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Brook Valley and Maitai Valley Black Diamond Ridge Coppermine Trail Fringed Hill Summit Road Maitai River Walkway Peaking Ridge Sunrise Ridge Tantragee Saddle
Marsden Valley and Barnicoat Range Barnicoat Range Walkway Escalator Glider Road Involution Sanctuary Circuit Widdershins
Roding Water Reserve Champion Mine Circuit Mt Malita
Great Taste Trail Richmond to Wakefield Wakefield to Tapawera Richmond to Mapua Mapua to Motueka Motueka to Kaiteriteri
Takaka Hill and Canaan Downs Canaan Loop Track
Golden Bay Aorere Goldfields Knuckle Hill
St Arnaud Beeby's Knob Maitland Ridge Circuit Red Hills Hut Teetotal-Big Bush Trail Area
Kahurangi National Park Flora Track
Mount Richmond Forest Park Beeby's Knob Devils Creek Hut Hacket Track Inwood Lookout Maitland Ridge Circuit Mt Patriarch Red Hills Hut Waikakaho-Cullens Creek Track Wakamarina Track
Outside Nelson-Tasman Isthmus Peak Mt Fyffe Mt Rochfort
Abel Tasman National Park Coast Track - Anchorage - Separation Point - Whariwharangi Hut Inland - Awapoto Hut - Castle Rocks Hut - Moa Park - Wainui Hut
Kahurangi National Park Cobb Valley - Chaffey Hut - Lake Peel - Lake Sylvester - Myttons Hut Mt Arthur and Tableland - Asbestos Cottage - Balloon Hut - Flora Hut - Gordon's Pyramid - Mt Arthur Hut - Tableland Circuit Conical Hill Heaphy Track John Reid Hut Lake Matiri
Mount Richmond Forest Park Beeby's Knob Mt Fishtail Mt Richmond Mt Royal Te Araroa Trail - Browning Hut - Captain Creek Hut - Hacket Hut - Middy Hut - Mt Starveall - Red Hills Hut - Rocks Hut Wakamarina Track - Devils Creek Hut - Fosters Hut
Nelson Lakes National Park Angelus Hut Bushline Hut Lake Rotoiti Circuit Speargrass Hut Arthur's Pass National Park Anti Crow Hut Bealey Spur Hawdon Hut Other South Island Doubtful Valley Kowhai-Hapuku Circuit Lees Creek Hut Mt Brown Mt Fyffe St James Walkway
Bryant Range and Maitai Valley Black Diamond Ridge Dun Mountain Circuit Coppermine Trail Maungatapu Circuit Saddle Hill Sunrise Ridge Wooded Peak
Marsden Valley and Barnicoat Range Barnicoat Range Walkway Sanctuary Circuit
Aniseed Valley Champion Mine Circuit Hacket Track Mt Malita
Great Taste Trail Richmond to Wakefield Wakefield to Tapawera Richmond to Mapua Mapua to Motueka Motueka to Kaiteriteri
Abel Tasman National Park Anchorage Apple Tree Bay Canaan Loop Track Moa Park Separation Point Wainui Hut Whariwharangi Hut Nelson Lakes National Park Lake Rotoiti Circuit Mt Robert Speargrass Hut St Arnaud Range
Kahurangi National Park Arthur Range - Gordon's Pyramid - Lodestone - Mt Arthur - Mt Campbell Cobb Valley - Asbestos Cottage - Chaffey Hut - Lake Peel - Lake Sylvester Golden Bay - Mt Stevens - Parapara Peak Karamea - Scotts Beach Mt Owen and Hope Range - Conical Hill - Mt Hope
Mount Richmond Forest Park Beeby's Knob Ben Nevis Browning Hut Devils Creek Hut Fosters Hut Gordon's Knob Hacket Track Maitland Ridge Circuit Mt Patriarch Mt Richmond Mt Royal Red Hills Hut Saddle Hill Waikakaho-Cullens Creek Track Wakamarina Track
Arthur's Pass National Park Anti Crow Hut Avalanche Peak Bealey Spur Hawdon Hut Mt Bealey Other South Island Ben Lomond Castle Hill Peak Isthmus Peak Lees Creek Hut Mt Brown Mt Fyffe Mt Haast Mt Isobel Mt Rochfort Mt Torlesse Travers Peak
Urban Centre of New Zealand Day's Track Jimmy Lee Creek Maitai River Walkway Nelson Airport Walkway
Cable Bay and Hira Boulder Bank Route Cable Bay Walkway Brook Valley and Maitai Valley Coppermine Trail Maitai Cave Rush Pool Tantragee Saddle
Grampians Grampians Walkway Kahikatea Track Kānuka Track Mahoe Track Mamaku Track Ronaki Track Summit Road Tawa Track
Marsden Valley and Barnicoat Range Barnicoat Walkway Escalator Glider Road Involution Scout Track Widdershins
Great Taste Trail Richmond to Wakefield Wakefield to Tapawera Richmond to Mapua Mapua to Motueka Motueka to Kaiteriteri Waimea Eves Valley Scenic Reserve Faulkner's Bush Snowden's Bush Twin Rivers Walkway
Takaka Hill and Canaan Downs Harwoods Hole Riuwaka Resurgence Takaka Hill Walkway
Golden Bay Aorere Goldfields Farewell Spit Kaihoka Lakes Knuckle Hill Milnthorpe Park Pupu Hydro Walkway Rawhiti Cave Te Waikoropupū Springs The Grove Wainui Falls Wharariki Beach
Murchison Eight Mile Track Kawatiri Tunnel Walkway Six Mile Hydro Walkway Skyline Walk Pelorus Bridge and Havelock Cullen Point Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve Takorika Trig K
Abel Tasman National Park Anapai Bay Apple Tree Bay Harwoods Hole Wainui Falls
Kahurangi National Park Chaffey Hut Flora Hut Lodestone Mt Arthur Hut Nikau Walk Pupu Hydro Walkway Scotts Beach
Mount Richmond Forest Park Doom Creek Emerald Pool Mt Duppa Whispering Falls Nelson Lakes National Park Lake Rotoiti walks
Outside Nelson-Tasman Arnold Dam Dog Stream Waterfall Hokitika Gorge Hooker Valley Track Lake Clearwater Track Monro Beach Track Rakaia Gorge Walkway
NELSON TRAILS

