10 Ways to Live Like a 'Knifer'

Like a mythical kingdom, the city of Yellowknife in Canada's Northwest Territories is the land of stories. Get to know the dynamic energy of its people, who enjoy all the modern amenities of a large city in the middle of a vast subarctic wilderness, just minutes from lakes, waterfalls and wildlife.

10 THINGS TO DO IN YELLOWKNIFE

The capital city has an arts and music scene to match. During summer, outdoor entertainment is plentiful, with contemporary rock bands and traditional Dene drum dances enjoyed equally by 'Knifers and visitors to the city. The food and arts scene is equally eclectic all year round.

1. Watch the greatest light show on earth, the Aurora Borealis, between October and March. Witness the night sky shimmer green, red and blue, from your own outdoor hot tub.

2. Enjoy 20 hours of daylight activities during summer. Think hiking, kayaking and mountain biking.

3. Explore Yellowknife's Old Town and travel back in time. Its ramshackle streets, fishing shacks and gold-rush ambiance paving the way to the city's aboriginal village of N'Dilo on Latham Island.

4. Experience the best fishing and canoeing in the world on Great Slave Lake and the Ingraham Trail.

5. Yellowknife is a melting pot of cultures and lifestyles, with an eclectic art scene. Spend a day shopping for unique art, craft and jewellery, created by local artists.

6. Whet your appetite with impeccable gastronomy, using locally northern pike, Arctic grayling, and lake trout from pristine Great Slave Lake, Arctic char from the rivers, fresh buffalo burgers and Baffin shrimp.

7. Step back in time. Yellowknife sits atop the Canadian Shield. The oldest rocks in the region date more than four billion years of age.

8. Explore the wide-open Northern backcountry during winter, on snowshoes, a snowmobile, or ice-skates, and learn how to mush a team of huskies.

9. Visit Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, overlooking Frame Lake, and learn about the Northwest Territories' Dene and Inuit history.

10. Go home with a precious reminder of your Yellowknife adventures, in the form of Canadian Arctic Diamonds, mined just a few hundred kilometres away.

GETTING THERE

Air Canada Jazz, Canadian North, First Air, Air North and Westjet offer daily jet flights to Yellowknife from Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta and from Ottawa, Ontario.

Visit http://spectacularnwt.com/