First pick
Millennium Park
Park or garden
24 ha2.4 km of path
30 minto walk all 2.4 km of path
3.5 km northfrom the centre
Millennium Walkway
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Ken Eckert · CC BY-SA 4.06%protected within 10 km
Outdoors in Castlegar · parks, protected land & trails
Brilliant Dam Conservation Lands begins at the edge of Castlegar
3.8 km from town is Champion Lakes Park, the nearest provincial park. Protected areas cover 6% of the land within 10 km; for the typical Canadian town it is 2.3%. Within 5 km lie 3 beaches, unnamed on the map.
Protected land
6%
of the land within 10 km
Typical Canadian town: 2.3%
Protected areas
6
within 10 km, 4 public
Typical Canadian town: 14
Nearest provincial park
3.8 km
Champion Lakes Park
Beaches
3
within 5 km (OpenStreetMap)
Against other towns
Castlegar beside other Canadian towns, figure by figure
Each figure against the 2,611 Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+ (not city hubs or reserves), with the town marked and the typical one’s line. Canada’s grades don’t include the outdoors, so this page compares the figures rather than grading them.
Protected within 10 km6%Share of the land and water within 10 km of the town’s edge in a protected or conserved area
Protected in town0%Share of the town’s own area in a protected or conserved area
Public protected areas4Areas within 10 km held by a government or an Indigenous nation
Walking routes0Named OpenStreetMap walking and hiking routes with 300 m+ within 2 km
Beaches3Beaches mapped on OpenStreetMap within 5 km
CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC, 2026), OpenStreetMap (November 2026). Distances from the town’s outline.
Towns its size
Castlegar has the 9th most protected land nearby of 40 towns its size
The 40 Canadian towns nearest in population (9,254 to 9,682 residents), by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected. Hover for each one’s figures; click for its page.
Protected within 10 km
Castlegar6%
Towns its size3.4%
Towns in British Columbia6.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public protected areas
Castlegar4
Towns its size4
Towns in British Columbia14
Typical Canadian town4
Walking routes
Castlegar0
Towns its size0
Towns in British Columbia1
Typical Canadian town0
For protected land nearby, Castlegar sits near the top of its size group: 8 of 39 have more.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Protected within 10 km | In town | Areas | Routes | Beaches | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Three Rivers PE | 31% | 4.4% | 64 | 14 | 42 |
| 2 | La Pêche QC | 19% | 8.3% | 33 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | Revelstoke BC | 16% | 0.3% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Mount Royale NS | 15% | 24% | 18 | 5 | 14 |
| 5 | Manor Park ON | 11% | 4.1% | 41 | 2 | 2 |
| 6 | Centrepointe - Briargreen ON | 11% | 0% | 26 | 1 | 5 |
| 7 | Antigonish County, Subdivision A NS | 11% | 9.3% | 128 | 1 | 17 |
| 8 | Oromocto NB | 6.6% | 3.8% | 19 | 0 | 5 |
| 9 | Castlegar BC | 6% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| 10 | Strathcona ON | 6% | 13% | 26 | 1 | 3 |
| 11 | Vankleek Hill ON | 5.2% | 0.1% | 19 | 0 | 4 |
| 12 | Lakelands Village ON | 5.2% | 0% | 7 | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | Sulphur Springs ON | 5.1% | 36% | 20 | 3 | 1 |
| 14 | Otterburn Park QC | 5% | 0% | 23 | 0 | 3 |
| 15 | Silverado AB | 4.7% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| 16 | Qualicum Beach BC | 4.4% | 1.2% | 24 | 0 | 7 |
| 17 | L'Épiphanie QC | 4% | 0% | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Charlesbourg QC | 3.9% | 0% | 17 | 1 | 6 |
| 19 | Northeast SK | 3.7% | 0% | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 20 | Walsh Acres/Lakeridge/Garden Ridge SK | 3.6% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Thistletown-Beaumond Heights ON | 3.2% | 0% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Richmond ON | 2.5% | 0.2% | 17 | 3 | 0 |
