The hardest hikes in Oregon, by the numbers
Of the 187 trails in Oregon in our dataset, 38 (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.
Timberline Trail leads with 6,826 ft of gain over 28.9 miles, 236 ft per mile, with a steepest pitch of 26 percent.
Across the 25, gain runs from 1,593 to 6,826 ft and distance from 6.7 miles to 28.9 miles; the median gain is 3,145 ft and the median distance 12 miles.
15 of the 25 are point-to-point routes; the rest are loop (4) or out-and-back (6).
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 "Oregon" here means the 187 trails in Oregon in our dataset, not every trail in Oregon.
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 Timberline Trail.
Hardest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other states in our dataset.