Capilano Pacific Trail with Detour

Capilano Pacific Trail with Detour runs between Park Royal and Cleveland Dam in West Vancouver, following the Capilano River for much of the way. On paper it’s an 8.7 km point-to-point with about 267 m of gain and an easy rating, but most people find it feels longer, especially if you’re doing it out-and-back. Expect more of a relaxed urban–nature corridor walk than a full-on backcountry hike.

The best part of the Capilano Pacific Trail is still the forested river section and the payoff at Cleveland Dam and Capilano Lake. Once you’re on the actual trail, you get tall trees, canyon views, rushing water, and a few short climbs that keep it interesting without being tough. The dam, the fish hatchery area, and the upper river are the highlights, and you’ll see plenty of locals, runners, and dogs out enjoying it.

Right now, the “with Detour” piece is the catch. A landslide closure north of Keith Road has been in place since 2021, and there’s still no clear timeline for reopening, so the official detour sends you along the highway and through residential streets with patchy signage and no sidewalks in spots. Many locals skip the full Capilano Pacific Trail with Detour and instead do two shorter outings: Park Royal to the highway bridge area, and a separate loop between the fish hatchery and Cleveland Dam. Construction, traffic noise, and the long road section make this less appealing as a full through-hike, but in spring and fall the upper forest and dam views are still worth a dedicated shorter visit.