more stats
1.2 miles
Distance
54 ft
Climb
-484 ft
Descent
00:11:22
Avg time
-430 ft
Altitude change
3,627 ft
Altitude min
4,058 ft
Altitude max
4,058 ft
Altitude start
3,627 ft
Altitude end
-6.713%
Grade
-30.002%
Grade max
10.245%
Grade min
820 ft
Distance climb
4,985 ft
Distance down
602 ft
Distance flat
00:11:22
Avg time

Trail 3 (Switchbacks) Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • E-Bike
    • Winter Fat Bike
    • Horse
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
    • Snowshoe
  • Riding Area
    Pyramid Bench
    Jasper, Alberta
  • Difficulty Rating
  • Local Popularity
    45 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 80 in E-Biking
    • 90 in Trail Running
    • 80 in Hiking
    • 5 in Horseback
    • 5 in Snowshoeing
  • Global Ranking
    #99128 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #39512 in E-Biking
    • #40707 in Trail Running
    • #63607 in Hiking
    • #11383 in Horseback
    • #10345 in Snowshoeing
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T1 Hiking
  • Blaze Color
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC, Fat
  • Direction
    Both Directions
  • Climb Difficulty
    Blue
  • Physical Rating
    Hard
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Season
    May - Oct
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
    Yes up to Class 1
  • Ride in Rain
    Yes
  • Land Owner

Several steep pitches and some loose gravel sections along with a couple of tight switchbacks connect Cabin Lake and Jasper. As a climb this is a quick punchy way to get up to the Pyramid bench, Descending this trail is quick with some fun side hill. Several great view points and its connection with the Saturday Night Lake loop make this a popular trail.

Access Info

Parking Lot 2

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week
  • 0 rides
  •  
6 Months
  • 1 rides
  • 15 miles avg distance
All
  • 40 rides
  • Last: Jun 17, 2026
c1c2c3c4
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
update trails status or condition

Trail 3... Trail Reports

statusdatedescription
Aug 12, 2025 @ 6:57pm
Aug 12, 2025
Jul 9, 2024 @ 11:02am
Jul 9, 2024
Fairly challenging ascent, recommend the other way, Mina Lake trail, if you’re going up to Razarback. Better descent.
Jan 15, 2023 @ 8:25pm
Jan 15, 2023
Jul 4, 2021 @ 9:51am
Jul 4, 2021
May 6, 2021 @ 5:23pm
May 6, 2021
reporter
more »
Status:
on Aug 12, 2025
Ideal
Avg: 3.99 (2 votes)
Your vote: 0

view (301)
close
3D
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)
Trailforks scans users ridelogs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
  • > 96%
  • > 90%
  • > 80%
  • > 70%
  • > 50%
  • < 50%
  • bi-directional trail
  • no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
  • < 2 days
  • < 1 week
  • < 2 weeks
  • < 1 month
  • < 6 months
  • > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
  • Downhill Only
  • Downhill Primary
  • Both Directions
  • Uphill Primary
  • Uphill Only
  • One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
  • Description
  • Photos
  • Description & Photos
  • Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans ridelogs 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 rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
  • most popular
  • popular
  • less popular
  • not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches
US Cell Coverage
Legend
cell carrier legend

Radar Time
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data. ?
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data. ?
Personal Heatmap
Activity Types
all / none
Options
2
Date range month
Winter Trails
Warning A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.
Missing Trails
Most Popular
Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where riders jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
BC Backroad Status

Service Road Atlas is a free to use, community-driven service for viewing and creating reports on the numerous back-country service roads around B.C. and Alberta.

map legend
Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
Flat N NE E SE S SW W NW
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
disable
Only show trails with no bike usage.
Enable
Suggested Layers
Based on selected activity type

    Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.

    Save
        Directions to trail-3-switchbacks trailhead (52.878020, -118.121850)

        Photos

        6 more »
        49 |
        May 21, 2024 @ 12:08pm
        May 21, 2024
        70 |
        Aug 21, 2022 @ 3:55pm
        Aug 21, 2022
        139 |
        Apr 27, 2018 @ 10:56pm
        Apr 27, 2018
        117 |
        Oct 1, 2017 @ 4:27pm
        Oct 1, 2017

        Videos

        no videos have been added for Trail 3 (Switchbacks) yet, add a video.

        Routes with this trail

        1.7 15 miles 2,171 ft 3 Loop
        Start from Parking Lot 2 - Cabin Creek This trail is not for the faint of heart. Although the distance is...

        Reviews / Comments

        No reviews yet, be the first to write a review or ask a question.
        Use trail reports to comment on trail conditions.


        We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!

        Create a FREE account to view trail comments and much more.

        • By andrewfromjasperTF Pro VARDA JPCA & contributors
        • #57697 - 1,410 views

        Frequently Asked Questions About Trail 3 (Switchbacks)

        Where is Trail 3 (Switchbacks) located?
        Trail 3 (Switchbacks) is located in Pyramid Bench, Jasper, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Pyramid Bench trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 52.87802, -118.12185.
        How hard is Trail 3 (Switchbacks)?
        Trail 3 (Switchbacks) is rated as Blue difficulty. The physical rating is Hard. The average grade is 6.713%. The climb difficulty is rated Blue.
        What is the elevation gain for Trail 3 (Switchbacks)?
        Trail 3 (Switchbacks) has 54 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 484 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 3,627 ft to 4,058 ft.
        Is Trail 3 (Switchbacks) a point to point trail?
        Trail 3 (Switchbacks) is not a point to point trail. The direction is Both Directions. The trail type is singletrack.

        Hit the Trail

        Open in App

        Get this trail on your phone instantly.
        open trail in app

        Download Trail

        Save to wishlist, Garmin & download.
        save the trail

        Find Related Routes

        Find routes and users activities that include this trail.
        find routes for this trail

        You must enter a description before submitting.