Are you planning a trip to experience the new Malahat Overhang?
I was fortunate to be invited to their grand opening day and one of the first to walk into the worldโs first glass cube lookout!
From helping a fellow Mom overcome her fears, to seeing kids squeal as they run out over the edge, to exploring all of the other activations around the property, Iโll share all the behind-the-scenes tips and tricks so you can plan your own epic adventure out on the Overhang!
The Overhang at the Malahat Skywalk: The World’s Only Glass Cube at the Top of a Spiral Tower
Let me give you the engineering facts first, because they matter.
The Malahat Overhang is a five-sided glass cube โ floor, ceiling, and all four walls โ that extends 2.13 meters (seven feet) beyond the edge of the Spiral Tower’s summit at 250 meters (820 feet) above sea level.
The glass on the sides and ceiling is 36 millimeters thick. The floor is 60 millimeters thick. The structure can withstand winds up to 130 kilometers per hour and temperatures ranging from -40ยฐC to +40ยฐC. It was designed and engineered by Aspect โ a leading BC structural engineering firm that is also responsible for the SkyWalk’s Spiral Tower itself โ and constructed by Endwise Construction.
The cube accommodates approximately six people at a time, and the structure can support up to 4,900 pounds (or 2 elephants)โ far exceeding the recommended capacity. It is accessible to wheelchairs and strollers.
It is also completely, utterly, magnificently terrifying in the best possible way.
The Grand Opening And Ribbon Cutting
After GM Nathan Bird cut the ribbon, we all scrambled to line up and get our first chance at the Overhang!
There is something genuinely wonderful about the line to enter The Malahat Overhang. Visitors stand there watching the person ahead of them โ studying their posture, their pace, their face when they first look down โ and calculating their own nerve.
Some people are grinning before they even step in. Some are very, very quiet. The Four Frames roaming video team was on site to capture all of it: the confidence, the hesitation, the enormous grins that arrive the moment people realize they’ve done something they weren’t sure they could do.
The Six Ways to Enter The Malahat Overhang (My Personal Guide To Entering The Overhang)
Before I went to the Malahat SkyWalk for this launch, I learned that they had a personality quiz that could guess your Malahat Overhang Adventure Seeker you are. So I made up my own similar list and put together a hilarious Instagram Reel showcasing them all.
Here are the six types:
- The Crawler
Inches out on hands and knees. This was my first entry โ not because I was scared, but because I wanted to feel every centimeter of that glass floor beneath me, and also because it made for an exceptional Instagram reel. I can confirm the floor is extremely solid and not going anywhere.
- The Sprinter
Runs straight to the edge with zero hesitation. No pause, no negotiation, just pure forward momentum. You either know this person or you are this person.
- The Peeker
Shuffles out sideways with eyes half closed, sneaking up on the view like it might see them coming. This is a deeply relatable approach and should not be judged.
- The Backward Braveย
Turns around completely so they don’t see the drop until the very last second. A tactical choice. Highly strategic. Absolutely valid.
- The Photographer (Thatโs Me!)
Gets so focused on capturing the shot that they forget to be scared. This is my natural habitat. Once I had a camera in my hands, the view became something to document rather than something to survive, and I could have stayed in that glass box for hours.
- The Philosopher
Walks in, sits down on the glass floor, and simply takes it all in. No agenda. No performance. Just presence. Honestly, the most evolved approach of all six.
- The Yogi
Do the tree pose hundreds of meters above the trees? Sign me up!
I tried all seven poses and I’ll be honest, the Photographer is my default. But I’m not going to pretend I didn’t need a breath before I looked straight down through that floor.
Inside The Malahat Overhang
The Overhang surrounds you on every axis โ floor, ceiling, walls, horizon. You are, for that moment, genuinely suspended in the sky. Look down, and you’re staring at treetops. Not in the way you see them from a plane, at altitude, removed and abstract. You can see the canopy texture, the individual trees, and the forest floor somewhere far below. How often in your life do you look down on a forest from inside it?
Look out, and you have the Saanich Inlet, Finlayson Arm, the Gulf Islands, the San Juan Islands in the distance, and on a clear day, the snow-capped peak of Mount Baker presiding over everything. Two countries in a single glance.
Look up, and you’re looking at the sky through glass. Look to your sides, and the coastal mountain range fills the frame. Every direction is a different painting.