| 23 | Danforth ON | 2.3% | 0% | 13 | 4 | 24 |
| 24 | Elms-Old Rexdale ON | 1.9% | 0% | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | North London ON | 1.9% | 0% | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | Steeles Corners ON | 1.8% | 0% | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Avalon SK | 1.6% | 0.7% | 21 | 0 | 1 |
| 28 | Daniel McIntyre MB | 1.5% | 0% | 21 | 4 | 0 |
| 29 | Stoney Creek ON | 1.3% | 0% | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | Notre-Dame-des-Prairies QC | 1.2% | 0% | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Downtown Commercial Core AB | 0.4% | 0% | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 32 | Rustic ON | 0.3% | 0% | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 33 | Amber Trails MB | 0.3% | 0% | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | Aspen Woods AB | 0.3% | 0% | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 35 | Plympton-Wyoming ON | 0.2% | 0% | 5 | 0 | 2 |
| 36 | Silver Berry AB | 0.2% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 37 | Cooksville NHD (East) ON | 0.1% | 0% | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 38 | Saint-Rémi QC | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | Coaldale AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | Olds AB | 0% | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The map
Parks, woods and paths around Castlegar
Green space, woods, protected areas and footpaths in and around the town; tap a number for its park or wood.
Green: OpenStreetMap parks, gardens, playing fields and woods. Hatched: CPCAD protected areas.© OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); CPCAD (OGL-Canada)
Places to walk
11 parks and woods to walk in, in or near Castlegar
Largest first: Millennium Park leads with 24 ha. Numbers match the map.
11 named parks and woods, 62 ha in all
Parks & gardens 62 ha
Add Millennium Park to Pass Creek Regional Park and you have 56% of it.
Pass Creek Regional Park
Park or garden · 310 m outside town
10 ha2.1 km of path
25 minto walk all 2.1 km of path
5.3 km northfrom the centre
Robson Roost Pathway
Directionsto a point inside
Kinnaird Park
Park or garden
9.4 ha0.9 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.9 km of path
1.0 km south-westfrom the centre
Kinnaird Park Pathway
Directionsto a point inside
Complex Park
Park or garden
7.3 ha0.1 km of path
Centralin the middle of Castlegar
Kinnaird Rail Trail
Directionsto a point inside
Zuckerberg Island Heritage Park
Park or garden
3.7 ha0.8 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.8 km of path
2.7 km northfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Waterloo Eddy Regional Park
Park or garden · 100 m outside town
3.8 ha0.5 km of path
3.3 km southfrom the centre
River Blast
Directionsto a point inside
All 11 named parks and green spaces
Millennium ParkPark or garden · 24 ha · 2.4 km of path
DirectionsPass Creek Regional ParkPark or garden · 10 ha · 2.1 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsKinnaird ParkPark or garden · 9.4 ha · 0.9 km of path
DirectionsComplex ParkPark or garden · 7.3 ha · 0.1 km of path
DirectionsZuckerberg Island Heritage ParkPark or garden · 3.7 ha · 0.8 km of path
DirectionsWaterloo Eddy Regional ParkPark or garden · 3.8 ha · 0.5 km of path · just outside town
DirectionsCastlegar Dog ParkPark or garden · 1.0 ha
DirectionsKinsmen ParkPark or garden · 0.9 ha
DirectionsZinio ParkPark or garden · 0.5 ha
DirectionsBlueberry ParkPark or garden · 0.3 ha
DirectionsSpirit SquarePark or garden · 0.2 ha
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap parks, gardens, commons and woods with a name, in the town or within 400 m, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Sizes are the mapped outline’s.
Close to home
3 in 10 people in Castlegar live near a park
Residents of each 2021 dissemination area, at a point inside it, within 400 m (about a 5-minute walk) of a park or playing field mapped on OpenStreetMap.
