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 bushwalks. For example, in Australia the Australian Walking Track Grading System measures five key factors with a flat final output grade of 1-5. In Japan, too, systems measure a number of factors however they more commonly use a matrix rating, based on fitness and technical difficulty.

Personally I love a good colour coded risk matrix and like the Japanese system which factors both fitness and technical/risk. I find the flat, single number grading not very useful. While those working in outdoor ed might understand the back end calculations, I don’t think the average person comprehends the difference between “Grade 1” and “Grade 3” as well as a matrix that says “this hike is easy Grade 1 in terms of fitness but Grade C with exposed cliffs and rock scrambling”.

While hiking in Shikoku, Japan I used a system created by the Outdoor Club of Japan. However, as I now walk more in Australia and New Zealand I decided to create a two axis hike rating matrix for my personal use that takes the best elements from both.

Hike rating matrix

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/loss 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 “highest bottleneck” principle. So a 4km walk as above would be rated by myself as “Hard”.

• 1 (Easy): Distances typically under 8km. Altitude gain less than 200m.
• 2 (Moderate): Distance between 8km 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): Distances over 30 km. 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): Well signed, formed trails. Paved or well-groomed gravel surfaces. Very little or no navigation or obstacle management required.
• B (Moderate): Well signed, 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. Snow covered 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 required, often with significant vertical exposure. May include “off track” walks or tracks with little to no formed tracks requiring navigation.
• 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 requiring navigation.

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.

I encourage readers to research a few different systems on your own and always walk within your ability. Start with easier trails and work your way up and turn back if you do not feel comfortable.

Notes

• The rating matrix above was made with mostly day hiking in mind and I generally calculate my ratings based on a per day assessment, and use the “worst” day as my rating.
• If you’re carrying a heavy pack, you need to factor this weight and bump up the rating.
• Weather conditions are generally no accounted for by this rating matrix with the exception of snow which affects ground cover and navigation or river crossings. I generally avoid hikes with chains or exposed cliffs in wet weather, and you should factor this in to your rating if you are expecting rain.