Data sources
Our route records use the open datasets below. Planning articles add explanations and worked examples, with references on each article. Here is what comes from where.
How route guides are written
Route descriptions are generated from the individual record’s name, mapped distance, sampled elevation, route type, location and explicitly stored attributes. They are not first-person trip reports and do not infer crowds, views, exposure, phone coverage, closures or current surface conditions. Directory difficulty and moving time are models for comparison, not safety certifications.
OpenStreetMap
Route geometry, trail names, waymarking, surface, network, operator, administrative boundaries and national park outlines.
Licence: Open Database Licence (ODbL) 1.0
https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyrightAWS Terrain Tiles (Mapzen terrarium)
Elevation sampling along each route: gain, loss, high and low point, gradient and the profile chart.
Licence: Public domain and ODbL sources, see the dataset terms
https://registry.opendata.aws/terrain-tiles/Wikimedia Commons
Trail photography is matched by proximity plus a meaningful route-name term. Park images use proximity and are illustrative. Author and licence are retained with every image.
Licence: Varies per file, shown on the photo
https://commons.wikimedia.org/GeoNames
City locations and populations, used to build the hiking-near-city pages.
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
https://www.geonames.org/Open-Meteo
Seven day weather forecast on trail and park pages.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, free for non-commercial and commercial use
https://open-meteo.com/OpenFreeMap
Vector map tiles and base cartography.
Licence: Open data, OpenStreetMap derived
https://openfreemap.org/
How the calculations work
Distance and elevation
Distance is measured along the stored route geometry. Elevation profiles sample a terrain model along that line; they are not measurements from a recent field visit. Ascent adds the positive changes between sampled elevations, while descent adds the negative changes. Sampling, gaps and smoothing affect the result.
The section table divides the stored profile into three equal distances and interpolates at the boundaries. It sums rising and falling samples separately in each third. Section totals may differ from headline figures because of smoothing and rounding. Malformed or unordered profiles are not analysed.
Directory difficulty
The effort index is distance in kilometres plus ascent in metres divided by 100. Easy requires an index below 8, ascent below 260 m and a sampled maximum gradient below 18%. Moderate requires an index below 19 and ascent below 900 m; hard has an index below 40; other routes are expert. Certain recorded technical difficulty tags can raise the classification. Missing inputs and source quality limit this model.
Time estimates and personal scenarios
The headline moving-time estimate adds 12.5 minutes per kilometre and 9 minutes per 100 m of ascent. Above 15 km, it adds 1.8 minutes per additional kilometre. Stops are additional. The interactive planner is a separate scenario: distance divided by your level-ground pace, plus your chosen climbing allowance and stops. Neither formula models technical terrain, current conditions or your individual capabilities.
Season fields and rankings
Season suggestions use broad country, latitude and elevation rules. They are not opening dates or live condition reports. Directory scores combine recorded and derived features; a popularity score is not a visitor count or a field review. Destination comparison panels describe their stated sample of routes, not the complete set of possible walks in the area.
Corrections
If a route on this site is wrong, send the page URL and a dated source or observation to support@hikingtraildirectory.com. An error in OpenStreetMap may also need correcting at the source. Imports and derived-data jobs are run by the site operator; a source edit does not guarantee an immediate change on this website.