A new website called Paddle BC launched this month and featured Castlegar as a perfect paddling destination. A collaboration between paddling associations and cross-sector organizations, Paddle BC promotes the province of British Columbia as a world-class place for paddlers that offers some of the most varied and fun waterways on the planet. “With over 25,000 kilometres of ocean coastline to explore, innumerable rivers and tributaries, and more than 20,000 lakes of all sizes in an area larger than France and Germany combined, British Columbia is the perfect paddling destination,” the site says.
The site goes on to say about Castlegar that is is “located at the confluence of two major rivers, the Kootenay and the Columbia, there is no shortage of amazing paddling opportunities for water lovers. Plus there are three major lakes and innumerable smaller ones nearby. It’s like having an entire water park at the tip of your paddle.” The site then goes on to list Arrow Lakes and the Columbia River as two of the best places to enjoy because of their proximity to the city and the variety of offerings from excellent kayak fishing and canoeing to fun stand up paddleboarding.
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Andrea Ryman, the marketing director of Destination Castlegar and an avid stand up paddleboarder and kayaker is the brainchild behind Paddle BC and she’s quoted on the site as saying, “I love to paddle everything, from lakes and rivers to the ocean, and when I travel my paddleboard always goes with me. Having worked in tourism for the last 15 years, I noticed that fishing and biking have led the charge in BC for adventure tourism. With the wealth of waterways running though the province, creating Paddle BC seemed like the next step to highlight British Columbia’s adventure playground.”
Aside from promoting Castlegar and the rest of British Columbia as a paddler’s paradise, the other main goal of Paddle BC is to endorse the safety of the sport. For example, an article on the site lists the safety precautions every paddler must consider before hitting the water. Destination Castlegar has done something similar with its article, “Tips on Paddling Safely in the Castlegar Area.”
Visitors to the Paddle BC website can search for information by three main categories: region, waterway, and experience. The latter is broken down into five subcategories that include paddleboarding, kayaking, rafting, canoeing, and kayak fishing. The six regions of the province are the Kootenay Rockies, where Castlegar is located, as well as the Thompson Okanagan, Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, Northern BC, Vancouver Island, and the Vancouver, Coast and Mountains region.
For more information about Paddle BC, visit paddlebc.ca.