Your brain, somewhere in this process, will absolutely tell you to abort. Mine did. There is a specific moment when you look straight down through the 60mm floor and your nervous system sends up a flare โ not panic, exactly, but a very firm suggestion that solid ground might be preferable. You have to outsmart yourself. You have to take one breath, plant your feet, and let your eyes do what they came here to do. And when you do โ when you let the view fully arrive โ it is genuinely spectacular.
The Mom Who Said No โ and Then Said Yes
I want to tell you about a woman I met in the line.
She was visiting from another country, there with her family, and when she saw The Malahat Overhang, and quickly said no. โAbsolutely not.โ She laughed and said she was just there to take pictures. She’d hold the camera. Heights were not her thing. She meant it.
I was doing my entry poses at this point โ crawling, sprinting, peeking, all of it โ and she was laughing at me from the line, which I considered a success. Her family went in. She raised her camera.
I stood next to her while she photographed her kids. And then, I don’t know exactly what happened, but I said something like: ” Come on. You’re strong. Let’s do this together.โ She said. โNo,โ I said I genuinely believe in you. She looked at the glass box. She looked at her family inside it. She looked back at me.
She said okay.
I backed her right in โ facing away from the glass floor, just looking up and out at the sky. I positioned her where her family could see her, then stepped out so she could have the moment captured with them. She got her photo. She got her view. She stood in that glass cube above the forests of Vancouver Island, and she did the thing she thought she couldn’t do.
I thought about that for the rest of the day. I thought about how something I take completely for granted โ the absence of height anxiety โ is a real barrier for so many people. And I thought about how often, in family travel, the moms are the ones behind the camera. Taking the pictures. Holding the bags. Making sure everyone else has the experience. And how this woman โ with a little encouragement from a stranger in a lineup โ got to step into her own photo for once.
Moms are brave. Moms are strong. Moms are absolutely capable of walking into a glass box suspended 250 meters above sea level. I hope she knows how proud I was of her. I hope that photo is on her fridge.
The Malahat SkyWeb: Because One Thrill Is Never Enough
My company is called Adventure Awaits. So when there is an 84-meter mesh adventure net at the top of a tower, I cross it. Both ways. With stops in the middle for photos with my friend Bella!
The SkyWeb is exactly what it sounds like: a steel-reinforced mesh net stretched across the top of the Spiral Tower, offering a see-through view straight down through the center of the structure. It feels like crawling across a giant spider web โ which is the point โ and the second you look down through the mesh, there is a very specific jiggle that happens in your knees that I want to be honest about. I don’t have a fear of heights, and my knees still had opinions. Watching other visitors on the SkyWeb is really entertaining: some visitors march straight across, some lose their footing slightly on their toes and back onto more solid ground, some freeze for a moment in the middle, and then laugh at themselves.
The Sizzler – Youโre Never Too Old To Enjoy A Slide!
The Sizzler is a twenty-meter enclosed spiral slide back down from the top of the tower, and I will say this clearly: it is a MUST. I don’t care how old you are. The SkyWalk’s own records include a 99-year-old guest who rode the slide โ and a brother and sister who rode it 50 times in a single day in 2024, covering more than 17 kilometers as they climbed back up between each run. I am now taking that record as a personal challenge. Fifty-one rides. Possibly fifty-two. The record will be mine eventually.
What I love about the SkyWeb and The Sizzler in the context of The Malahat Overhang is how they function as companions to the main event. The Overhang is confrontationalโit asks you for something specific. The SkyWeb is communal โ it’s better with other people watching. The Sizzler is pure joy โ it’s the release valve after everything else. Together, the three experiences create a complete arc of adventure at the summit. You don’t have to choose. You do all three.
The History Of The Malahat Skywalk
The Malahat SkyWalk opened its doors in July 2021, during one of the most uncertain periods in recent travel history. Five years later, they will be welcoming their one millionth guest โ a milestone that speaks to something real: people are not just visiting once. They are coming back.
The Malahat Overhang is the SkyWalk’s most significant innovation since opening day, and Nathan Bird, the General Manager of Malahat SkyWalk, was clear about what it represents. This was never just about adding an attraction. It was about signaling the next chapter โ what it looks like when a nature-based experience fully commits to becoming a world-class adventure destination.
The Malahat Overhang is Canada’s first glass cube experience attached to the summit of a spiral tower. It is also the only one of its kind in the world. That’s not marketing language. That’s a fact worth sitting with for a moment.
