Island Treasures: The Malahat Skywalk Experience

In this Island Treasures Podcast adventure, we head out to explore another remarkable gem on Vancouver Island: the Malahat SkyWalk. Perched just off the Malahat Highway, this stunning architectural spiral rises above the treetops and offers sweeping, unforgettable views over the Salish Sea and along the rugged Pacific Coast.

I’m joined by my travel companion, Grace Block, as we share our experiences of wandering the elevated walkways, taking in the breathtaking, panoramic scenery, and talk about our impressions of this unique destination. Grace slid down the iconic spiral slide—yes, the one that sends you swirling down the center of the tower—so we dive into that experience too, along with the surprises and delights we discovered along the way.

Whether you’re planning a visit or simply love hearing about special places across Vancouver Island, this episode brings you along for a scenic, joy‑filled outing to one of the island’s most spectacular treasures.

Some of the details we share about the Malahat SkyWalk come from information provided on the  Malahat Skywalk Website and from Trip Advisor - Malahat Skywalk.

Click here to watch the video version of the podcast - complete with extra footage at the end of the video that you won't want to miss!

Transcript

Speaker 0:00

Today's episode takes us to one of Vancouver Island's treasures. If you've been with us for a while, you know that our conversations usually revolve around life after caregiving, the healing, the rebuilding, the rediscovery of who we are when the role that once defined us begins to shift. But sometimes, stepping outside our usual rhythm offers its own kind of restoration. And on today's adventure, I'm joined by my traveling companion and very good friend, Grace Block. I am your host, Alison van Schie, and together on the podcast, we are heading to one of Vancouver Island's most breathtaking experiences, the Malahat Skywalk. Perched high above the Salish Sea, the Skywalk invites visitors to slow down, breathe deeply, and see the world from a new perspective. We each have visited the Malahat Skywalk, where we got to wander among the treetops, learn the story behind this remarkable structure, and take in the beauty that we could see from each level of the skywalk. So today we're thrilled you're joining us as we rise above the everyday for a moment together. So welcome, Grace.

Speaker 1 1:16

Hi, Alison. It's good to be here.

Speaker 1:18

Thanks for packing your bag and coming along on this journey. Happily. So we have both been to the Malahat Skywalk.

Speaker 1 1:30

Yes. Two years ago was when I had the privilege with my husband to go and see it. And it's magical.

Speaker 1:39

It is.

unknown 1:40

Yeah.

Speaker 1:41

And uh I went with my husband probably a year or two earlier, and uh we fell in love with it. Like um, we'd seen this structure and thought, what is that? Not knowing what it was, because it's kind of a unique thing to see. Like it's big, it's cylindrical, it's made out of wood. And uh if you don't know what you're looking at, you think, hmm, is that like a a rocket ship or a launch pad? Like, what is that? So we had to explore to figure out what it was, and yeah, it's very cool. It's tucked away a little bit.

Speaker 1 2:25

I felt like when you get there and you walk into the beginning of the walk and then go across the tree walk, or I think they called it, or they you walk along the sidewalk that's underneath and in between the trees. I feel like you it's almost like you've left this earth, you've gone to another place far, far away.

Speaker 2:50

Yeah.

Speaker 1 2:51

Yeah.

Speaker 2:52

I think you have. Yeah, it does feel that way.

Speaker 1 2:57

And the way that they set it up so that you have at every level, you get to see more and more of majestic beauty as you get higher.

Speaker 3:09

Yeah. Yeah. And it feels safe. Like that's what I liked about it. It wasn't intimidating, because it could have been, but it wasn't. It felt very safe. You're you're right. You walk across that um that it's almost like a bridge to get to the spaceship, let's just call it. And um, and then once you see it, you go, wow, this is really cool. But there are no steps, it's all just ramps, it's all very gradual, and that's really cool.

Speaker 1 3:44

And on the way up, it's kind of like you can look over the like the little wall.

Speaker 3:52

Yeah, yeah.

unknown 3:55

Yeah.

