Capilano Suspension Bridge: Canyon Lights

One of our family's traditional Christmas activities is to look at lights. We love wandering our neighbourhood and picking our favourite decorated homes and returning home for some hot chocolate. Over the years we have gone to various venues to see their Christmas lights and this year we were finally able to experience Capilano Suspension Bridge's Canyon Lights in North Vancouver.

We've had our annual family pass since this spring and this was our sixth time going.  If you go just once, and are a B.C. resident, you can sign up for an annual pass on your way out.  A family pass is just $89 for two adults and two kids (ages 6-16).  I've shared about past visits here and here.

The Capilano Suspension Bridge is open November 23rd to January 28th from 11 AM until 9 PM each night with Canyon Light activities beginning at 4 PM.  Please note that it is closed Christmas Day.

We got there at 4 PM and I would recommend even arriving earlier than that especially if you haven't been to Capilano Suspension Bridge before. It's incredibly beautiful scenery which is hard to see by 4:30 PM when the lights are in full effect. Besides, once it's dark, taking good photos is quite difficult!

There are snowy owls for the kids to try to find along the various paths from the Cliffwalk to the Treetops Adventure. 

In the Winter Pavillion there are activities for the kids to participate in by donation: decorate a gingerbread cookie and wooden Christmas ornament. We went on a rainy day and there were many undercover areas to hang out (and free rain ponchos given away if needed) with this pavillion being one of them. There are several places to order food and prices are very reasonable.

Taking photos at Canyon Lights is really tricky as it is so dark. The middle of the bridge is a good spot as there is the least amount of swinging and quite a bit of light–just make sure the person you're photographing is standing relatively still!  

The benefit of going on a rainy day is that there were very few people. It is recommended to go before December 16th and on a weekday if you would like to avoid lineups. When we went yesterday (November 27th) there was a lot of parking available (it's $5) and we walked right in.

There are four main areas to explore at Canyon Lights: The Cliffwalk, Suspension Bridge, Treetops Adventure, and walk around the pond.  It is not difficult and the terrain is very easy to navigate (although not stroller or wheelchair friendly due to stairs).  The orbs are beautiful around the pond!

Although it was raining, the kids all had a really great time. Koen especially loved how they light up the waterfall and water below in different colours (so hard to get a photo of it).

If you are looking for a fun family Christmas experience I recommend Canyon Lights for it's beauty and value–the year-long pass is so worth it. If you're cool with crowds then go on a dry evening. We will definitely head back on more time this season!

Have you been to Canyon Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge before?  Will you be going this year?

Love,

Louise