The beauty about nordic (aka cross-country) skiing in the Castlegar area is you can do it whether there’s a lot of snow or not.
The West Kootenay region is world-renowned for quality and quantity of snow but there are times when fresh powder is scarce. This doesn’t matter when participating in the sports of classic or skate skiing: the smallest amount of snow is all you need to glide through the woods or on a track. There are innumerable free areas in which to enjoy classic nordic skiing within and around the city: from Millennium Park and the C&W Railway Trail to any number of logging roads. There are also 52-kilometres worth of trails maintained by the Castlegar Nordic Ski Club and these can be accessed with a membership or via a day rate. For more about nordic skiing in Castlegar, read our article, “Where To Nordic Ski In Castlegar.” Also, for a list of our favourite ski loops at the Nordic Ski Club, read our article, “The Best Cross-Country Ski Loops In Paulson Pass.”
How to Get Here: Castlegar boasts many open areas in which to nordic ski for free, such as Millenium Park, located near the city’s downtown core, and the C&W Railway Trail, which you can access at the terminus of Arrow Lakes Drive. As for the Castlegar Nordic Ski Club trails, they are located 32 kilometres west of Castlegar on Highway #3, just west of the junction of Highway #3 and Highway #3B near Nancy Greene Provincial Park. The West Kootenay Regional Airport is a 10-minute drive from downtown and the international airport in Spokane is a three-hour drive. Castlegar is equidistant between Vancouver and Calgary (eight-hour drive) and four hours from the Kelowna International Airport.
Weather: The nordic skiing season usually starts in late November and extends all the way to April. And because the winter season averages between 0°C and -7°C, temperatures are perfect for cross-country skiing.
More Info: To learn more about nordic skiing near Castlegar, we recommend visiting the Castlegar Nordic Ski Club website.
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