Our club is a member of “America’s Walking Club” (American Volkssport Association) and has to follow set guidelines for creating and offering walks. For example, every walk must be at least 10 kilometers long (although a shorter distance may be offered) and must be rated according to elevation gain and terrain.
“Elevation gain” is calculated by adding up all of the uphills over the course of a walk and not subtracting out any of the downhills.
| # | Part 1 INCLINE/ELEVATION | – | Part 2 TERRAIN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Very small hills or very little stair climbing. (Up to 200′) | A | Almost entirely on pavement. |
| 2 | Some moderate hills or stair climbing. (200′ – 1000′) | B | A significant part of the route is on well-groomed trails with very few obstacles. |
| 3 | Some significant hill or stair climbing. (1000′ – 2000′) | C | A significant part of the route is on somewhat difficult terrain (rocky/rooted paths or soft sand.) |
| 4 | Lots of significant hills or stair climbing. (2000′ – 3500′) | D | A significant part of the route is on very difficult terrain. |
| 5 | Many steep hills. (Over 3500′) | E | The majority of the route is on very difficult terrain. |