Ridgeback – R4

The northernmost section of Ridgeback ("R4") is 300m north of R3. Tom Snow forks to the right for a 800m section that, while always wet and muddy, makes an alternative to the climb up R4 (turn left and climb up the mountain road until you reach the other end of R4). R4 meets the bottom of Moose Packers near the Shell gas valve station.

R4 is mostly fast and buff from north to south, with some short climbs at the south end. Easily the most buff and flowy part of the Ridgeback trails.

Ridgeback is one of the trails in Kananaskis built and maintained by the Calgary Mountain Bike Alliance. It's a mix of machine-built and hand-built construction, designed to provide an alternative to the perpetual wetness of the Tom Snow trail. Ridgeback and Tom Snow come together at three points, dividing both trails into four main sections, all of which are good in either direction. You can mix and match sections of the two trails to extend or shorten your ride. Note that the parts of Tom Snow that Ridgeback bypasses almost always have standing water, mud puddles and downed trees across them.

Access Info

Access from R3 to the south, Moose Packers to the west, or maybe the mountain road or Tom Snow to the east.