The launch event brought together a crowd that reflected just how much this place has become woven into the region’s fabric. Paul Nursey, President and CEO of Destination Greater Victoria, was on hand โ someone who has watched the SkyWalk evolve from its earliest days and spoke with genuine admiration about its growth as a contributor to the regional economy, a creator of local jobs, and a destination that has put Vancouver Island on the map for adventure travellers from across the globe. Dana Lajeunesse, MLA for Juan de FucaโMalahat, added her voice to the celebration. And at the center of it all, representing the Malahat Nation โ on whose traditional and ancestral territory this entire experience stands โ was Qwustenuxun Williams, whose presence gave the day its most meaningful dimension.
The TreeWalk: Where the Story Actually Begins
Here is the thing about the Malahat SkyWalk that I think gets undersold in most conversations about it: the TreeWalk is not just the path to the tower. It is an experience in its own right โ arguably the most thoughtfully designed part of the entire property.
The 600-meter elevated walkway rises twenty meters above the forest floor as it winds through a mature arbutus and Douglas-fir forest. The grade is gentle โ five to eight percent โ which means it’s accessible to wheelchairs, strollers, and anyone with mobility considerations.
But the design choice that has always stayed with me is this: rather than clearing or flattening the land to build the structure, every single support post was individually engineered for the exact spot where it stands, designed to respond to the specific contours of the land beneath it. The forest was never forced to work around the SkyWalk. The SkyWalk was built to work around the forest. That was harder. It was also the only way to do it right.
By the time you complete the full experience โ TreeWalk out, tower ascent, tower back down โ you’ve walked approximately 2.2 kilometers. But distance is almost beside the point, because this is not a walk you do quickly.
Tanya Bubb’s Driftwood Sculptures: Look Closely, or You’ll Miss Them
Scattered throughout the TreeWalk and the broader property are wildlife art sculptures created by Vancouver Island eco-artist Tanya Bubb โ and they are extraordinary. Bubb collects driftwood from local beaches and transforms it into large-scale animal sculptures: bears, sea wolves, an owl, a resting eagle, and soon, a new orca and calf that will join the collection. A seven-foot Sasquatch driftwood sculpture greets guests at the entrance to Luke’s Lane Nature Trail, and it is immediately, utterly loveable.
Here’s what I want you to know about these sculptures: if you aren’t looking carefully, you might miss them. They emerge from the forest in a way that feels almost intentional โ like the forest itself is showing you something. I saw the wolves and the owl on my way out, and then on my walk back, caught glimpses of pieces I’d completely missed on the first pass. Tanya Bubb couldn’t be at the opening event โ she was in downtown Victoria launching a two-week art installation โ but her presence was everywhere on the property.
Along the TreeWalk, you’ll also find interactive stations that have been added over the years: a log roll, a tic-tac-toe board (there’s also a beautiful moss-covered stump version of X’s and O’s along the path), musical instruments you can actually play, and slacklines strung between the trees. These additions came after the SkyWalk reopened post-COVID, when guests could interact more freely again โ and they represent exactly the kind of layered, evolving thinking that makes this place different from a simple viewpoint.
The Spiral Tower: Ten Stories of Anticipation
The Spiral Tower is ten stories of steel base plates and Douglas-fir columns wound into a corkscrew that rises 250 meters above sea level. Its architectural focal point isn’t just visual โ it’s experiential. The corkscrew design means the view reveals itself incrementally as you climb. You don’t arrive at a view. You earn it, floor by floor, as the forest gives way to canopy, canopy gives way to sky, and sky eventually gives way to something that makes you stop mid-step and just breathe.
As you climb, Tanya Bubb’s Resting Eagle sculpture comes into view from above โ a detail I noticed on this visit that I hadn’t fully appreciated before. The scenery changes with altitude in a way that rewards attention. The transition is the point.
At the summit, a panoramic lookout offers 360-degree views of Finlayson Arm, the Saanich Inlet, the Saanich Peninsula, the Gulf Islands, the San Juan Islands, majestic snow-capped Mount Baker in the distance, and the full coastal mountain range. On a clear day, you are genuinely looking across two countries. It is, in every sense of the word, a view.
And then there is The Malahat Overhang, attached to the summit edge โ waiting.
Tower Plaza: The Art of Slowing Down
Every time Iโm at the Malahat I end up staying longer than I intended.
This is not a tick-the-box destination. It is not a place you rush through on your way somewhere else. The team has built Tower Plaza โ and the broader ground-level experience โ with a very specific philosophy: come, stay, enjoy, rest, recover, relax. Slow down.
