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Nestled among the trees and off a busy road, the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park in Vancouver is a historic playground for young and old. The first bridge was built here in 1889 with cedar planks and hemp rope, drawing a crowd of local outdoor enthusiasts that only grew as the bridge switched owners and structural elements over the last century.
The park got its name from the Squamish Nation’s Kia’palano, which means “beautiful river.” Now home to a sturdier 450-foot suspension bridge, a treetops adventure, a glass bottomed walkway, three restaurants, and miles of trails, the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon in North Vancouver. It is also located just down the road from the gondola at Grouse Mountain.
My family of four (two adults, and two kids under five) visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park during a weekend trip to North Vancouver in the fall. Here are nine tips to make the most out of your trip:
Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is located on unceded traditional territory of the Skwxwú7mesh Nation and Tslei-Waututh Nation.
Trip Purpose
Spend a day at Capilano Suspension Bridge during a trip to Vancouver, Canada
DESTINATION: Vancouver, Canada
AGE OF OUR KIDS: 2 years; 5 years
LENGTH OF STAY: One day
TIME OF YEAR: October
Before you go
- Tickets: Tickets can be purchased online or at the front desk when you arrive. If you order online, you must pick your date and time of entry when you purchase. We ordered our tickets online and skipped the long queue of visitors waiting to purchase their tickets that day.
- Parking: Parking can be found in a paid lot across the street from the park and costs CAN $8.00 for three hours paid by credit card only. If you need to pay for parking with cash, you can purchase the parking pass directly from the ticket office at the main entrance. If the parking lot is full, you will be directed to an overflow lot a few minutes away with complimentary shuttle service to and from the main entrance. The park also offers a free shuttle service from multiple hotels. Click here for more information.
- Arrival time: Arrive early to miss the crowds and take advantage of access to the bridge and activities without a line. We arrived close to when the park opened and noticed a drastic increase in visitors on the bridge and treetops adventure towards the middle of the day.
- The park takes 2-2.5 hours to explore at a minimum, not including stops for food or educational activities.
- Strollers are not allowed on the bridge, treetops adventure, or cliff walk.
| Tickets | Free - ages 0-5 |
| CAN $26.95 for children ages 6-12 | |
| CAN $36.95 for youth ages 13-17 | |
| CAN $66.95 for adults ages 18+ | |
| Parking | CAN $8.00 |
| Meals | ~CAN $20/meal |
9 Tips for Visiting the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park with your Family
1. Stop at the Kia’palano education center on your way to the bridge
The Kia’palano education center offers information and a tribute to the Indigenous peoples on whose land the park is located.
The education center features story poles (commonly called totem poles) carved by local Indigenous carvers.
2. Cross the suspension bridge early to access more activities
Most people come to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park to cross the 450 feet long suspension bridge. This is the only way across the river to reach the treetops adventure.
There is only one bridge for crossing the river and returning to the entrance. Don’t worry, it is wide enough for folks to pass on your left during their return route.
As you make your way across the wobbly bridge, try not to get caught up in the rush of people just trying to get across, or stopping to get the perfect selfie. Take a moment to look at the river below you and notice the beauty with your kids.
If you’re carrying any little ones, try not to hold them above your waist. The bridge railing is only about shoulder height, which means a kiddo on your shoulders could fall over!
I must admit I was a little panicky about this when I had to carry my toddler back across the bridge on our way out of the park.
3. Do the Scavenger Hunt
Once you cross the bridge, stop at the kiosk to grab clipboards, pencils, and listen to the instructions for the kid-friendly scavenger hunt.
The hunt takes you throughout the trails on that side of the bridge, providing a fun game to play to motivate little feet to keep moving along the trails until you finish the loop back to the bridge to claim your prize.
Our preschooler loved this activity! She ran from station to station, looking for clues, doing the scavenger hunt activity or solving the puzzles on the form provided. She had so much fun, she was disappointed when she was done and asked for more!
4. Take the stairs to the Treetops Adventure
The kid-friendly Treetops Adventure walks you along a series of seven bridges that connect a path through the trees at 110 feet above the forest floor.
My kids hugged each tree trunk as we walked along, pretending they were fairies flying high in the air.
We were lucky to be one of the few visitors enjoying the Treetops Adventure at that time and had the bridges to ourselves.
5. Keep an Eye Out for Wildlife
The park is in the forest of North Vancouver, and is home to many wild animals, like Douglas squirrels, rainbow trout, and lots of beautiful birds.
Maybe you’ll spot a bald eagle!
6. See the Bird Show
The “Birds of Raptors Ridge” show takes place every weekend in April and May, and every day from June to September. Visitors can get up close and personal with a Great Horned Owl or a Bald Eagle, shared by their super smart handlers, on the west side of the bridge, along the trail loop for the scavenger hunt.
We stayed for a few minutes to see the owl but left mid-presentation because our preschooler was much more interested in the scavenger hunt.
7. Brave the Cliffwalk
Head back to the east side of the park, across the suspension bridge to take a stroll across the Cliffwalk.
The glass bottomed walkway is about 700 feet long, hovering 30 stories high above the Capilano River Canyon. The route takes you around a big tree into the middle of the canyon, and makes you feel like you are floating. The view is beautiful!
No one in my family was scared on this walk, but my kids were a little tired at this point of our trip, after hours of walking and running through bridges and trees. I ended up carrying our toddler most of the way.
8. Grab lunch at the Cliff House Restaurant
Although the park offers a few different dining options, we chose to rest our feet at a sit-down restaurant on the expansive patio under the shade of an umbrella.
The Cliff House Restaurant passed out a kid’s menu that was also a coloring page, crayons, and plastic kid’s cups with lids. We ordered butter chicken and salmon, both delicious options that we knew our kids would love.
One of the waiters was so friendly with our family and offered to take our children indoors for “a surprise” after they finished eating. While my partner and I finished our meals kid-free, the waitress walked them inside the restaurant to claim their ”prize,” which was letting them play with a vintage cash register. The kids were fascinated.
9. Find something sweet at Beary Yogurt
I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have frozen yogurt on a beautiful day!
Beary Yogurt is a frozen yogurt shop, offering frozen yogurt cups with a variety of fruity and candy toppings, or fresh smoothies.
Grab one on your way out of the park as a reward for the long day of walking.
The Capilano Suspension Bridge Park was the highlight of our North Vancouver trip because it combined all of my family’s favorite things: hiking, nature, trees, climbing, games, good food, and frozen sweets. We saw many other families of color along the trails, and all of the staff were friendly and kind to my boisterous kids. I also really appreciated the diverse staff and Indigenous representation of history, stories, and design.
Just make sure you do not run on the bridge, or you might get yelled at over a loudspeaker, in front of all the other visitors, and need to calm down your worried “rule follower” preschooler who doesn’t like to get in trouble.
Sorry kiddo, mothers make mistakes, too…
Have you ever gotten in trouble in front of your kids? What did you do? And how did you explain it to them? Share in the comments below.
This post is part of a series of posts about visiting Vancouver, Canada with kids. Continue the adventure with us here:
Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.
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