On June 3, 2011 the latest attraction at North Vancouver’s world famous Capilano Suspension Bridge Park was opened to the public, greatly increasing the eco-tourism value of one of Vancouver’s top tourism sites.  CLIFFWALK is a heartstopping cliffside walkway that takes visitors through a westcoast rainforest on a series of cantilevered bridges and stairs protruding from the granite cliff face some 90 metres (300 ft) above the Capilano River.

Morrison Hershfield with our partners Wyllie & Norrish Rock Engineers and McElhanney provided the complex design and survey services for this extraordinary project.  Due to its unique design and site constraints, each section of CLIFFWALK was custom built in an intricate step-by-step process of surveying, engineering and fabricating. Features of CLIFFWALK include a 30 m long curved cable supported bridge, six viewing platforms (two with glass floorsand glass guard rails), a set of spiral stairs, nine flights of stairs and eight straight bridges.  Stainless steel handrails are supported by steel beams cantilevered from 16 anchor points in the granite rock face of the canyon. More than just a thrilling experience, the CLIFFWALK structure provides the opportunity to educate the public via interpretative signage about the importance of water and its relationship to the flora/fauna and the formation of the Capilano Canyon.

Kent LaRose, M.A.Sc., P.Eng. Regional Bridge Manager, Western Canadawith Morrison Hershfield and the project’s Engineer of Record and lead design engineer, advises that this type of structure is known to be the first of its kind in the world, and the fabrication/erection technique developed was said to be ground breaking by the steel fabricator.

The environmentally responsible design and construction of CLIFFWALK minimizes its ecological footprint and limits the overall environmental impact on the site. With an environmental footprint of just
11 square metres (or approximately 118 square feet), the walkway is unobtrusive as it winds its way alongside the cliff through rainforest vegetation.  The entire CLIFFWALK was designed to be built by hand, using small, light components. Bridge and walkway sections were built offsite and assembled onsite with minimally invasive construction equipment.  The majority of the attraction is constructed from steel, which is North America's top recycled material.  In addition, three other major material groups were used in the construction of CLIFFWALK: concrete and glass, which are recyclable materials, and timber, a renewable resource.

Morrison Hershfield is proud to have played a key role in the design and construction of this unique project that allows park visitors to safely experience a part of the rainforest ecosystem previously only accessible by experienced rock climbers.  With CLIFFWALK, the park's over 700,000 annual visitors are now able to venture along the face of the granite cliff and access educational opportunities about the importance of water in our daily lives through interpretative exhibits. 

Join Kent LaRose on YouTube to take a virtual tour of CLIFFWALK as he sums up this remarkable project (video also available on the Year of Science website.)

For more information on Capilano Suspension Bridge Park attractions, visit www.capbridge.com.