Capilano River Regional Park

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.

Address: 5077 Capilano Rd
Getting there: access is from Cleveland Dam or the Capilano Fish Hatchery — see the Capilano River Attractions section above
Hours: June-Aug 7AM-10PM, Sept-May 7AM-8PM
Price: Free
Website: metrovancouver.org (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: North Vancouver, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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Cleveland Dam
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).
Free
See
Capilano Fish Hatchery
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.
Open daily spring/summer: 8AM - 9PM; at other times: 8AM - duskFree
See
Capilano Suspension Bridge
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.
Open daily June to Labour Day: 8AM - 8PM; winter: 9AM - 5PM (except Dec when it's 10AM - 9PM for the Canyon Lights); closed Dec 25$25 child (6-12), $44 youth (13-16), $61 student (17+ with student ID), $68 senior, $73 adult
Do
Grouse Mountain Regional Park
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.
Usually open May-Oct from an hour after dawn to a couple of hours before sunset (roughly 6:15AM-7:30PM in summer)Use of the trail is free, the tram ride back down is $15