Hiking/Trail Classes

Thanks to Michael Dallin, webmaster of the Rocky Mountain National Park website for mentioning Yosemite Decimal System (YDS). Classes for rating hikes/climbs:

• Class 1: The hike is on a trail.
• Class 2: The hike is cross-country or across easy boulder fields where routefinding is necessary.
• Class 3: The hike requires the use of hands, but is not hard enough to warrant a rope (scrambling).
• Class 4: The hike is on steep terrain and requires a roped belay.
• Class 5: The hike involves technical moves and requires protective hardware. This is further broken down to numbers 5.0-5.13. 5.0 means that there are ample foot/handholds. 5.12 is vertical. 5.13 is vertical with areas of overhanging rock.

Most of the hikes I do in Rocky Mountain National Park are Class 1 hikes, but there are plenty of other hikes and climbs you can do, up to and including the most difficult Class 5 hikes.

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