Trips are assigned difficulty ratings based on overall mileage, ascent, descent, campsite elevations, and other factors.
In the past, we’ve used words such as "Light" and "Moderate" and "Strenuous" to label five categories of trip difficulty. However, these words mean different things to different people. So now we’ve simply numbered the same five categories from 1 to 5, with "1" denoting the least difficult of our trips and "5" the most difficult.
These ratings serve as a general guide to difficulty. To more fully understand the trip difficulty, please consult the trip brochure and discuss with the trip leader.