Moderate Hiking Trails
16 trails classified as moderate. Some elevation gain or longer distance. Requires basic fitness.
How we classify moderate trails
Some elevation gain or longer distance. Requires basic fitness.
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 moderate trails
States with the most moderate-rated mapped trails. Click a state for the full filtered list.
Sample moderate trails
A cross-state sample of named moderate trails. 16 shown of 16 indexed.
From the OutsideAtlas Blog
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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.
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