Within 400 m (35%)Further (65%)
Castlegar35%
Towns in British Columbia72%
Typical Canadian town83%
For comparison, the typical Canadian town has 83%. For about 6,200 people, the nearest park is over 400 m away.
Protected areas
6% of the land around Castlegar is protected
Every protected and conserved area in CPCAD within 10 km of the town’s edge: parks, reserves, wildlife areas and conservation land.
Inside Castlegar0%
Within 10 km6%
Towns in British Columbia6.7%
Typical Canadian town2.3%
Public bodies own 4 of the 6; land trusts and private owners hold the others. Syringa Park covers 4,538 ha, the most of any named area. The figures include 2 private conservation areas, left unnamed.
Brilliant Dam Conservation LandsNature reserve · 80 ha · reaches Castlegar
Champion Lakes ParkProvincial park · 1,452 ha · 3.8 km from the edge of town
Syringa ParkProvincial park · 4,538 ha · 4.3 km from the edge of town
1 area recorded only by its type (a provincial layer such as wildlife habitat areas) is counted, not listed.
Source: Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD) 2.9.0, Environment and Climate Change Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
National & provincial parks
3.8 km to Champion Lakes Park
National parks (Parks Canada) and provincial or territorial parks by direction and distance from the town’s edge: every one within 10 km, and the nearest of each within 100 km.
National parkProvincial park
Provincial park
Champion Lakes Park
3.8 km south15 km²since 1955
Provincial park
Syringa Park
4.3 km north-west45 km²since 1968
No national park lies within 100 km of Castlegar; the provincial parks are the big protected land within reach. Within 10 km are 2 provincial parks.
Source: CPCAD 2.9.0 (ECCC): areas and outlines, distances outline to outline; directions from the town’s centre point.
Footpaths and woods
Paths to walk: 81 km in and around Castlegar
OpenStreetMap footpaths, paths, bridleways and steps, and tracks open on foot, in the town and 1 km around it; woods as mapped (landuse=forest, natural=wood).
Footpaths
81 km
in and around the town (79.7 km²)
Woodland
59%
about 46.6 km² of mapped woods
Footpaths · km per km²
CastlegarTowns in British ColumbiaTypical Canadian town
Footpaths1
012 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
CastlegarTowns in British ColumbiaTypical Canadian town
Woodland59%
0%50%100%
Paths are thinner on the ground than in 58% of Canadian towns. Woods cover more of it than in 87% of Canadian towns.
Source: OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Mapping varies by place: a dense figure can mean keen local mappers as much as many paths.
Walking routes
No named walking route passes Castlegar on the map
Named walking and hiking routes on OpenStreetMap with at least 300 m within 2 km of the town, longest first; national routes lead.
No walking route is mapped within 2 km of the town. Mapping of trails as routes varies a great deal across Canada.
Source: OpenStreetMap (route relations hiking, foot and walking), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Trans Canada Trail sections as OSM maps them.
When to get out
Walking season in Castlegar: April and June to September
Daylight at the town’s latitude and ECCC’s 1991–2020 normals (Warfield, 22 km away). Good months: long days, highs of 15–30 °C, light rain.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.6 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.3 | 16.2 | 15.8 | 14.4 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.0 | 8.2 |
| High (°C) | 0 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 21 | 24 | 29 | 30 | 23 | 13 | 5 | 0 |
| Rain & snow (mm) | 93 | 62 | 61 | 54 | 72 | 68 | 47 | 25 | 32 | 62 | 86 | 98 |
The wettest month, December, brings 98 mm, against 25 mm in August. The warmest days come in August (30 °C highs), the coldest in December (0 °C). The climate in Castlegar →
Beaches
3 beaches within 5 km of Castlegar, none named
Beaches on OpenStreetMap within 5 km of the town’s edge, nearest first, with directions.
For water quality, look to the local health unit: no open beach-testing data covers Canada.