Families are encouraged to stock up on eats at the Basecamp restaurant – a canteen-style experience serving a taste of the island, local food favourites, Vancouver Island brews and wine, cool refreshments, and hot drinks. There are patio tables with umbrellas, Adirondack chairs facing the scenery, and a seasonal outdoor fire pit deep in the forest that is one of the coziest things I can imagine on a cool Vancouver Island evening.
There’s a playground for kids. There are hammocks in the trees. There’s a giant Jenga set. There’s a ground-level cantilevered viewpoint looking out over the Saanich Inlet, and a selfie swing positioned to take full advantage of the backdrop. There’s Luke’s Lane Nature Trail โ an 800-meter gentle hike dedicated to Luke the Sasquatch, the SkyWalk’s beloved mascot, where children and adults can help Luke find his forest friends hidden throughout the wilderness.
From a family travel perspective, this is what I find most valuable about the SkyWalk experience: there is no rush. You can take the TreeWalk, do the tower, come down, eat lunch, send the kids to the playground, sit in a hammock, listen to live music, come back for the slide again, do the SkyWeb one more time, and find the Tanya Bubb sculptures you missed on the first pass. The whole property is designed to hold you โ gently, graciously, without pressure.
And yes. I had the vegan chocolate soft serve from Softy’s. It is as good as it has always been. It is made with fresh Vancouver Island ingredients, and it is to die for. You absolutely should not leave without one.
Planning Your Visit to Malahat Overhang- The Essential Details
- Location: 901 TransCanada Highway, Malahat, BC V0R 2L0
- 35 minutes north of downtown Victoria; 1 hour south of Nanaimo
- Shuttle: Free seasonal shuttle from downtown Victoria (MayโOctober), walk-on first-come-first-served
- Open year-round; check malahatskywalk.com for seasonal hours and events
- Accessible for wheelchairs, strollers, and mobility aids throughout the property
The Full Malahat Experience: What to Do
- The TreeWalk: 600m elevated walkway, 20m above the forest floor, 5โ8% grade
- The Spiral Tower: 10 stories to 250m above sea level, 360-degree panoramic summit
- The Malahat Overhang: world-first glass cube at the tower summit
- The SkyWeb: 84m mesh adventure net, see-through view straight down
- The Sizzler: 20m enclosed spiral slide โ mandatory, regardless of age
- Luke’s Lane Nature Trail: 800m gentle hike, find Luke’s forest friends
- Tanya Bubb driftwood sculptures: look carefully throughout the property โ you will miss some
- Ground-level cantilevered viewpoint and selfie swing
- Tower Plaza: Base Camp Bites, Softy’s dairy-free soft serve, Adirondack chairs, fire pit, hammocks, playground, giant Jenga
- Check the events calendar for wine festivals, music programming, Island Raptors educational experiences, and local artisan markets
Tips from Someone on Their 5th Visit
- Allow a full day โ there is no rushing this place and you will regret trying
- Take the Overhang dare test online before you visit: malahatskywalk.com โ know which personality type you are before you get in line
- Walk slowly on the TreeWalk. Look for Tanya Bubb’s sculptures. You will miss some on the first pass and find them on the way back
- Do the Sizzler at least twice. The 50-ride record is absolutely a personal challenge
- Do not leave without trying the vegan chocolate soft serve from Softy’s
Final Thoughts On The Malahat Overhang Experience
I’ve been to many viewpoints in my career. I’ve stood on overhangs and cliffs and rooftops and summits on multiple continents. I know what a view looks like.
What I don’t always find โ and what the Malahat SkyWalk offers in abundance, if you slow down enough to receive it โ is the experience around the view. The walk through the forest. The art that surprises you along the way. The community that gathers at the base of the tower. The cultural exchange that happens when a family shares something precious and a crowd of strangers receives it with full attention. The mom who said no and then said yes. The kids on the slide for the fourth time. The vegan chocolate ice cream that is genuinely, inexplicably perfect.
The Malahat Overhang is a world first. It is Canada’s only glass cube experience at the top of a spiral tower. It is genuinely, legitimately thrilling. It is worth every moment of the anticipation in that line.
But the Malahat SkyWalk โ all of it, from the first driftwood sculpture in the forest to the last note of live music in the plaza โ is worth so much more than the thrill alone.
Go. Slow down. Look carefully. Try all six entry styles.
Then spend the rest of your visit to Victoria exploring all the other amazing adventures! Here’s my complete guide on how to spend 72 hours in Victoria!
