya.com/
Emily, Berty, and Jeffrey at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Photo Credit: Jonathan Gipaya http://jonathangipaya.com/

WHAT YOU SHOULD PACK FOR CAPILANO SUSPENSION BRIDGE PARK IN THE WINTER

  • Gloves – It was pretty darn cold in the middle of February, and we couldn’t count on the sunshine to keep us warm. Thanks a lot, Pacific Northwest weather. 
  • Camera – Make sure it has a strap like this one too. You can easily drop your camera down the canyon if you aren’t careful!
  • Cash or credit card – Inside the park, you can warm up with some coffee or hot chocolate – which is SO necessary on a cold winter day like this one!
  • Rain jacket – Check the weather before your trip and read this post about our favorite PNW rain jacket picks.
  • Good walking shoes/boots – The park is pretty much a series of boardwalks, so you’ll find yourself walking pretty much the entire time. Get comfortable!

Read More: 40 Winter Travel Packing Essentials For Any Trip

 

OTHER THINGS TO DO AROUND VANCOUVER

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park can seem a little expensive, but worth it if you are going to spend a lot of time here. Want other free suggestions of things to do around the area? Here’s what we recommend:

  • Have a picnic/watch the sunrise at Buntzen Lake
  • Explore the city of Vancouver
  • Hike around North Cascades National Park (Washington, USA)
  • Soak in the beauty of Diablo Lake

Read More: How To Spend 24 Hours In Vancouver, Canada

Emily and Berty at Buntzen Lake - Photo by Jonathan Gipaya
Photo credit: http://jonathangipaya.com/

 

Looking for more Canadian Adventures?

There are so many reasons to explore this beautiful country! Here are some of our suggestions to extend your trip in Canada’s Pacific Northwest:

Have you ever explored Capilano Suspension Bridge Park? What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments below!

READ MORE PNW ADVENTURES

How To Spend 24 Hours In Vancouver, Canada

10 Easy Hikes In Jasper National Park

Test Your Limits at Mount Storm King

10 Things To Do In San Francisco: Adventure Edition

Scenic Hot Springs In The Cascade Mountains

5 Pacific Northwest Hot Springs You Must Visit

Want more PNW inspiration similar to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park? Follow us on Pinterest for more ideas around this area!

6 Comments

  1. This looks so beautiful! I almost visited last time I was in in Vancouver, but it was pouring rain so I had to skip it. Will add it to my bucket list!

    1. Hi Giulia!
      I’m so glad you liked it! It’s a little pricey, but making a day out of it was worth it for us! Hopefully the weather is better on your return trip!!

  2. We’ve always wanted to visit the Capilano Bridge, but never got around to doing it. It’s definitely on my list!

  3. During the summer when I visited it was SO crowded. The only way inside the park is on the bridge and the bridge line was over an hour long. It looks like you when during the fall/winter so I def recommend going during that time unless you want to be waiting in crazy lines! It also took away from the pictures I could take because there were so many people everywhere it was hard to get solo shots.

    1. Oh my gosh I had no idea it would look like that in the summer!!! Yes, we went during winter and it was the perfect time to go it seems like. Hoope you can return back to the park on day and go on a cold winter morning to get a shot of the bridge!

    2. Oh my gosh I had no idea it would look like that in the summer!!! Yes, we went during winter and it was the perfect time to go it seems like. Hope you can return back to the park on day and go on a cold winter morning to get a shot of the bridge!