Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Vancouver Vacation - Capilano Suspension Bridge Park

A few weeks ago, we returned from an AMAZING trip to Vancouver, Canada.  I've been inspired by my friend Bailey's pictures of her time in Vancouver, so we just had to experience it for ourselves!

We met my mom, dad, brother and his girlfriend, Megan, Sunday night at the airport; piled ourselves into what is now our official vacation car, a Flex; and made our way to the house we rented for the week in Deep Cove (an area west of North Vancouver they all the "interior").  When we woke up Monday morning, we got a full glimpse of how beautiful our home base for the week was.


deep cove house rental

deep cove house rental


After getting cleaned up, we decided to head to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, one of the things we were MOST excited to visit.  Why not start out with a bang?  When you walk through the gates, you immediately feel as though you've left the real world and entered a lush forest.  After checking out the totem polls, we went straight for the giant suspension bridge.  This bridge was built in 1889 and stretches 450 feet across and 230 feet above the Capilano River.  We had some rowdy kids in front of us who jumped most of the way across, making our first trip over quite bouncy.  Even though we were hanging on for dear life, the views were beautiful.

vancouver totem pollsvancouver totem polls

vancouver suspension bridge


capilano river

capilano suspension bridge

Once you make your way across the suspension bridge, the real fun starts.  You find yourself in the middle of a "coastal rain forest", where you can make your way through an endless trail of boardwalks weaving through the park.  We walked most of the boardwalk area on our way to the "Treetops Adventure", my favorite part!






His wingspan was ALMOST equal to the eagle...






The Treetops area was a set of suspended bridges between 1300 year old Douglas Firs.  We ascended a staircase and walked from tree to tree, pausing at viewing platform around each trunk (think Ewok Village from Return of the Jedi, says husband).  It was AMAZING.  I could have walked back and forth all day, enjoying the forest from the tops of the trees.





After making our way down to solid ground, we traveled back to the suspension bridge (where we had a much less bouncy trip to the other side) and made our way to the last major part of the park - the Cliffwalk.  This was a (yet another) set of tiny bridges and stairs that followed a granite cliff along the Capilano River.  The views were beautiful!








We finished the morning with a delicious lunch on the patio of the Bridge House across the street.  Then it was off to Grouse Mountain, where we took a gondola to the summit for some amazing views of the Greater Vancouver area (and a bear).  Stay tuned for pics!  


Want to see pictures from our vacation to Yellowstone and the Tetons last year?  Check out these posts for some amazing pictures.

Yellowstone National Park
Hiking Jenny Lake and Colter Bay
Horseback riding and Chuckwagon Dinner
Floating Down Snake River
Hiking Rendezvous Mountain