Capilano Suspension Bridge. 450 feet. From one end to the other. And it must be traversed twice. Once to go check out the other side, and again to return.
It’s quite an impressive bridge. But before getting to the bridge, there’s the Cliffwalk. Also impressive, and quite a feat of engineering. It curves out, giving a beautiful view of the scenery below. There are spots with glass bottoms that jut out so you can move a little beyond the tree line, see out and down. It was rather amusing to watch members of a tourist group test the glass surface, gently pressing a toe, then a foot, before venturing out. Nothing wrong with being safe.
The Cliffwalk takes you around a cliff, surprise surprise, and then a section that talks about water conservation. Rather interesting. The whole thing is rather interesting. Large booklets talk about the history of Capilano, the river, the First Nations and how they built the bridge, the Cliffwalk, the whole area. A very rich history for a very scenic spot. If not for the tour buses, you’d easily miss it on the drive up.
So we did the Cliffwalk, the water conservation and then it was time to cross the bridge. And there is rarely a time when there aren’t a fair number of people on the bridge, so you just have to follow the masses. Sometimes there’s a break when groups reach either end, leaving fewer in the middle, but there are almost always people coming or going across the bridge. It is wobbly and it does move, which is good, but it is pretty sturdy. And the view was gorgeous. Rather glad I have a point-and-shoot camera as there was a lot of pointing and shooting. Stopping meant trying to take a picture while swaying with the bridge. Walking and shooting kept the rhythm.
Across the bridge, on the other side, is the Treetop Adventure which is a cross between Swiss Family Robinson and Peter Pan. There’s one big tree house, really, and then bridges from tree to tree that take you around the top of the other side with some beautiful views in between. They don’t sway nearly as much, but you still must cross single file. Certainly gives you a different perspective on things, and for some odd reason, compels people to toss coins onto a tree stump. I don’t know if there’s something to tossing coins on tree stumps in Canada, but it seems to be a popular thing, albeit with mixed success.
I took the opportunity to experiment with water reflection shots. There were quite a few pools, ponds and areas of water that reflected the natural surroundings. Fish were feeding, water bugs were attempting to escape so capturing a shot without ripples was a bit of a challenge.
Oh right. Transit.
Lacking a car, it’s a little tricky to get there but certainly doable and fairly easy from downtown. There are free shuttles that run from various hotels downtown, but the downside is that the last one leaves Capilano at 4:30pm. You can, however, take a transit bus, or you can take the Seabus and meetup with friends who have a car. Figured I’d make it a full-fledged experience and take the Seabus to Lonsdale Quay and meetup with friends who have a car and were interested in a hike.
The Seabus is a ferry, really, that connects Vancouver with North Vancouver. It takes you past the port of Vancouver, and one a beautiful day like yesterday, it has gorgeous views. I even saw an Evergreen container ship being uploaded! Stanley Park is off to the left, the port off to the right and North Vancouver well, straight ahead. And Lonsdale Quay is a quite little spot. Rather similar to Granville Island, actually, and another great spot for a different view of downtown Vancouver. Not quite as impressive though, without mountains behind it, but a different view none-the-less.
All in all, it was a good day and a fun adventure. Capilano Suspension Bridge may be a big tourist destination, but sometimes it’s good to go see what everyone else is doing.