Castlegar is located in the southern interior of British Columbia’s Kootenay Region.
This city is known for its beautiful mountain scenery and renowned for its historic charm.
Outdoor activities abound here. With its variety of trails to connect with the Kootenays’ beautiful vistas, the Castlegar area is also famous for its rock climbing in areas like Yellow Sling. In warmer months visitors enjoy tubing on the Slocan River or paddleboarding on the Columbia River.
In winter, take in a plethora of recreational activities, from tobogganing, backcountry skiing, sledding and hockey.
Facts
- Castlegar is the only city in North America to have an outdoor rock climbing pub
- It’s the sculpture capital of Canada
- Home to many Doukhobors who are a pacifist group of Russian refugees who first settled in the area in the early 1900s.
Weather
Castlegar has warm and sunny summers and cool winters, and is wetter than most areas in the southern interior of BC.
Destination BC is developing a new campaign to promote hyper-local travel where residents are “tourists-in-their own hometown,” while practising the COVID-19 safety protocols as recommended by the B.C. Provincial Health Officer. Many B.C. parks are now open, and national parks were to open as of June 1.
(Check this website for current details on travel.)
Getting Here
Castlegar is about 3.5 hours from the Kelowna Airport and 3 hours from Cranbrook.
West Kootenay Regional Airport has flights to and from Calgary and Vancouver.
For roadtrippers, Castlegar is conveniently located on Highway 3A, and the drive from Vancouver is approximately 7.5 hours.
Introducing the West Coast Traveller: A voyage of the mind