There's definite wow factor up here on top of the world.

My wife, Kerry, and I and our dog, Benji, are hiking a 7-kilometre portion of the former Kettle Valley Railway along the rim of Myra Canyon.

As such, there's the illusion of being on top of the globe with perilous cliffs into the canyon and jaw-dropping views from this perch 1,274 metres above sea level.

Being a former railway through dramatic terrain means the trail consists of abandoned railway bed, gravity-defying trestles (bridges) spanning chasms on the canyon's lip and tunnels through solid rock.

Such a setting has made this section of the trail Kelowna's No. 1 summer attraction for walking and biking for locals and tourists alike, a National Historic Site and part of The Great Trail of Canada (formerly the Trans Canada Trail).

All this also has winter allure.

There's nothing like a hike through a surreal, white-hued realm, blue-bird sky above and total silence but for the sound of boots crunching snow.

This is minimal effort-maximum reward winter hiking at its best.

After all, the packed-snow trail is flat, easy to walk and not icy.

Yet, the scenery is other worldly and the sense of getting away from it all is intense.

To access this nirvana, take McCullough Road through East Kelowna to the Myra Forest Service Road.

The road is 8 kilometres, steep and snow-covered, so good winter tires are a must.

You'll end up in the Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park parking lot, so the trail from there is well-marked and there are several interpretive boards.

If you hike out 3.5 kilometres, as we did, and turn around, you'll traverse a gratifying 7 kilometres total.

You'll cross a dozen trestles, numbered 18 to 7, twice, ranging from 24 to 133 metres long and thread through two tunnels of 84 and 114 metres.