When in North Vancouver, the must-visit place is Capilano Suspension Bridge. So after a quick check-in and a short nap – what, we had a long drive! – we headed straight out to this bridge. The Grenoble feeling was so much stronger here – driving in the hills, narrow roads, the tall, tall fir trees lining the roads – yes, it totally felt like Grenoble!! It was a little before 5pm when we got to the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, the tickets are a bit pricey – about $40 Canadian, but wait, there’s a deal! Summer hours, tickets are half-off after 5:30pm!!

Hmm….wait half hour, or pay full price?!! Duh!! We decided to head up to the Cleveland Dam, a short 10-minute ride from the park. Actually, another attraction close by is the Capilano Salmon Hatcheries – we decided to skip this one – fish, really?!  It was a beautiful day, and the location of the dam is really spectacular!! Awesome views of the Capilano lake, Grouse mountain, and the Lions peaks!! The reservoir is a source of water for most of the Vancouver area but is not used for hydro-electric power.

Back to the Capilano Suspension Bridge park – the bridge is the main attraction, of course! Crossing the bridge – not as scary as I was expecting – but I did keep a firm hold on the railing all the way through!! There were quite a few fearless (read, foolhardy!) souls taking selfies – hmmm, swaying, suspension bridge, a steep drop to the riverbed below – I hope the picture is worth it!! Scarier than the bridge is the newest attraction at the park – the Cliff Walk – a suspended walkway jutting out from the cliff face, with glass floors – nerves of steel needed for this one!!

Towering greens dominate the landscape here – some of these Douglas firs were over 500 years old and more than 200 ft tall!! And the “Treetops Adventure” – a series of bridges connecting the trees for a birds-eye view of the West Coast rainforest – pretty amazing!! Tying in with the whole ecological preservation theme, a part of the walk around is dedicated to water conservation – the kid-friendly displays really emphasize the importance of water!! And the totems are the perfect photo-op – apparently this is the largest collection of totem poles in North America!

It was still light when we left Capilano park – still time for a couple more things on the list! Next stop – Lighthouse Park!! Our GPS took us through a residential part of North Vancouver – and how gorgeous were some of these houses!! Again, the Grenoble vibe is very strong – well, other than the sea views, of course! – but the narrow lanes with the high hedges, each house very different, and the pastel colors of the outer walls – oh, nostalgia!! The Lighthouse park is another really nice walking trail – we never did make it to the actual lighthouse – just caught a glimpse. And then on the way back, we stopped at this lookout point – would have been a great place to catch the sunset, if it hadn’t been so cloudy!! Still, great views of Vancoucer downtown – and I have no idea which mountain that is in the distance, absolutely majestic!!

I didn’t think this post would be so long…was kind of hoping to wrap up Vancouver here!! Anyway, downtown Vancouver coming up next – and then onto the rest of our vacation!!