Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in Vancouver

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is a really cool excursion destination in Vancouver. Over a freely swinging suspension bridge – the Capilano Suspension Bridge – you reach the evergreen, dense rainforest on Canada’s west coast.

Not far from Downtown you can experience the coastal rainforest of British Columbia on the edge of the metropolis. What is special about this park is that you can discover the fascinating vegetation from the treetops. There are several other suspension bridges that lead through the forest.

The park is probably one of the most popular excursion destinations in Vancouver, as it welcomes up to 800,000 visitors every year. Quite rightly we think, as exploring Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is a really wonderful experience.

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

Directly behind the park entrance the gigantic freely swinging suspension bridge lies ahead of us. With a length of 136 metres it spans the canyon here and disappears on the other side among the mighty trees of the coastal rainforest. The Capilano Suspension Bridge hangs 70 metres above the ground. That really is not bad at all!

Once we reach the other side of the bridge, various paths lead us further through the rainforest. There are another 7 bridges here that take us from one platform in the trees to the next. Up at these airy heights we get a completely different impression of the rainforest. There is also a cliffwalk which leads in a semicircle along a steep slope over the trees of the rainforest.

To avoid damaging the trees, the platforms were installed without nails or bolts using a movable, adjustable system.

The forest is dense and damp and is home to ancient, giant trees. Among them are species typical for this region such as Douglas fir, western hemlock and western red cedar. In Capilano Suspension Bridge Park there are even trees that are up to 1,500 years old. Absolutely fascinating! You can also get another lasting impression of the coastal rainforest on Vancouver Island. It is well worth exploring the Rainforest Trail there.

Getting there & on site

Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is in North Vancouver and is easy to reach from Downtown via Lions Gate Bridge. Park entry costs 47 $ per person and it is open all year round.

We recommend planning around 2 1/2 hours for your visit.

You should definitely think about whether you want to arrive by vehicle. Only a limited number of paid parking spaces are available. For 3 hours of parking you have to pay 8 $. Between 1 May and 30 September there are no parking facilities for motorhomes.

However, the park offers a shuttle service from Downtown. From four different locations the shuttle even runs free of charge!

Are you also planning to travel to Vancouver or have you already been there? Tell us about it in the comments.