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Photo: Arnold C, Attribution via Wikimedia Commons
26 km of hiking trails mostly set in the rain forest along the Capilano River canyon. Trails are up and down with occasional steep sections. The Second Canyon Viewpoint Trail (starts near the fish hatchery) provides some stellar views of the canyon and Cleveland Dam in spring when water levels are high.
Capilano River Regional Park is located in the District of North Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of twenty-three regional parks operated by the Metro Vancouver. The park encompasses most of the upstream areas of the Capilano River below the Cleveland Dam. The area north of the dam surrounding Capilano Lake is closed to the public as it is a GVRD watershed. The privately operated Capilano Suspension Bridge crosses the river, but it is not within park boundaries and does not access the park.
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Located within Capilano River Regional Park. A good spot to take in the view. Looking north from the dam are the Lions and Capilano Lake, while south is the nearly 300 ft high spillway from the dam and Capilano Canyon. There are also some picnic tables nearby. The dam was built to build a reservoir for Metro Vancouver's drinking water and has appeared in TV shows (Smallville) and movies (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes).
This is a working fish hatchery on the Capilano River within Capilano River Regional Park. There are many displays about salmon and the glass walls allow you to see the salmon jumping up the ladder during spawning season (roughly July to November). Within the park, there are many hiking trails and a picnic area at the Cleveland Dam.
The largest of the two suspension bridges in the North Shore at 137 m across and sitting 70 m above the Capilano River, the Capilano Suspension Bridge offers visitors more than a wobbly walk. The area includes Treetops (a series of elevated platforms near the tree canopy), Cliffwalk (a series of narrow platforms suspended over the edge of the canyon), totem poles, and a few restaurants. Expect a curated, compact experience of British Columbia's nature; no hiking trails here. Gets very crowded on summer weekends. Bridge and far side of park are not wheelchair accessible.
Features the Grouse Grind, The busiest and best-known hiking trail in the Lower Mainland, the Grind is more of a fitness challenge than an outdoor experience. Nicknamed "Nature's Stairmaster", the 2,830 steps (2.9 km) climb nearly 1,000-m up the forested slopes of Grouse Mountain. There are unfortunately no real views from the trail but it does give a real sense of accomplishment when you break through the trees at the top and see the chalet. Fit hikers can do it in under an hour, the average time is 1.5-2 hours. Good footwear is recommended (no flip-flops), and in the late afternoon, make sure to allow enough time to complete the climb before dusk. Travel is one direction — up. Downhill travel is not permitted for safety reasons so hikers are expected to take the Grouse Mountain Skyride back down. It's possible to take the neighbouring BCMC trail back to the parking lot, but it is easy to miss the turns in that trail and the downhill is very hard on the knees.
The iconic ride up Grouse Mountain to the "Peak of Vancouver". The view is lovely although it can be quite cramped in the gondola when it's busy. Admission includes (depending on the time of the year) hiking, Theatre in the Sky, ice skating, sleigh ride, snowshoeing, the lumberjack show and the refuge for endangered animals. The Skyride does not provide admission to the ski area, ziplines or the Eye of the Wind.
The purpose-built enclosure to house Coola and Grinder, two grizzly bear cubs that were orphaned. There are periodic ranger talks about the bears and feeding sessions.