Hiking up Johnston Canyon in the summer is a rite of passage for most Calgarians, but have you done it in the winter?

Banff Adventures Unlimited offers a guided ice walk of the canyon along catwalks and past frozen waterfalls including the grand finale arrival at the Upper Falls, all 30 meters of which freeze to form the Cathedral of Ice. Tourists tend not to make the trek in the chilly temperatures and the normally busy spot turns tranquil. $62 gets you an experienced guide, ice cleats and hot chocolate. The four-hour excursion leaves every morning and afternoon from Banff hotels.

Bundle up and prepare for a breathtaking experience. —Jaelyn Molyneux

www.banffadventures.com

We trekked to a tiny mountain town in the middle of a national park and found no shortage of cosmopolitan experiences.

stay
Check into Brewster’s Mountain Lodge for its just-off-Banff Ave. location and its very of-the-moment Navajo decor.

shop
Try on a couple pairs at Bison Courtyard’s Avanti, a shoe shop that carries nary a hiking boot and instead offers stylish footwear fit for city slickers.

eat
The Banff Springs Hotel is a stunning fortress in the forest so ditch the dudes on the golf course and head indoors for high tea with your girlfriends.

see
Feeling really creative? Apply for a residency at the Banff Centre. Or just revel in others’ creative genius and take in a performance there instead.

do
Nothing, really. Let your masseuse take on the hard work while you relax on the massage table at the soothing Red Earth Spa.  —Kelsey Dundon

Fancy a swig of smoked-salmon-flavoured vodka? The fishy proposition doesn’t sound so great until you imagine it with a tall glass of Clamato juice and voila, a Caesar with bite.

Made by soaking real smoked salmon filets in ethanol before being re-distilled back into the vodka, the Alaska Distillery product is just one of the many delectable highlights at the Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival starting tomorrow.

Take the scenic drive to The Fairmont Banff Springs where dozens of Banff restaurants will be on-hand with menu samples (ouzo prawns, honey glazed duck confit sliders and pork belly macaroni and cheese, to name a few) paired of course with wine, beer and spirits.

Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Destival, Fairmont Banff Springs, May 13 and 14, tickets from $19, www.rockymountainwine.com

While we love our take on the book club (a.k.a. wine party and gab fest), sometimes, we’d like to get right down to the book.

The annual readers and writers festival WordFest is celebrating its 15th year with 74 authors over six days in Calgary and Banff. Writers Dave Bidini, Will Ferguson and Jane Urquhart dish on life, literature and everything in between. One of the highlights of this year’s fest is Saturday at The Banff Centre where participants will come together to honour musician and writer Paul Quarrington.

Consider it booked.

Until October 17, complete schedule and tickets at www.wordfest.com

The city is overrun with tourists and it’s impossible to get a reservation at your favourite eatery. It’s time to make the great escape.

Head to Banff for a delectable dinner (think blueberry braised bison short ribs or a West Coast hot pot) paired with a breathtaking view of the Bow Valley at The Juniper Bistro. Tucked away just off the second exit to Banff, the bistro is located in The Juniper Hotel,  a historic space built in the 1950s and renovated just over five years ago.

Get to the bistro early (between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.) and enjoy the new Blue Plate Special, a three-course dinner for $30 ($45 with wine).

That’s worth the distance.

The Juniper Bistro, One Juniper Way, Mount Norquay Rd., Banff, 403-763-6205, www.thejuniper.com

If all of our Canadian history lessons included spending a day paddling the Bow River, checking out the mountain views and tracking ospreys, we’d be regular history buffs.

These days, kids, and us adults too, are in luck with the new Voyageur Canoe trips in Banff. Hop into a 14-person voyageur replica canoe and enjoy a one-and-a-half hour tour while a story-telling guide enlightens you with tales from the fur-trading days, stories of legendary mapmaker David Thompson and the history of Canada’s great explorers. Although your arms get a workout from paddling, there’s plenty of downtime to float and enjoy the views, and no canoe experience is necessary.

We feel smarter already.

Voyageur Canoe Tours, 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. (in high season), adults $39; children under 12, $15; 403-760-5007 or www.banffcanoeing.com

See photos from our Voyageur Canoe trip on the Editor’s Diary.

It’s the last ski weekend of the season but we’re skipping the slush for après ski early at the second annual Banff Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival.

From now until Sunday, the place to be is the Grand Tasting Hall in the Fairmont Banff Springs, where over 60 wines, imported beers, scotches, ports  and spirits from around the globe will be at your fingertips.

Opt for either an afternoon or an evening tasting on Saturday ($20, $25 at the door) and  feast on dishes like Dungeness crab cakes and free-range bison mini burgers from local restaurants.

And since that spit technique is hard to master, check out the accommodation packages.

www.rockymountainwine.com