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2.5 miles
Distance
564 ft
Climb
-255 ft
Descent
00:30:59
Avg time
308 ft
Altitude change
4,725 ft
Altitude min
5,259 ft
Altitude max
4,732 ft
Altitude start
5,039 ft
Altitude end
2.3%
Grade
-46.6%
Grade max
49.9%
Grade min
2 miles
Distance climb
3,448 ft
Distance down
1,552 ft
Distance flat
00:30:59
Avg time
Ridgeback – R3 Details
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Activities
- Mountain Bike
- E-Bike
- Winter Fat Bike
- Horse
- Hike
- Trail Running
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Riding AreaStation Flats
Bragg Creek, Alberta -
AKARidgeback, R3
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Difficulty Rating
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Voted DifficultyBlue (1 vote)
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Local Popularity70 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 90 in E-Biking
- 85 in Trail Running
- 45 in Hiking
- 5 in Horseback
- 5 in Winter Fat Biking
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Global Ranking#69804 in Mountain Biking [+]
- #104998 in E-Biking
- #96959 in Trail Running
- #146672 in Hiking
- #19972 in Horseback
- #31045 in Winter Fat Biking
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Provincial Ranking#1,071 in Mountain Biking · Alberta [+]
- #962 in E-Biking
- #1,759 in Trail Running
- #2,704 in Hiking
- #208 in Horseback
- #921 in Winter Fat Biking
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Trail TypeSingletrack
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Bike TypeAM, XC, Fat
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DirectionBoth DirectionsPopular In Reverse
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Climb DifficultyBlue
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Physical RatingModerate
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Dogs AllowedYes
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eBike AllowedYes up to Class 1
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TTFs on TrailBridge
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Year Opened2009
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Land OwnerAlberta Forestry and Parks
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 sections, all of which are good in either direction. The parts of Tom Snow that Ridgeback bypasses are almost always wet & muddy.
R3 is the longest and hilliest section of Ridgeback. The middle part runs along the ridge which features some rocky sections. The descent to the south features a number of bermed corners and a section of boardwalk.
Access Info
Access from Bobcat or Snakes & Ladders if coming from West Bragg Creek via Ranger Summit, from Ridgeback R1 & R2 to the south (from Station Flats) or from R4 & Moose Packers to the north. Note that Snakes & Ladders joins Ridgeback R3 in the middle, at the north end of the ridge.
Trail Supporters
Calgary Mountain Bike Alliance
since 2009Maintainer- past supporters
2009 - 2010Builder
Local Trail Association
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Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportDonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 1 rides
- 23 miles average
6 Months
- 55 rides
- 17 miles avg distance
All
- 395 rides
- Last: Oct 5, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Ridgeback – R3 Trail Reports
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Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Partial
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
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The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Used
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- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
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- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
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- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months.
Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
Think of this as a heatmap, more activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
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Winter Trails
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Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
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BC Backroad Status
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Directions to ridgeback--r3 trailhead
(50.910920, -114.710300)
Photos
36 more »
Videos
5 more »
mtb
26:30 |
29 |
Jul 24, 2026 , Bragg Creek
mtb
21:07 |
663 |
Oct 10, 2020 , Bragg Creek
mtb
1103 |
Oct 21, 2015 , Bragg Creek
mtb
947 |
Oct 19, 2015 , Bragg Creek
Trail Lists
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2018 Shred List85 trails -
2018 Rides List
13 trails
Routes with this trail
★ 4.8 • 13 miles • 2,246 ft • 7 • Loop •
A fun easy loop. I recommend riding counter clockwise. This is also the route for the 2016 Provincial XC...
★ 4.0 • 13 miles • 2,322 ft • 14 • Loop •
A loop to do Snakes and Ladders from WBC parking lot.
★ 4.0 • 14 miles • 2,414 ft • 8 •
Ridgeback 1 and 2 out to Bobcat. Up Bobcat and down Snakes and Ladders and back on Ridgebacks to Station Flats
ryancartiers
Great trail, watch handlebars between narrow trees, occasional root steps; short rock section adds variety.
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Nearby Trails
- Bobcat 499 ft
- Ridgeback – R2 2,854 ft
- Tom Snow 3,707 ft
- Ridgeback – R1 3,904 ft
- Sugar Mama 4,629 ft
- By brenthillier
NSMBA TRAILFORKS & contributors - #4224 - 11,226 views
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