Hike difficulty rating matrix
There are a lot of different systems across Australia, Japan and Europe for rating or comparing the difficulty of hikes or bush walks. Personally I’ve always considered that the simplest way to do this is to factor in two key things; the fitness requirement of a hike and technical/risk requirement. A hike can be easy physically, but have sections of chain or rock scrambling beyond your ability and vice-a-versa. I also love a good colour coded risk rating matrix.
When I first started this blog while hiking in Shikoku I used a system created by the Outdoor Club of Japan. However, as I now walk more in Australia and New Zealand than Japan I decided to create a new hike rating matrix for my personal use that I could used for both future and past hikes.
My day hike rating matrix
| Fitness (1-5) |
Technical Difficulty (A-E) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A: Easy | B: Moderate | C: Hard | D: Very Hard | E: Extreme | |
| 1: Easy | 1A | 1B | 1C | 1D | 1E |
| 2: Moderate | 2A | 2B | 2C | 2D | 2E |
| 3: Hard | 3A | 3B | 3C | 3D | 3E |
| 4: Very Hard | 4A | 4B | 4C | 4D | 4E |
| 5: Extreme | 5A | 5B | 5C | 5D | 5E |
How do I rate my day hikes
Fitness Rating (1 to 5)
Fitness rating tracks cardiovascular effort and endurance, and is determined by overall length and cumulative altitude gain which act as a multiplyer on each other. There may be walks that where either length or altitude gain don’t fit neatly into these ranges e.g. a walk that is short (4km) but steep (700m gain). In these cases I always rate based on the “worst” element. So a 4km walk as above would be rated by myself as “Hard”.
- 1 (Easy): Distances typically under 10km. Altitude gain less than 200m.
- 2 (Moderate): Distance between 5km and 12km. Altitude gain between 200m and 600m. Requires basic, active fitness for some moderate climbing.
- 3 (Hard): Distance between 12km and 20km. Altitude gain between 600m and 1,200m. May feature sustained, steep climbs.
- 4 (Very Hard): Distance between 20km and 30km. Altitude gain between 1,200m and 2,000m. Demanding, full-day trail endurance required.
- 5 (Extreme): Distance over 30 km or multi-day pushes. Altitude gain exceeding 2,000 m. Heavy physical commitment.
Technical / Risk Rating (A to E)
Technical / Risk Rating tracks trail difficulty, footing, and exposure. It is entirely independent of how long or steep the hike is and focuses on actual (not perceived) risk and trail conditions underfoot. Almost all of my hikes are “foot on ground” hikes that fall into the A, B, C range. I’m not really interested in mountaineering.
- A (Easy): Formed, flat trails. Paved or well-groomed gravel surfaces. Less navigation or obstacle management required.
- B (Moderate): Clear, formed tracks. Expect natural obstacles like tree roots, embedded stones, short ladders or horizontal chains section, and uneven ground.
- C (Hard): Rough, unformed, or overgrown tracks. Requires good balance and sure-footedness for steep, loose terrain and rock scrambling. There may be extended sections of exposed cliff, vertical chains and tall ladders.
- D (Very Hard): Highly rugged terrain. Sustained, hands-on scrambling is required, often with significant vertical exposure or steep drops.
- E (Extreme): True alpine or vertical terrain requiring technical climbing moves, where exposure is severe and specialized safety gear may be needed. May include “off track” walks or tracks with little to no formed tracks.
Disclaimer
This matrix was created for my personal use to grade and organize the hikes featured on this blog and is being shared to give the hike reports context for readers. It is not an official safety guide and is subject to change. It may also contain human errors. It was made with day hiking in mind.
I encourage readers to research a few different systems on your own and always walk within your ability (turn back if you do not feel comfortable). Hiking conditions can change rapidly due to weather, track damage, and seasons and these natural conditions are not accounted for by this rating matrix.