Capilano Cliff Hanger Walkway Project

Client: The Capilano Group of Companies

The Capilano Cliffhanger project is an eco-friendly walkway that will allow visitors to meander through virgin rainforest, without disturbing either the flora or the fauna of the surroundings. How? By hanging off the sheer drop of a cliffside.

McElhanney is the prime consultant in partnership with Morrison Hershfield for the Cliff Hanger, a 215 metre-long walkway attached to the rock face of the Capilano River Canyon in North Vancouver. At its highest point, there is a drop of 90 metres looking down to the river below.

The objective was to develop a system for building an environmentally friendly walkway, ensuring the protection of wildlife and river habitat. The habitat loss for the entire project, including trails, is 100 square metres, barely touching the natural environment while educating thousands of visitors per year.

The structural geometric design and surveying are unique. Some of the main challenges were fitting the structure to an undulating rock face, and locating anchor points in areas of the rock which were strong enough. Once the anchor points were installed, the structure was redesigned to fit those points. The survey itself was completed by hanging over the cliff with ropes and using rock climbing equipment.

Final plans include a curved suspension bridge, seven straight bridges, eight sets of stairs and six platforms, including two with glass floors. The Cliff Hanger Walkway is scheduled to open in May 2011.