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THE BACKCOUNTRY PILGRIM HIKE DIFFICULTY CALCULATOR
This is the exact Google Sheet I built to rank my hikes by difficulty and estimate how long they’ll take. I made it because I needed a clean way to sort hikes for a ramp-up training plan (Half Dome was the goal), and it’s been solid for comparing distance, elevation gain, terrain, and even backpacking vs. day hikes.
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Pros
- +Combines distance, elevation gain, and terrain into one sortable difficulty score
- +Includes a simple time estimate that’s easy to sanity-check in the field
- +Makes it easy to build a progressive training plan by sorting hikes
- +Automation features like season/month labeling for planning
Cons
- -Terrain ratings are subjective and depend on how you classify the trail
- -No formula is perfect—how you feel, conditions, and footwear can still swing difficulty
