2.4 miles
Distance
200 ft
Climb
-381 ft
Descent
00:38:21
Avg time

Topp Notch Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
  • Riding Area
    Banff
    , Alberta
  • Difficulty Rating
    Black Diamond rate
  • Voted Difficulty
    Black Diamond (1 vote)
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC
  • Direction
    Downhill Primary
    Popular direction shown
  • Physical Rating
    Moderate
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • TTFs on Trail
    Berm, Bridge, Drop, Jump, Rock Face, Rock Garden, Skinny
  • Global Ranking
    #2128 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #25385 in Trail Running
    • #30351 in Hiking
  • Local Popularity
    95 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 70 in Trail Running
    • 50 in Hiking
  • Year Opened
    2014
  • Land Owner
    Banff National Park

Topp Notch begins with a squirrel catcher [mandatory feature] meant to weed out the less experienced. If you cannot ride this feature, head back down to Star Wars. Once past the entry on Topp Notch, the trail will climb several switchbacks towards the first large feature, the Big Daddy corner. What follows next can only be described as incredible flow along some challenging technical trail features (TTFs). Most TTFs are pretty wide, and very well built. Some new features require jumping skills but all have a "ride around" and are marked with black and blue arrows. The end of the trail rolls right into Return of the Jedi so you can climb back up.

Built entirely by hand over 3 years with 3500+ hours of volunteer labour, this trail is named after Doug Topp, former president of the Bow Valley Mountain Bike Alliance and all-around good guy. Buy him a beer.

Access Info

The access to Topp Notch is found west of the Star Wars trailhead, accessible from Tunnel Mountain Road and located across (south) from Buffalo Mountain Lodge. As you approach the trailhead for Star Wars (30 metres in), continue right (west) and past the entry to Star Wars up the trail. From here, there are markers and arrows pointing you in the direction of Topp Notch.

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
More Stats for Topp Notch mountain bike trail trail
  • Altitude change
    -182 ft
  • Altitude min
    4,602 ft
  • Altitude max
    4,887 ft
  • Altitude start
    4,787 ft
  • Altitude end
    4,606 ft
  • Grade
    -1.4%
  • Grade max
    -31%
  • Grade min
    25.5%
  • Distance climb
    4,278 ft
  • Distance down
    1 mile
  • Distance flat
    2,487 ft
  • Avg time
    00:38:21
  • Avg reverse time
    00:46:11
  • view trail stats
Status:
on Sep 29, 2024
Ideal
Avg: 4.2 (65 votes)
Your vote: 0

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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
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      Directions to topp-notch trailhead (51.181840, -115.552820)
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      Topp Notch Trail Reports

      statusdatedescription
      Sep 29, 2024 @ 1:41pm
      Sep 29, 2024
      Sep 28, 2024 @ 7:04pm
      Sep 28, 2024
      		 Sept 27th...a couple trees down over the wood features in the bottom third of the trail. Easy to lift over but probably need a decent...
      Sep 11, 2024 @ 3:59pm
      Sep 11, 2024
      		 Some new features have been added for summer 2024 that require jumping skills. Ride arounds are available so not mandatory. Ride arounds are...
      Sep 9, 2024 @ 3:31pm
      Sep 9, 2024
      Aug 23, 2024 @ 1:43pm
      Aug 23, 2024
      		 Great shape, not just a down hill it’s got some peddling with lots of cool features, nothing crazy but one of the funnest trails I’ve done.
      view all reports »

      Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

      Past Week
      • 11 rides
      • 13 miles avg distance
      6 Months
      • 330 rides
      • 10 miles avg distance
      All
      • 2,647 rides
      • Last: Oct 5, 2024

      Photos

      more »
      1,805 |
      Jun 25, 2016 @ 6:58pm
      Jun 25, 2016
      1,800 |
      Jun 25, 2016 @ 6:58pm
      Jun 25, 2016
      24 |
      Sep 13, 2024 @ 7:24pm
      Sep 13, 2024
      87 |
      Jun 13, 2024 @ 9:28am
      Jun 13, 2024

      Trail Lists

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      Top notch to van14 miles
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      Trail Products

      32 Reviews & Comments


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      Videos

      more »
      youtuber Banff's Best Mountain Bike Trails (Topp Notch...
      9:26 | 1087 | Aug 24, 2021 , Banff
      youtuber Maybe the best MTB trail in Alberta? Topp Notch
      11:50 | 38 | Sep 13, 2024 , Banff
      Topp Notch ◇ at Banff
      22:04 | 413 | Sep 22, 2022 , Banff
      The Best Way To Ride Topp Notch - Banff Alberta
      25:15 | 591 | Sep 19, 2022 , Banff

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