Speaker 3:55

But that's where it's so beautiful, it's so amazing. I loved watching all the people as well. Like you've got families, you've got different generations together and kids that are happy and skipping, and then and then when you get to the top, there is that suspended net. Did you go on that? Mm-hmm.

Speaker 1 4:18

Yeah, yeah. And initially it's like I will fall through this.

Speaker 4:22

Yeah.

Speaker 1 4:26

I initially didn't walk. I kind of shuffled along on my knees and my feet and my bottom until I got over. And then you sit there thinking, I can look down. Yes, I can do this. I can look down. And it's just yeah, it's real.

Speaker 4:45

Yeah. So it's like a giant cargo net suspended, I think, near the top of the structure, and it's bouncy. And we had children on there, there weren't our children, this would never have happened, that were actually bouncing on the net, you know, making it a little unnerving for those of us who were a little tentative stepping over the grate below. But uh yeah, kids are so brave, you know, they're so fearless.

Speaker 1 5:17

And then there's the spiral tower or the slide that you can go down.

Speaker 5:25

The slide. Now you need to talk about that because I was not brave enough to go on the slide.

Speaker 1 5:32

It was really fun. Like you, you know, you get to the top and you watch the person ahead of you kind of like as if you're at a uh water park or whatever, you know, and then it's your turn and you go really quite fast.

Speaker 5:46

Yeah.

Speaker 1 5:47

And then all of a sudden you're shot out the bottom.

Speaker 5:51

I thought that was really fun. I liked it. And you took a video of yourself going down.

Speaker 1 5:56

I did.

Speaker 5:57

I did. So you know what? We will we will actually do a companion um video of this podcast, uh maybe in a smaller format, but uh I will put your video on there. And my husband was brave as well, and he went down the slide and he took the video too, and it's like laughter the whole way down, and uh, so it is a bit like a water slide.

unknown 6:23

It's like that.

Speaker 1 6:24

Yeah, the sizzle slide.

Speaker 6:29

It's called the sizzle slide.

Speaker 1 6:32

Yeah, I looked back over my pictures when I knew we were gonna talk about it, and it said it was the sizzle slide.

Speaker 6:39

Okay, so the sizzle slide is 20 meters. It is world famous, so that's 66 feet, and it's a spiral slide, legendary thrill that you don't want to miss, and you can ride it solo, and what they have is a little felt kind of mat that you put your feet into so that your feet don't catch on anything, or they slide smoothly, and and then you go down and uh really zoom zoom all the way and scream and giggle all the way. That's the best part. And I was standing at the bottom to watch, as you say, my husband get shot out of this tube, and you just watch everybody else get shot out of the tube, and they're laughing, it's so much fun, and uh yeah, I wish I was brave like you though, that would have been fun. But so that that to me, I think is probably the funnest part of the Malahat Skywalk. And I have read that there's some people who have done it 50 times in one visit. Wow, yeah, wow, indeed. Not me.

Speaker 1 7:52

They would be the people that would be at a water park all day. Yeah, well, I like water parks, except for putting on a bathing suit. I like water parks. I have to say though, my favorite though is being at the top and then just gazing, you know. I mean, you can walk around the whole thing and and there's beautiful, beautiful scenery everywhere you look. Yeah, you're so high, and it was a beautiful day when we were there, and we have beautiful photographs of it. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 8:28

We were very blessed too with the the weather when we were there. Everything seems so blue. The sky was blue, the ocean was blue. I did take a couple of videos, and uh, if they're if when I review them they're good, I will also put them in the video. Um, but yeah, this the Skywalk, it's an engineering accomplishment, and it's it's very cool. It was built in 2021. Actually, it opened in 2021. They started building it in 2020, so it was no surprise that we hadn't seen it until one time we were going down to Victoria and we saw this structure and and wondered what it was. And yeah, and it's proudly Canadian, it's Canadian-owned and operated. The engineering firm Aspect used steel rods to cinch the tower together, ensuring stability while minimizing concrete use. And the spiral tower was designed by Whistler-based architect Brent Murdoch. And it is built with glue-laminated Douglas fir columns. The tower is a remarkable blend of strength and sustainability, and it's owned by Aspire by Nature, which is a Canadian company specializing in creating accessible, self-guided, nature-based experiences in iconic locations. So it's it's fabulous. Um, so Malahat Skywalk exists thanks to a proposal put forth to the Malahat First Nation who holds the rights to the land. And the Malahat First Nation receives a portion of ticket sales, and their deep connection to the land is acknowledged throughout the entire site. And it really is like there's more to the Malahat Skywalk than just the structure. There's grounds, there's walks, there's um interpretive center, there's driftwood sculptures uh along the walk. And they are done by a local artist on Vancouver Island called Tanya Bub. And she made these driftwood sculptures. It's very unique, it's very exciting, it's like a breath of fresh air.