Trail Difficulty Rating

Trail Difficulty Rating

The physical difficulty rating of each track has been determined by the combination of the categories in the table below; length, total climb, average gradient and track condition. This is an attempt to create a standardised and measurable rating system across the website. The difficulty levels for each category have been based on logical thresholds that generally align with the variance in people’s fitness and experience.

This is particularly useful for tracks that fall into multiple difficulty levels over the different categories. For example Barnicoat Scout Track has a length of only 800 m (very easy), but an average gradient of 50% (very hard); across the four categories it receives a moderate difficulty rating.

It is important to consider that track conditions may change at any time through natural phenomena such as slips and weather conditions. If you want to search for tracks of certain physical difficulty, use the Search and Filter Tool .

Rating Length (km) Total Climb (m) Max Gradient (%) Track Condition Example
Very Easy    <1 ⁓0 ⁓0 Usually sealed, wide, and well-formed. Often wheelchair-friendly. All waterways bridged. Riuwaka Resurgence Walkway
Easy    1-5 0-100 0-5 Wide, sometimes sealed. All waterways bridged. Wainui Falls Track
Moderate    5-10 100-500 5-10 Unsealed, but well-formed and clearly marked. Only major waterways bridged. Maitai Cave Track
Hard    10-20 500-1500 10-20 Adequately marked but poorly-formed. Rocky, rooty and often over rugged terrain. Waterways not bridged. Requires sturdy outdoor footwear. Parapara Peak Track
Very Hard    >20 >1500 >20 Classed as route rather than track. Unmarked, poorly defined and not maintained. Traverses very rugged terrain, e.g. alpine ridges. Requires navigation experience. Douglas Range Traverse (Cobb Valley to Boulder Lake)
Very Easy   
Length (km) <1
Total Climb (m) ⁓0
Average Gradient (%) ⁓0
Track Condition Usually sealed, wide, and well-formed. Often wheelchair-friendly. All waterways bridged.
Example Riuwaka Resurgence Walkway
Easy   
Length (km) 1-5
Total Climb (m) 1-100
Average Gradient (%) 1-5
Track Condition Wide, sometimes sealed. All waterways bridged.
Example Wainui Falls Track
Moderate   
Length (km) 5-10
Total Climb (m) 100-500
Average Gradient (%) 5-10
Track Condition Unsealed, but well-formed and clearly marked. Only major waterways bridged.
Example Maitai Cave Track
Hard   
Length (km) 10-20
Total Climb (m) 500-1000
Average Gradient (%) 10-20
Track Condition Adequately marked but poorly-formed. Rocky, rooty and often over rugged terrain. Waterways not bridged. Requires sturdy outdoor footwear.
Example Parapara Peak Track
Very Hard   
Length (km) >20
Total Climb (m) >1500
Average Gradient (%) >20
Track Condition Classed as route rather than track. Unmarked, poorly defined and not maintained. Traverses very rugged terrain, e.g. alpine ridges. Requires navigation experience.
Example Douglas Range Traverse (Cobb Valley to Boulder Lake)