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2.4 miles
Distance
200 ft
Climb
-381 ft
Descent
00:38:21
Avg time
-182 ft
Altitude change
4,602 ft
Altitude min
4,887 ft
Altitude max
4,787 ft
Altitude start
4,606 ft
Altitude end
-1.4%
Grade
-31%
Grade max
25.5%
Grade min
4,278 ft
Distance climb
1 mile
Distance down
2,487 ft
Distance flat
00:38:21
Avg time
Topp Notch Details
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Activities
- Mountain Bike
- E-Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
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Riding AreaTunnel Mountain Bench Area
Banff, Alberta -
Difficulty Rating
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Voted DifficultyBlack Diamond (1 vote)
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Local Popularity95 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 100 in E-Biking
- 80 in Trail Running
- 75 in Hiking
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Global Ranking
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Trail TypeSingletrack
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Bike TypeAM, XC
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DirectionDownhill PrimaryPopular Direction Shown
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Physical RatingModerate
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Dogs AllowedYes
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eBike Allowed
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TTFs on TrailBerm, Bridge, Drop, Jump, Rock Face, Rock Garden, Skinny
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Year Opened2014
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Land OwnerBanff 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
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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
- 6 rides
- 6 miles average
6 Months
- 34 rides
- 10 miles avg distance
All
- 517 rides
- Last: Jun 19, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Topp Notch Trail Reports
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- Icy
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Directions to topp-notch trailhead
(51.181840, -115.552820)
Photos
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Trail Lists
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2018 Shred List85 trails -
2019 Riding List
13 trails
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2020 Riding Wishlist
18 trails
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Nearby Trails
- Star Wars 69 ft
- Star Wars And Topp Notch Connector 397 ft
- Banff Avenue 2,513 ft
- Banff Avenue Connector 3,353 ft
- Tunnel Mountain Campground Loop 3,914 ft
Tunnel Mountain Bench Area
- By megand
& contributors - #10026 - 36,405 views
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Frequently Asked Questions About Topp Notch
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Where is Topp Notch located?
Topp Notch is located in Tunnel Mountain Bench Area, Banff, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Tunnel Mountain Bench Area trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 51.18184, -115.55282.
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How hard is Topp Notch?
Topp Notch is rated as Black Diamond difficulty. The physical rating is Moderate. The average grade is 1.4%.
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What is the elevation gain for Topp Notch?
Topp Notch has 61 m of elevation gain. The trail has 116 m of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 1,403 m to 1,490 m.
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Is Topp Notch a point to point trail?
Topp Notch is not a point to point trail. The direction is Downhill Primary. The trail type is singletrack.
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