A photo diary of strolling through North Vancouver’s jewel-toned wilderness
With its lush rainforests, serene lakes, and rushing waterfalls, North Vancouver is a wonder to behold. And it’s all right there – easy to find and accessible for everyone. When I was last in Vancouver, I wanted to visit the Capilano River and Cleveland Dam. From what I was told, the region was beautiful – one of the best places to see the sunset, in fact.
Since I was in downtown Vancouver, I hopped in the car and took the 15ish minute drive into North Vancouver. The drive itself was beautiful – with Stanley Park, the Bay, Lionsgate Bridge, and the forests of North Vancouver there to keep me company on the short trip. A cool fog had begun rolling into the scene, casting a blanket of mist and shade over the hues of green, blue, and purple.
In my opinion, North Vancouver as a whole isn’t talked about nearly enough – most people (when planning trips) know about Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, of course, but many don’t talk about just how lovely everything else is. The Capilano River stretches from the North Shore Coast Mountains to the Burrard Inlet – a vital part of the region’s rich ecosystem.
Capilano Bridge Park and the Cleveland Dam are located just down the street from one another. The Capilano Bridge is one of Vancouver’s oldest tourist attractions, built in 1889. Initially I had been hesitant about visiting such a busy (and pricy) tourist attraction, I was pleasantly surprised. The Park team has a clear passion for educating the public on the area’s biodiversity and promoting responsible preservation of British Columbia’s natural resources. Plus, the treetop, clifftop, and suspension bridges are engineering marvels. I ended up walking away with a newfound love for suspension bridges.
A few minutes up the street took us to the Cleveland Dam. Built in the 1950s, the watershed provides the community with clean, safe drinking water. There is also a Salmon Hatchery, built in the 70s, to protect the river’s Salmon Run. It was incredibly quiet – just a few people out for light hiking on the nearby trails. I caught a few photos of the lake and bridge before walking around and just enjoying the peaceful silence.
A short drive away is Lynn Creek, another part of North Vancouver’s natural landscape. Lynn Creek was number one on my to-visit list – because of its FREE entry cost and suspension bridge. While Capilano and the Cleveland Dam were located just off the side of the road, Lynn Canyon Park was a bit more of a venture into the wilderness. It wasn’t a long drive, by any means, but it certainly felt more isolated and set-apart from the main hustle and bustle of Vancouver. My camera struggled in the cold, but the jewel-tones were true magnificent in person. We were greeted by waterfalls, winding pathways, and the peaceful sounds of the rainforest.
In all, it was a fairly doable walk, with Cleveland Dam being the easiest, then Capilano, then Lynn Canyon offering a bit more of a challenge with the sleek pathways. I walked away from each place with a new-found appreciation for North Vancouver’s nature and the unsettling feeling of wishing I had allotted more time to explore each location – I suppose that means I’ll just need to return for more!
Check-out below a few more clips of my trip through British Columbia!
TL;DR Travels 
Leave a comment