Grand Hikers has 4 categories of trail difficulty levels: Easy, Moderate, Difficult and Strenuous. The numeric ratings (Composite Boot Rating/CBR) for these hikes are:

Difficulty	CBR
Easy	1.0 to 2.4
Moderate	2.5 to 3.2
Difficult	3.3 to 4.7
Strenuous	4.8 and higher

Our club has two additional categories of hikes that fall within the Easy to Difficult numeric range but are led at a generally slower pace with more stops. These hikes will be posted in the Club’s calendar as E-Z or Slower Pace hikes.

E-Z Hikes
E-Z Hikes will be Easy hikes led at a slower pace with more stops than a regular Easy hike and possibly with a later start time in cooler weather. This will accommodate hikers rehabbing from injuries, illness and surgery; hikers getting back into hiking condition after periods of inactivity; those whose health or age preclude more strenuous hikes; new club members; and those who enjoy a more leisurely pace on hikes.

Slower Pace Hikes (Not intended for new hikers)
Slower Pace hikes will be longer hikes, generally in the 6 to 8 mile range but done at a slower pace with more frequent stops. Hiking speed will allow consideration for trail conditions and altitude gain. Slower Pace hikes will generally fall into the high Moderate to Difficult range (not Easy or Strenuous).

How We Calculate the Composite Boot Rating (CBR)
All trails hiked by our Club use numeric ratings developed using GPS devices and software so that trail difficulty ratings are consistent.

The trail rating method in use since 2017 consists of 3 factors:

1. Trail length (determined from the GPS track using Garmin Basecamp software)
2. Climbing elevation (accumulated elevation gain using Google Earth analysis of the GPS track)
3. Trail Surface Rating (a subjective evaluation of the average trail surface condition)

Composite Boot Rating
The formula for the CBR Rating is (CBR)=(L+CE+T)/3, where:
L = Length Rating = ½ of D (D = total distance of the hike in miles)

CE = Climbing Elevation Rating = 3 X Climbing Elevation divided by 1000. Climbing Elevation is the total "up" feet on a given hike. 

T = Trail Surface Rating. This is a subjective factor used to rate the trail surface conditions.  

 

The full document on this information is located in the library at Trail Rating Method