The hardest hikes in the Philippines, by the numbers
Of the 44 trails in the Philippines in our dataset, 20 (45 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; all 20 are listed here, highest rating first.
Mount Tapulao Trail leads with 8,870 ft of gain over 17.3 miles, 513 ft per mile, with a steepest pitch of 51 percent.
Across the 20, gain runs from 1,985 to 8,870 ft and distance from 4 miles to 17.3 miles; the median gain is 5,032 ft and the median distance 6.7 miles.
15 of the 20 are out-and-back routes; the rest are loop (2) or point-to-point (3).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Tapulao Trail | 17.3 | 8,870 | 513 | 51% | 535 to 6,680 | 554 | |
| 2 | Mount Nangtud Trail | 9.4 | 7,396 | 787 | 68% | 230 to 6,745 | 372.9 | |
| 3 | Tawid Lake Balanan Trail Run 25K | 16 | 4,065 | 254 | 29% | 148 to 2,477 | 360.7 | |
| 4 | Mount Mantalingajan Trail | 8.8 | 6,411 | 729 | 57% | 1,332 to 6,729 | 335.9 | |
| 5 | Mayon New Lidong TrailMayon Volcano Natural Park | 6.3 | 7,695 | 1,221 | 69% | 253 to 7,953 | 311.4 | |
| 6 | Madja'as Trail | 5.8 | 7,495 | 1,292 | 761 to 6,857 | 294.9 | ||
| 7 | Mount Madja-as Flores-Alojipan Trail | 5.4 | 7,506 | 1,390 | 99% | 771 to 6,857 | 284.7 | |
| 8 | Mayon Traditional TrailMayon Volcano Natural Park | 5.1 | 7,510 | 1,473 | 76% | 354 to 7,871 | 276.8 | |
| 9 | Mount Tapulao Trail | 7.6 | 5,000 | 658 | 53% | 1,906 to 6,673 | 275.7 | |
| 10 | Malepunyo Range North-South Trail | 10 | 3,762 | 376 | 60% | 755 to 3,202 | 274.3 | |
| 11 | Mount Kalatungan Trail | 5.1 | 5,454 | 1,069 | 71% | 4,075 to 9,409 | 235.9 | |
| 12 | Kawasan Falls - Osmeña Peak Traverse Trail | 7.6 | 3,542 | 466 | 42% | 210 to 3,146 | 232 | |
| 13 | Mount Pulag Lusod Trail | 5.7 | 4,584 | 804 | 45% | 4,331 to 8,894 | 228.6 | |
| 14 | To Mount NatibBataan NP | 7.3 | 3,490 | 478 | 90% | 1,860 to 4,160 | 225.7 | |
| 15 | Mount Madja'as Trail | 4.3 | 5,634 | 1,310 | 99% | 755 to 5,958 | 220.1 | |
| 16 | Mount Dulang-Dulang Summit | 4.7 | 5,063 | 1,077 | 36% | 4,385 to 9,448 | 218.2 | |
| 17 | Mount Pinatubo Southwest Ridge Pass | 7.7 | 2,966 | 385 | 42% | 994 to 3,612 | 213.7 | |
| 18 | Villa Verde Trail | 6.6 | 3,320 | 503 | 43% | 1,909 to 4,012 | 209.3 | |
| 19 | Mount Bulusan Trail | 4 | 3,891 | 973 | 76% | 1,184 to 5,033 | 176.4 | |
| 20 | Tawid Lake Balanan Trail Run 10K | 6.8 | 1,985 | 292 | 35% | 745 to 2,477 | 164.3 |
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 "the Philippines" here means the 44 trails in the Philippines in our dataset, not every trail in the Philippines.
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 Mount Tapulao Trail.
Hardest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other countries in our dataset.