Life

Photo essay: Christmas lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge (Includes first-hand account)

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

Published

December 29, 2014

The privately-owned Capilano Suspension Bridge is the longest suspension footbridge in the world. It spans the banks of Capilano River over a distance of about 140 metres and hangs 70 metres above the river.
Built in 1889 as a rope bridge over the canyon by a land developer George Grant Mackay, it was upgraded to its present steel-cable version early in the 20th century. Its first owner added a tea house and a garden in 1910. First totem poles came to the area of the bridge in 1935, and another owner added a gift shop, banquet hall and a restaurant in the 50s. On average it attracts nearly a million visitors a year.

Totem poles at the entry to Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver decorated with Christmas lights.

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

During the Christmas season the bridge and its surroundings shine and glitter with Christmas lights and decorations. The lights display attracts an extra amount of visitors in extended hours. On a daily basis it takes a minute from buying a ticket to set the foot on the bridge, but at this time of the year one should wait in a long lineup some 10-15 minutes to start walking over the bridge. Then the crowds of people move slowly in opposite directions while taking pictures at many places of still-shaking bridge.

Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver, full of visitors walking back and forth.

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

Apart from being an attraction of itself, the bridge has a cliffwalk which is a series of passages, bridges, walkways and cantilevered bridges anchored to a granite cliff. It gives a visitor an impression of walking both above the canyon and away from the cliff as if being suspended in the air.
On the other side of the bridge, there’s the Treetop Adventure attraction. It’s a system of 7 suspended bridges (the highest suspended some 30 metres above) interconnected with walkways and viewing platforms when running between old growth Douglas fir trees (some of them 1,000 year old), typical for coastal rainforests.

Live band playing music at Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver.

Joseph Boltrukiewicz

Visiting the bridge is not a cheap experience for easy crossing over the canyon but with every ticket purchased it’s possible to get an annual pass to the bridge and repeat the visit at another time.