Expert Hiking Trails
1,512 trails classified as expert. Long backcountry routes (20+ miles), alpine grades, via ferrata, or extremely technical terrain. For experienced hikers with proper conditioning, navigation skills, and gear.
How we classify expert trails
Long backcountry routes (20+ miles), alpine grades, via ferrata, or extremely technical terrain. For experienced hikers with proper conditioning, navigation skills, and gear.
Classification uses OpenStreetMap sac:scale (Swiss Alpine Club grade), mtb:scale (mountain-bike technical grade), trail visibility, and trail length. Long backcountry routes push into harder buckets even without explicit grade tags — a 20+ mile day-hike route counts as Expert regardless of terrain.
Top states for expert trails
States with the most expert-rated mapped trails. Click a state for the full filtered list.
Sample expert trails
A cross-state sample of named expert trails. 48 shown of 1,512 indexed.
1,464 more expert trails available — drill into a state above to see them all.
From the OutsideAtlas Blog
Photo: Silvia GrešováHow to Read the SAC Hiking Scale (and Why It Matters)
The SAC scale is the most common trail difficulty system on OpenStreetMap. Here's how to interpret each tier — and why a T3 can ruin your day if you're not ready.
Photo: Joshua EarleThe 10 Essentials: What to Actually Pack on Every Day Hike
The 10 Essentials are the minimum survival kit for any hike. Here's what they are, why each one is on the list, and what to skip.
Photo: Maddi BazzoccoA Complete Beginner's Guide to Hiking (Without the Marketing)
Your first hike doesn't have to be a disaster. A practical step-by-step for picking a trail, packing right, and building real outdoor skills.
Photo: Patrick HendryHow to Score Hard-to-Get Campsites on Recreation.gov
Booking a Yosemite or Glacier campsite at peak season feels impossible. Here's the strategy that actually works.
Photo: Tobias MrzykHow Trail Difficulty Ratings Actually Work (and Why They Lie)
Every trail app rates trails differently. Here's why an "easy" trail in one app can be a "hard" trail in another — and how to read between the lines.
Photo: Joshua EarleWhen to Visit Each Major National Park (Without the Crowds)
Summer at Yosemite means three-hour shuttle lines. Here's when each major US national park is actually worth visiting.