Trail Rating guidelines

We just had to put some rules in play

We know, We know… It’s all Subjective

The one sure thing about ratings is everyone’s got their own opinions… and that’s exactly why we made this site.

Not only are all sorts of variables at play, as you get more experienced, things change… That Rock Garden that you used to think was tough is now just a field of speed bumps. Once you’ve seen some bucket list vistas, how do you rate your local mountain view?

Well, we wanted to be as standardized as possible to compare between Trails, so we put on our thinking caps and came up with the following rating criteria.

Take a look below, and see what you think. Feel free to reach out if you have any suggestions. As we evolve, we may tweak them… we may even incorporate your feedback, so don’t forget to check back.

Difficulty

Score	Difficulty
1	Dirt Road: Little more than packed dirt that is at least 2 vehicles wide… even a pothole would make it interesting.
2	Rough Road: Packed dirt with potential for shallow mud, water, or ledges. May encounter some grades.
3	Gentle Trail: Shallow Sand, Mud, Ruts, loose rock, and/or <12” ledges may present on a wide 1 lane road with turnouts for passing.
4	Truck Trail: Deep Sand, Mud, Ruts, loose rock, and/or <18” ledges may be present on a wide 1 lane path with turnouts for passing. High clearance 2WD or 4WD with 33” tires recommended.
5	4X4 Trail: Deep Sand, Mud, Ruts, loose rock, and/or <24” ledges may be present on a narrow 1 lane trail. High Clearance 4WD and 35”+ tires recommended.
6	Challenging 4×4 Trail: Loose off-camber terrain with <36” shelves, mud or deep-water crossings. High Clearance 4WD with least 1 Locker and 35”+ tires recommended.
7	Difficult 4×4 Trail: Loose off-camber terrain with <5’ shelves, mud or deep-water crossings. High Clearance 4WD with least 1 Locker, a winch and 35”+ tires recommended. Risk of body damage is present, but minimal, especially if trail armor, such as skid plates & rock sliders are present.
8	Expert 4×4 Trail: Very steep or loose off-camber terrain with <6’ shelves, mud or deep-water crossings. High Clearance 4WD with least 1 Locker, a winch and 37”+ tires recommended. Risk of body damage is significant, but manageable, especially if trail armor, such as skid plates & rock sliders are present. Rollover risk is moderate, and precautions such as securing vehicle with a winch may be recommended to protect occupants of the vehicle.
9	Extreme 4×4 Trail: Extremely tight, steep and off-camber terrain with <8’ shelves, mud or deep-water crossings. High Clearance 4WD with 2 Lockers, a winch and 37”+ tires highly recommended. Risk of body damage is very high, and you should expect some battle scars even if trail armor, such as skid plates & rock sliders are present. Rollover risk is high, and precautions such as a strengthened roll-cage are recommended to protect occupants of the vehicle.
10	Rock Buggy Trail: Exceptionally tight, steep and off-camber terrain with 10’+ shelves, deep mud or fast flowing deep-water crossings. High Clearance 4WD with 2 Lockers, a winch and 40”+ tires recommended. Risk of body damage is extremely high, and you should expect some battle scars even if trail armor, such as skid plates & rock sliders are present. Rollover risk is extremely high, and precautions such as a strengthened roll-cage are required to protect occupants of the vehicle.

Natural Beauty

Score	Difficulty
1	Dirt Road: Little more than packed dirt that is at least 2 vehicles wide… even a pothole would make it interesting.
2	Rough Road: Packed dirt with potential for shallow mud, water, or ledges. May encounter some grades.
3	Gentle Trail: Shallow Sand, Mud, Ruts, loose rock, and/or <12” ledges may present on a wide 1 lane road with turnouts for passing.
4	Truck Trail: Deep Sand, Mud, Ruts, loose rock, and/or <18” ledges may be present on a wide 1 lane path with turnouts for passing. High clearance 2WD or 4WD with 33” tires recommended.
5	4X4 Trail: Deep Sand, Mud, Ruts, loose rock, and/or <24” ledges may be present on a narrow 1 lane trail. High Clearance 4WD and 35”+ tires recommended.
6	Challenging 4×4 Trail: Loose off-camber terrain with <36” shelves, mud or deep-water crossings. High Clearance 4WD with least 1 Locker and 35”+ tires recommended.
7	Difficult 4×4 Trail: Loose off-camber terrain with <5’ shelves, mud or deep-water crossings. High Clearance 4WD with least 1 Locker, a winch and 35”+ tires recommended.
8	Expert 4×4 Trail: Very steep or loose off-camber terrain with <6’ shelves, mud or deep-water crossings. High Clearance 4WD with least 1 Locker, a winch and 37”+ tires recommended.
9	Extreme 4×4 Trail: Extremely tight, steep and off-camber terrain with <8’ shelves, mud or deep-water crossings. High Clearance 4WD with 2 Lockers, a winch and 37”+ tires highly recommended.
10	Rock Buggy Trail: Exceptionally tight, steep and off-camber terrain with 10’+ shelves, mud or deep-water crossings. High Clearance 4WD with 2 Lockers, a winch and 40”+ tires recommended.

Pucker Factor

Score	Pucker Factor
1	Totally Zen: No Fear here, it’s less scary than the car wash on the way home.
2	Having Fun: Loose gravel road with ditches 5ft deep, climbs or descents <5° or off camber angles <5°
3	Paying Attention: Stable shelf road with <10ft drops, climbs or descents <20° or off camber angles <8°
4	Getting Adventurous: Stable shelf road with <30ft drops, loose climbs or descents <20° or off camber angles <10°
5	Adrenaline’s Pumping: Wide 2 lane stable shelf road with <100t drops, loose climbs or descents <30° or off camber angles <13°
6	White Knuckle: Wide one lane stable shelf road with <100t drops, extended loose climbs or descents <40° or off camber angles <17°
7	Feeling Queasy: Narrow one lane stable packed shelf road with <100ft drops, extended loose climbs or descents <50° or off camber angles <20°. Experienced driver recommended.
8	Getting Sweaty: Narrow one lane rocky or loose packed shelf road with <100ft drops, climbs or descents <65° or off camber angles <25°. Experienced driver required.
9	Hard to Breathe: Very narrow one lane loose or rocky shelf road with <100ft drops, climbs or descents <75° or off camber angles <30°. Experienced driver required and full roll cage recommended.
10	Living on a Prayer: Very High risk of rollover or life-threatening injury. Experienced driver, full roll cage and 5-point harnesses only.