Travel to Capilano Suspension Bridge – No Suspension of Disbelief
Posted in Family Fun, Hiking, Scenery, Shopping, Travel | By Shelley Gillespie | Tags: Canada, Nature, Scenery, Travel, Unique
Those who have a fear of heights – BEWARE! You will not want to go over the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver.
For the rest of the population, the Capilano Suspension Bridge is a fascinating diversion that gives you a rare vantage point high above the river and forest.
When you enter the park (admission charge – about $30 Canadian per person for adults), you briefly see some totem poles, snack locations and a store, but the real reason you came is waiting for you.
Step down from a platform area onto the suspension bridge and you will feel a swaying. Look down the 200-plus feet to the water below and you will have a sense of just how high up you are.
Capilano Suspension Bridge - spans the Capilano River -over 200 feet below
The bridge is fairly steady, unless you have some high school-aged students who decide to jump up and down – strictly forbidden and nipped in the bud quickly – who cause the bridge to sway. We crossed with little incident and very few people.
A sense of perspective - high up
A friend who is fearful of heights and the wife of a man we met from Winnipeg were too fearful to cross, so they stayed on the entry side. They missed a lot!
Treetops Adventure
After you walk across the bridge, your next experience is “Treetops Adventure,” a series of foot paths suspended from the trees – high up, of course. Informational displays explaining that the trees have not been harmed allow you to enjoy the experience of walking among the tree branches. A collar bolted only to itself around the trunk allows the walkways and vantage points to be suspended to hold up the walkways.
No tree is harmed in the making of this adventure! A collar supports and holds the Treetops Adventure's walkway in place without piercing the trunk.
You are up where you can hear the birds, see the forest and some of its creatures and get a sense of the life of the forest. Displays also reinforce the knowledge that there is a symbiosis in the forest. Even dead trees play their part in the life cycle. When a tree dies, it becomes the food for insects, a home for moss, a place where hemlock seedlings can take root. Nothing is wasted.
Standing dead trees – “snags” – can become the home for eagle nests, which can be six feet across and weigh up to 1,000 lbs.
Walking along the path, we reached a section that had sunlight coming through the leaves. Steam was coming off the wooden board rails since it had rained and the sunlight was causing it to evaporate right before our eyes.
Signage seemed to be in conflict over which was the biggest tree in the forest. We saw one sign that said “Grandma Capilano,” at over 200 feet, was the tallest and had lived for over 500 years; “Big Doug” was also labeled as the tallest at over 250 feet and over 300 years old. We caught an oversight that none of the park staff had noticed. In any case, these are very BIG trees.
Cliff Hangar Walk – not scary
Our last adventure was walking the “Cliff Hangar Walk,” not scary as the name would imply. Actually, it was a peaceful walk at ground level (the ground still being quite high above the river), There were ponds stocked with trout and an avid little squirrel eating with a crowd watching.
The abundance of old-growth trees certainly gives a human visitor a sense of how short their life is in comparison to the trees in the forest.
Not to worry about the bridge holding up
One display showed how the cables that support the Capilano Suspension Bridge are extremely strong. A sample and display indicated that the cables can support “up to 8 fully-loaded 18-wheeler semis.”
Bridge supports up to 8 loaded semis - and many humans
Imagine, as when they first constructed the bridge that you were only supported by hemp ropes. Then, I would worry.
And, finally…
Once back across the bridge, there is a large store with souvenirs of your experience. I now sport a T-shirt proclaiming, “Capilano Suspension Bridge – Naturally Thrilling since 1889.”
It was fun!
(The bridge is not handicapped accessible, but a wheelchair can enter the park, just not get across the bridge or see the Treetops Adventures or Cliff Hangar Walk.)
Tomorrow… Visit Vancouver neighborhoods
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