Capilano Trail System

The great thing about Vancouver and the area around (I guess Metro Vancouver) is that there are so many places you can go to enjoy a great day hike. The North Shore has a few that I personally like to do over and over again as there are also ones I have yet to do but we’re planning to do soon.

Our plan was to hit Dog Mountain, which is part of Seymour Mountain in North Vancouver. When we arrived at the parking lot the outcome didn’t look great. There was still snow (about a half a foot of it) and it was pretty chilly. I remember that majority of the trail to Dog Mountain is in the trees and last time I went, there was a large part that had snow. Since there was snow at the parking lot still, i didn’t think we were prepared for it, so we decided to choose a different hike. Robyn and Jenny suggested the Capilano area.

Most people will know Capilano because of the Capilano Suspension Bridge also it is enroute to Grouse Mountain too. Both are great tourist destinations if you’re visiting Vancouver. Though what we were going to do was set around the suspension bridge area and starts at the Cleveland Dam.

If you drive past the Capilano Suspension Bridge for about 5 more minutes you will come to the Cleveland Dam area. There is a parking lot (free) as well as washroom facilities, picnic benches and grassy areas. The only downside is that you cannot go swimming as the water is the drinking source for most of the city of Vancouver.

The trail system starts at the other side of the Cleveland Dam. In the middle of the dam you can look over the edge and down into the beginning of the Capilano Canyon. The surge of water from above is a pretty impressive sight.

There are a couple of trail systems along the way. We took the Capilano Pacific Trail which follows along the Capilano River.

Cleveland Dam

There are many view points along the way as you meander around the forest of old growth trees and vegetation. There is also a Fish Hatchery that you can visit while you’re there. When we stopped there for a bio break, a bus load of tourists got out as well. The hatchery is pretty cool as it shows live stages of a fish’s life cycle in a hatchery. The area has some pretty cool architecture as well.

Small runoff from fish hatchery

Pipe Bridge

There are a couple of loop trails, some being longer than others and the one we took takes you behind the Capilano Suspension Bridge area to where their Treetop Adventure is located. The elevation gain isn’t horrendous and it seems many people were trail running it too.

Overall it was a great way to spend a cooler day in Vancouver, it also didn’t cost us anything other than the cost of the gas to drive there. It also only took us a few hours to complete, though it can probably be done around 2 hours, but with me taking photos it always makes our walks and hikes a bit longer.