Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Marine Drive and then immediately north onto Capilano Road, continuing to 3735 Capil-
ano,onyourleft.Ifyoudon'twanttodrive,takethefreeshuttlefromCanadaPlace;check
the schedule at
www.capbridge.com
. If you don't want to spend the money, you can get
much the same thrill by crossing the free bridge in Lynn Canyon Park.
Capilano River Hatchery
This is my favorite North Shore attraction—and not only because it's free. If you've al-
ways wanted to know more about the miraculous life cycle of salmon or want some facts
to back up your fish stories, visit the
Capilano River Hatchery
(4500 Capilano Park
Rd., 604/666-1790, 8am-8pm daily in summer, until dusk the rest of the year, free) on the
Capilano River, just upstream from the suspension bridge. Beside the rushing Capilano
River and ensconced in cool rainforest, salmon are diverted through a channel and into
artificially-constructed spawning grounds. The channel is topped by a metal grate in one
section and lined with glass windows in another. This allows up-close viewing of the sal-
monastheyfightthecurrentthroughtheirJulytoOctoberrun.Inadditiontothelife-cycle
displays, an exhibit on fly-fishing holds some interesting old tackle.
The hatchery is within
Capilano River Regional Park,
which extends north to
Cleve-
land Dam.
The dam was built in 1954 to form Capilano Lake—Vancouver's main
drinking-water supply. Within the park are many kilometers of hiking trails, including one
that leads all the way down to where the Capilano River drains into Burrard Inlet; it's 7
kilometers (4.3 miles) each way. Some of the best canyon views are right at the hatchery,
including from a bridge that crosses the river on the downstream side.
MM
Grouse Mountain Skyride
Continuing north, Capilano Road becomes Nancy Greene Way and ends at the base of the
Grouse Mountain Skyride
(604/980-9311,
www.grousemountain.com
, adult $40, seni-
or $36, youth $24, child $14), North America's largest aerial tramway. For an excellent
view of downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park, the Pacific Ocean, and as far south as Mount
Baker(Washington),takethealmost-verticaleight-minuterideonthegondolatotheupper
slopes of 1,250-meter (4,100-foot) Grouse Mountain. The gondola runs year-round, de-
parting every 15 minutes 10am-10pm in summer.
Thetriptothetopisalotmorethanagondolaride—andit'seasytospendthebestpart
of a day exploring the surrounding area and taking advantage of the attractions included
in the price of the ride up. Of the many possible hikes, the 1-kilometer (0.6-mile)
Blue
Grouse Interpretive Trail
is the easiest and most enjoyable, winding around a lake and
