The hardest hikes in North Carolina, by the numbers
Of the 270 trails in North Carolina in our dataset, 62 (23 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.
Newton Bald Trail leads with 10,562 ft of gain over 23.2 miles, 455 ft per mile, with a steepest pitch of 56 percent.
Across the 25, gain runs from 2,780 to 12,128 ft and distance from 8.7 miles to 24.4 miles; the median gain is 4,138 ft and the median distance 14.5 miles.
9 of the 25 are out-and-back routes; the rest are loop (7) 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 "North Carolina" here means the 270 trails in North Carolina in our dataset, not every trail in North Carolina.
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 Newton Bald Trail.
Hardest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other states in our dataset.