Trail Difficulty Calculator
Estimate how demanding a hike is likely to be from its distance, climbing, ground, conditions and your own experience. The score is a planning aid for comparing routes, not an official grade.
Your difficulty estimate appears here
Enter the route details and select Calculate. You will get a score out of 100, a difficulty level, what is driving it and what to prepare.
Trail difficulty varies by location, conditions and individual experience. This calculator provides a general planning estimate.
It is not an official trail rating and carries no authority. Park services, guidebooks and local grading systems use their own criteria, and theirs is the one that counts.
Using the score sensibly
Best for comparing
The score is most useful side by side. Running two routes through it tells you which is the bigger day, even if neither number is exact.
Conditions move it fast
The same trail can shift two levels between a dry summer morning and a wet, icy afternoon. Re-run it with the conditions you actually expect.
Plan for the slowest person
A group moves at the pace of whoever is finding it hardest. Rate the route for them, not for the strongest walker in the party.
Read a recent report
No calculator knows about a washed-out bridge, a closed section or fresh snow. Check recent trail reports and the managing authority before you go.