Choosing a hiking trail is not just about distance. Elevation gain, hiking time, terrain, exposure, and navigation can all affect how challenging a trail feels.
Taiwan Hiking Guide uses four difficulty levels: Easy, Moderate, Hard, and Expert, to give you a quick idea of what to expect.
These ratings are designed as a general guide, especially for hikers who may not be familiar with Taiwan’s trails. If you are an experienced hiker, we recommend looking beyond the overall rating and checking the Trail Conditions for each route.
Difficulty Levels
Easy
Suitable for most hikers, including those with limited hiking experience.
Easy trails are generally short, take less than three hours, have limited elevation gain, and do not require scrambling or involve significant exposure.
Moderate
Suitable for hikers with some hiking experience or a reasonable level of fitness.
These trails may be longer, steeper, or more physically demanding than Easy trails, but generally do not involve the more demanding conditions found on Hard or Expert routes.
Hard
Suitable for experienced hikers with good fitness.
Hard trails may involve long distances, significant elevation gain, long hiking times, scrambling, or sections where some route finding is needed.
Good preparation and appropriate hiking equipment are recommended.
Expert
Suitable for experienced hikers who are comfortable travelling in more demanding mountain environments.
A trail may be rated Expert if it involves exposed terrain, requires navigation experience, or takes multiple days to complete.
Hikers should carefully assess the route conditions, weather, their experience, and their ability before setting out.
Trail Conditions
A difficulty rating gives you a quick overall guide, but hikers with more experience may want to make their own assessment.
For this reason, each trail also provides three Trail Conditions:
Scrambling
How much hands-on movement is required?
Scrambling refers to sections where you may need to use your hands for balance or climbing on rocks, steep terrain, or fixed ropes.
It is more technical than normal hiking but does not normally require rock-climbing techniques or equipment.
Exposure
How serious are the consequences of a fall?
Exposure refers to terrain such as narrow ridges, cliffs, steep drop-offs, or landslide areas where a fall could have serious consequences.
A trail can be exposed even when no scrambling is required.
Navigation
How easy is the route to follow?
Navigation is divided into three levels:
Easy to follow
The trail is well defined and generally easy to follow.
Some route finding needed
Most of the route is identifiable, but some sections may be unclear or have limited, unofficial, or conflicting trail markers. Do not rely on markers alone; basic map or GPX navigation skills are recommended.
Navigation experience recommended
The route may be unclear or unmarked in places. Navigation and route-finding experience is recommended.
How to Use These Ratings
Think of the two systems differently:
Difficulty gives you a quick overall guide.
Trail Conditions give you the details to make your own assessment.
For example, two trails may both be rated Hard, but one may be physically demanding because of its distance and elevation gain, while another may be shorter but involve scrambling and route finding.
Always consider your own fitness, hiking experience, equipment, current trail conditions, and weather before choosing a route.