Castlegar

Where two great rivers meet — the crossroads of the West Kootenay.

Castlegar sits at the confluence of the Columbia and Kootenay rivers in the heart of the West Kootenay, a city shaped by the meeting of waters, mountains, and cultures. It is the regional hub for the lower Kootenay valley, with the West Kootenay Regional Airport providing air connections to the rest of BC and the Trans-Canada Highway passing through on its way between the Okanagan and the Rockies. The city has a distinctive cultural character rooted in its Doukhobor heritage. The Doukhobors — a pacifist Russian religious sect — settled in the Kootenays in large numbers in the early 1900s, and their influence on the region's culture, architecture, and food traditions is still felt today. The Doukhobor Discovery Centre in Castlegar is one of the finest heritage museums in the BC interior, with a reconstructed Doukhobor village, extensive archives, and exhibits that tell the story of this remarkable community. The Columbia River at Castlegar is impounded by the Hugh Keenleyside Dam to form the Arrow Lakes — a long, narrow reservoir that stretches north through the Kootenay valley and offers excellent boating, fishing, and camping. The Selkirk College campus in Castlegar is one of the most beautifully situated community colleges in BC, perched above the Columbia River with views of the surrounding mountains. The surrounding mountains offer excellent hiking, mountain biking, and skiing. Red Mountain Resort in nearby Rossland is one of the best ski areas in BC, and the Kootenay Pass on Highway 3 provides access to the Creston Valley and the southern Kootenays.