Capilano Suspension Bridge

George Grant Mackay, a Scottish engineer, strung the first bridge across the Capilano gorge in 1889 from hemp rope and cedar planks; it has been rebuilt several times and the present wire cable span is about one hundred and thirty-seven metres long and seventy above the river. The site has grown around it: a Treetops Adventure of seven smaller bridges between Douglas firs on platforms that grip the trunks without bolts, and a Cliffwalk of cantilevered walkways pinned to a granite face. A collection of totem poles was assembled here from the 1930s. It is one of the most visited paid attractions in the province.

What you actually see

• The main span - 137 metres of cable bridge, seventy above the Capilano.
• Treetops Adventure - seven bridges between firs on non-invasive platforms.
• The Cliffwalk - cantilevered walkways pinned to a granite cliff.
• The totem collection - poles gathered on the site since the 1930s.

When to go

May to September for full operation; the site runs a Canyon Lights season with illuminations from late November to January. It is busiest from mid-morning through afternoon.

Honest expectations

Tickets are expensive, particularly next to Lynn Canyon which is free with a similar bridge. Queues on the span are long in summer and the bridge moves noticeably. Much of the site is a shop and cafe complex.

Nearby

Grouse Mountain lies north; Lynn Canyon is east.