Source: OpenStreetMap (natural=beach), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Things to do
Castlegar has 8 viewpoints and 1 waterfalls nearby
Viewpoints, peaks, waterfalls, picnic sites, nature reserves, playgrounds, dog parks, campsites and boat launches mapped within 2 km of the town.
Top of the list: viewpoints, 8 of them.
Every named place, with directions
Viewpoints 8
Brilliant Generating Station Viewpointin town
DirectionsBrilliant Overlook0.2 km from town
DirectionsDove Hill Viewpoint0.6 km from town
DirectionsPlus 5 viewpoints without a name on the map.
Waterfalls 1
Little McPhee Falls1.2 km from town
DirectionsPicnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Campsites 2
Pass Creek Regional Park0.5 km from town
DirectionsPass Creek Regional Park & Campground0.6 km from town
DirectionsSource: OpenStreetMap (tourism, natural, waterway and leisure tags), © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Next door
Next to Castlegar
The nearest places, coloured by the share of the land within 10 km that is protected; tap one for its outdoors page.
Electoral Area J, Central KootenayElectoral Area B (Lower Columbia-Old-Glory), Kootenay BoundaryElectoral Area I, Central KootenayCastlegar
Under 1%1–5%5–15%15–40%40%+
| Town | Protected within 10 km | Areas | Routes | Beaches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castlegar | 6% | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| Electoral Area J, Central Kootenay 6.1 km | 11% | 13 | 0 | 4 |
| Electoral Area B (Lower Columbia-Old-Glory), Kootenay Boundary 9.2 km | 7.8% | 12 | 0 | 3 |
| Electoral Area I, Central Kootenay 13 km | 0.2% | 6 | 1 | 6 |
No neighbouring place reaches twice Castlegar’s protected share.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- National and provincial parks. National parks are Parks Canada’s; provincial parks are the province’s or territory’s, Québec’s parcs nationaux among them.
- Walking routes. Routes are what OpenStreetMap’s volunteers have mapped as named walking or hiking routes; many good trails aren’t mapped that way.
- Private land. Private conservation land is in the totals, not the lists. Many such areas are easements on working farms or woodlots.
- Beaches. Beaches are OpenStreetMap’s, named or not; in the north many are unnamed shoreline imports.
- Protected land. Measured on CPCAD’s outlines: the part of a 10 km band around the town that lies in a protected or conserved area, water included.
Questions about the outdoors in Castlegar
When is the best time for walking in Castlegar?
April and June to September: long days, mild highs and little rain.
Is Castlegar near a national park?
The nearest national park is more than 100 km from Castlegar.
Which is the biggest protected area near Castlegar?
It is Syringa Park, a provincial park covering 4,538 ha.
Are there protected areas near Castlegar?
Yes: 6% of the land within 10 km is protected.
Is there a provincial park near Castlegar?
It is Champion Lakes Park, 3.8 km away.
Where can you swim near Castlegar?
The beaches mapped within 5 km have no names on the map.
Sources
The sources behind Castlegar’s outdoors figures
Protected areas: Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD) 2.9.0, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2026: every area within 10 km and the nearest national and provincial parks, measured outline to outline.
Walking routes and beaches: OpenStreetMap, November 2026: named hiking, foot and walking route relations within 2 km and beaches within 5 km.
Towns: Statistics Canada 2021 Census boundaries and populations; the comparison is the Canadian towns and neighbourhoods of 2,500+, not city hubs or reserves.
When to go: Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020, from the nearest station that publishes them.
Green space, paths, woods, things to do: OpenStreetMap (Geofabrik’s Canada extract), November 2026: parks, gardens, playing fields, woods, footpaths, the coastline and things to do in and around each town.
Residents: Statistics Canada 2021 Census dissemination areas (population, boundaries), each at a point inside it.
Walking routes and beaches © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence (ODbL).
Not on this page: trailheads and trail grades, and beach water quality. No open Canadian dataset gives these for every town yet.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).