The hardest hikes in California, by the numbers
Of the 1,098 trails in California in our dataset, 218 (20 percent) rate strenuous or very strenuous on the gain-and-distance scale we use and run 3 to 30 miles with at least 1,500 ft of climb; these are the 25 with the highest rating.
Mineral King Loop leads with 9,101 ft of gain over 25.6 miles, 356 ft per mile, with a steepest pitch of 56 percent.
Across the 25, gain runs from 3,584 to 10,444 ft and distance from 9.8 miles to 29 miles; the median gain is 5,499 ft and the median distance 18.9 miles.
11 of the 25 are out-and-back routes; the rest are loop (5) or point-to-point (9).
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band strenuous (150 to 200) or very strenuous (200 and over), 3 to 30 miles, at least 1,500 ft of gain, ordered by rating desc, gain per mile desc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "California" here means the 1,098 trails in California in our dataset, not every trail in California.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with Mineral King Loop.
Hardest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other states in our dataset.