Out There Outdoors magazine has featured Castlegar in its article “West Koot Winter Wonderland.” The magazine, based in Spokane, Washington and distributed across the Pacific Northwest Region, showcased the fact Castlegar is an excellent hub from which to access every form of outdoor winter adventure.
Written by editor Derrick Knowles, the article describes Castlegar as a “choose your own adventure town that’s close to just about everything you could want to do outside in the winter.” Given that Derrick now has a family in tow during his forays, he appreciates Castlegar because on the farming heritage of the region saying, “I’ve grown to appreciate settling in to a place and not having to pack and unpack more than necessary. Castlegar, a small city located at the confluence of the Columbia and Kootenay Rivers, is the perfect home base for multi-day winter adventures in the Kootenays.”
He then describes how Castlegar is at the centre of the West Kootenay ski scene because it offers endless backcountry skiing opportunities in the nearby Valhalla and Bonnington ranges and it’s equidistant from two world-class ski resorts, namely in Rossland and Whitewater Ski Resort near Nelson. Both Whitewater and Red have won Powder magazine’s annual “Ski Town Throwdown Awards,” beating out some of the most famous downhill destinations in North America and the primary reason is the vast amount and high-quality of snow that falls in the mountains around Castlegar. The city is also 30 minutes from the quaint, super-fun Salmo Ski Hill, which offers the only night skiing around.
The piece goes on to mention the excellent Nordic skiing in Castlegar, especially at the Paulson Cross Country Ski Trail system located 20 minutes from downtown. It’s there the Castlegar Nordic Ski Club grooms 52 kilometres of trails for both classic and skate skiers. It also discusses the expansive snowmobile terrain with “several zones around Castlegar with groomed and ungroomed snowmobile routes ranging from beginner-friendly forest roads to more advanced steep slopes and open, ungroomed meadows.” That includes the 70 kilometres of trails in the nearby Norns, Ladybird and Goose Creek areas that are maintained by Castlegar Snowmobile Association.
Also included with the article is a sidebar detailing other outdoor pursuits one may not typically think of in the wintertime, such as fishing and paddling. The piece reads, “some of the largest rainbow and bull trout have been caught during the winter months in the waters surrounding the city, and the walleye fishing is particularly good as they tend to stay closer to the surface.” It also goes on to mention that the deep valley Castlegar is located in gets lots of sunshine and daytime temperatures are so mild “it’s not unheard of to see kayakers, paddleboarders, and canoeists exploring the local waters from December to March.”
For more about winter adventures in Castlegar, read our articles “3 Daily Itineraries For Winter in Castlegar” and “10 Reasons Castlegar Doesn’t Suck in the Winter.” To read the Out There Outdoors Magazine article in its entirety, visit outthereoutdoors.com.