Speaker 1 10:42

I'm really glad that you let us know about it so we could go see it.

Speaker 10:47

Well, and now I'm hoping to let more people know about it. It's yeah, it's very cool.

Speaker 1 10:52

You just if you have a chance, I mean, I love Vancouver Island and there's so many things to see, but that that should be right up there on the list for people to go and see it, just experience it.

Speaker 11:04

Yeah, so so Grace was visiting us on Vancouver Island. Uh, she does not live on Vancouver Island, but she says, Where should we go? And um, because we had relatively recently experienced the skywalk, we said, You must, you must, you must go.

Speaker 1 11:21

You didn't steer us wrong. We saw so many things in just those couple of weeks. We'll be back.

Speaker 11:27

Well, I'm glad you'll be back because you're an excellent guest for one thing, and it's fun to share what Vancouver Island has to offer. So yeah, but your enthusiasm and your excitement about it and your bravery to go down this slide just puts me to shame. But um, yeah.

Speaker 1 11:45

Well, maybe we should go back next time I'm over to visit. Oh down together, and you'll probably push me down the slide, won't you? Grace. Be like the teenagers, you know, that hide in the tunnel and then jump down on people as they're going down the slide.

Speaker 12:03

I wouldn't no, no, no, but it's in there latently. Some somehow it's in there. Maybe it's something dormant in you that you want to do that.

Speaker 1 12:12

Yeah.

Speaker 12:13

So Grace and I actually did grow up together, so we do know each other quite well. Yes, we do. Yeah. There's one more thing I want to talk about. There is a viewing plat. The the top viewing platform is 360 degrees. And of the 10 stories, once you get to the top, and you do get there just by walking, it's just it's effortless. It's not hard, and and it is accessible. And before you know it, you're there. And uh, like Grace said, you can just see the amazing breathtaking views, and you can see Mount Baker, the Saanich Peninsula, and Finless and Arm. It's just amazing.

Speaker 1 12:57

Beautiful place also to have photos taken. Like the pictures, uh, you know, we took lots of people's uh photos at the top, and people took pictures of us with that beautiful scenery behind. Yeah, pretty cool place. It is.

Speaker 13:15

It is so anything else to add about our wonderful trip to the skywalk, the Malahat Skywalk, Grace?

Speaker 1 13:23

I just think it's a must see. If you haven't been and you have an opportunity, I think it's absolutely a must see.

Speaker 13:31

Yeah, and we must mention that it does cost to go there. But I think there are um, I think it's cheaper if you're a senior. And there's probably it's worth checking out their website and buying your tickets in advance. But I understand it doesn't matter if you have them in advance or not, but um, it is advisable to check out their website. And um, if you're wondering where it is, it's about 30 minutes north of Victoria, and it's about an hour's drive south of Nanaimo, and uh it is in the Malahat. But do take it in and uh you can spend as little time there as you want or as long as you want. There are people that um just not camp out, but they hang out. There's uh food venues available and picnic tables and forest walks, like I said before. It's just uh a very tranquil, lovely, refreshing place to be. Well, thanks for coming along on our trip to the Malahat Skywalk. And thank you, my wonderful traveling companion, Grace Block. It's been fun to share our experiences. Even though we went separately, it's been fun to share them today.

Speaker 1 14:51

Absolutely.

Speaker 14:52

Thanks, Alison. You're welcome. Thank you.