Capilano Suspension Bridge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Capilano Suspension Bridge Park
Capilano Suspension Bridge in July 2016.
Coordinates	49°20′34″N 123°06′44″W
Carries	Pedestrians
Crosses	Capilano River
Locale	North Vancouver (district), British Columbia
Characteristics
Design	Simple Suspension
Total length	140 metres (460 ft)
Height	70 metres (230 ft)
History
Opened	1889
Statistics
Daily traffic	1.2 million visitors annually

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is a simple suspension bridge crossing the Capilano River in the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The current bridge is 140 metres (460 ft) long and 70 metres (230 ft) above the river. It is part of a private facility with an admission fee, and draws over 1.2 million visitors per year.

History

The bridge was originally built in 1889 by George Grant Mackay, a Scottish civil engineer and park commissioner for Vancouver. It was originally made of hemp ropes with a deck of cedar planks, and was replaced with a wire cable bridge in 1903. In 1910 Edward Mahon purchased the Capilano Suspension Bridge. "Mac" MacEachran purchased the Bridge from Mahon in 1935 and invited local natives to place their totem poles in the park, adding a native theme. In 1945, he sold the bridge to Henri Aubeneau.

The bridge was completely rebuilt in 1956.

The park was sold to Nancy Stibbard, the current owner, in 1983. Annual attendance increased, and in May 2004, Treetops Adventures was opened, consisting of seven footbridges suspended between old-growth Douglas Fir trees on the west side of the canyon, forming a walkway up to 30 metres (98 ft) above the forest floor.

Cliff Walk

Capilano Suspension Bridge

In June 2011, a new attraction called Cliffwalk was added to the park.