The Capilano River flows from north to south through the
Coast Mountains
The Coast Mountains (french: La chaîne Côtière) are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia ...
on
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
's
North Shore between
West Vancouver
West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, West Vancouver is to the northwest of the city of Vancouver on the northern side of English Ba ...
and
North Vancouver (district municipality)
The District of North Vancouver is a district municipality in British Columbia, Canada, and is part of Metro Vancouver. It surrounds the City of North Vancouver on three sides. As of 2016, the District stands as the second wealthiest city in ...
and empties into
Burrard Inlet
french: Baie Burrard
, image = Burrard Inlet 201807.jpg
, image_size = 250px
, alt =
, caption = Aerial view of Burrard Inlet
, image_bathymetry = Burrard-Inlet-map-en.svg
, alt_bathymetry ...
, opposite
Stanley Park
Stanley Park is a public park in British Columbia, Canada that makes up the northwestern half of Vancouver's Downtown Peninsula, surrounded by waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. The park borders the neighbourhoods of West End and Coal ...
. The river is one of three primary sources of drinking water for residents of
Greater Vancouver
Greater Vancouver, also known as Metro Vancouver, is the metropolitan area with its major urban centre being the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The term "Greater Vancouver" is roughly coterminous with the geographic area governed b ...
, and flows through the
Capilano watershed. The
Cleveland Dam
The Cleveland Dam is a concrete dam at the head of the Capilano River in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that holds back Capilano Lake, also known as Capilano reservoir. Part of the Capilano River Regional Park, it stores a portion of ...
, built in 1954, impounds a reservoir for this purpose. The entire area of the reservoir and watershed area upstream of the dam is closed to the public to ensure the quality of the drinking water.
Prior to construction of the Cleveland Dam, the Capilano River deposited large amounts of sediment into Burrard Inlet. A dredge was needed to remove this sediment build-up in order to keep Burrard Inlet open for ship traffic.
The Capilano has a historic
salmon run
''Salmon Run'' is a 1982 video game for the Atari 8-bit family created by Bill Williams and distributed via the Atari Program Exchange. ''Salmon Run'' was the first game in Williams's career, followed by a string of successes noted for their o ...
which was impacted by the dam construction. In 1971 the Capilano Fish
hatchery
A hatchery is a facility where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions, especially those of fish, poultry or even turtles. It may be used for ex-situ conservation purposes, i.e. to breed rare or endangered species under controlled condit ...
was opened. It was built 1/2 kilometre (km) downstream of the dam to ensure the survival of the run. Beyond strengthening the salmon stocks from the aftermath of the dam, the hatchery’s work also introduced
chinook to the system in an attempt to establish a self-sustaining run.
The river flows through coastal rainforest and, in its lower stretches, follows a granite canyon with walls in excess of 40 metres tall in places.
The Capilano flows during periods of snow melt and rainfall mainly and slows to a trickle at other times.
The origin of the name Capilano River is obscure. The name is thought to be an anglicized form of names that were
Squamish and
Musqueam
The Musqueam Indian Band ( ; hur, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm ) is a First Nations in Canada, First Nations band government in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the only First Nations band whose reserve community lies within the boundari ...
. The last man known as Chief Capilano died in 1870.
Route
![Bridge over Capilano River](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Bridge_over_Capilano_River.jpg)
Capilano River's headwaters are at the top of Capilano Mountain, near
Furry Creek
Furry Creek is a community in the Canadian province of British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geo ...
. The river then continues down in a valley where many tributaries flow into the river like Eastcap Creek. The river then bends towards its tributary Sister's Creek which has its source at
The Lions. Shortly past that confluence, the Capilano River flows into Capilano Lake, created by Cleveland Dam. When the river flows out of the dam it enters Capilano Canyon which it stays for about 4 km. After that it enters into its lowland and enters its mouth at Burrard Inlet, near Ambleside Park.
Recreation
When the river is running, whitewater kayakers in boats and apparel can often be seen. The river is
rated as class III though at high water it can be much more challenging.
The
Capilano River Regional Park
Capilano River Regional Park is located in the District of North Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of twenty-one regional parks operated by the Metro Vancouver. The park encompasses most of the upstream areas of the Capilano River ...
, which surrounds the river and incorporates the fish hatchery, provides several kilometres of easy to moderate hiking trails alongside the river.
Every year in March the Capilano River is host to an annual charity duck race. Thousands of yellow rubber ducks are purchased ahead of time by the public. They float down the river in a sea of yellow. The first ducks to reach the mouth of the river win prizes for their owners.
Accidents
There have been occasional accidents involving the surge of water released from Cleveland Dam. The operator of Cleveland Dam and Capilano River Regional Park, Metro Vancouver, does not have a public alarm system to warn visitors of a rapid water release from the dam.
See also
*
Capilano River Regional Park
Capilano River Regional Park is located in the District of North Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of twenty-one regional parks operated by the Metro Vancouver. The park encompasses most of the upstream areas of the Capilano River ...
References
{{Authority control
Canyons and gorges of British Columbia
Rivers of the Pacific Ranges
Rivers of the Lower Mainland
North Vancouver (district municipality)
West Vancouver
New Westminster Land District