Castlegar

Castlegar is considered to be the center of the commercial activity within the region. There are over 7,500 people within the City and about 16,000 in the Castlegar area. In 2002, key business and community leaders came together in order to identify a number of opportunities that are good for potential investment. The following areas were identified: Tourism and Hospitality, Value-Added Wood Products, Call Centre, High Technology, Microbrewery, and High Energy-Dependent Trade.

There are a lot of activities to do in Castlegar City. Mountain Climbing, Snowboarding and Skiing,Day Hiking, Backpacking, Kayaking, Fishing, Golfing, Boating, and Family Camping are just among the physical activities anybody can do for fun. Serious climbers may find the Kootenay Crag, Slocan Bluffs, Mount Gimli, and Hall Siding Bluffs the very best places to climb at. The Slocan Bluffs is among the popular places which climbers go to mainly for sports climbing, with cracks and face climbs for a wide range of levels. It also has a lake which is a good place to go to after a climb. The Kootenay Crag can be accessed through boat or bike. The climb has a range from 5.11 to 5.13. Mount Gimli is situated in the Valhalla Provincial Park. It has a good range of 5.9 with 7.8 pitches. It likewise has a 3rd class descent with four to seven hours of climb time. Hall Sliding Bluffs is only off the highway between Yimr and Nelson. It currently has twelve challenging routes to pick from.

There are various recreational trails within the region, which provide fantastic views of the rivers, dams, rock slides, wildlife, mountains, communities and highways. Trails which follow the river valley looking down upon the Kootenay River and Brilliant Dam. The trails comprise: Elk Cutoff, Brilliant Overlook, Dove Hill, and Skattebo Reach trails.