Every hike is rated Easy, Moderate or Strenuous with the same checklist, so a rating means the same thing on every page. Climb means the total elevation gain over the whole round trip.
Easy
- 4 miles or less round trip
- Under 250 feet of total climbing
- A clear path with no scrambling, exposed drop-offs or river crossings
Good for kids, beginners and anyone who wants a walk with a view. All three must be true.
Moderate
- More than 4 miles, or 250 to 1,500 feet of climbing
- Steady uphill, loose rock, deep sand or slickrock
Everything between Easy and Strenuous. Bring water and expect to work a little.
Strenuous
- 1,500 feet or more of climbing
- 12 miles or more round trip
- Real technical difficulty: scrambling, exposed ledges or drop-offs, a river crossing or hard route-finding
Any one of these is enough. Plan ahead, start early and be fit enough to enjoy it.
Terrain Counts Too
A hike that is hard because of its terrain, not its length, gets the higher rating. That is why technical trails such as Angels Landing stay Strenuous even when the distance and climb alone would say Moderate.
What The Rating Does Not Cover
Southern Utah adds challenges that distance and climb cannot show: summer heat, deep sand, slickrock, little shade and little water. Ratings assume spring or fall weather. Always check the best-season note and conditions on the trail page.
Biking Trails
Mountain biking depends more on technical features than on climbing, so biking trails will get their own scale.