View Full Version : Steepest climbs on the AT
LittleRock
02-21-2023, 17:08
I just sorted my AT elevation profile data by % grade and thought folks might be interested to know which places were the steepest. This is based on the most recent GPS track and mileage from the ATC, with elevations pulled from the USGS National Elevation Database at every 0.1 mile interval. Note: Some climbs make the list multiple times but only the steepest 0.1 mile segment is listed. If the 2nd steepest part of the climb would make the list I added an (x2).
Overall:
Rank
AT Mile
State
Grade (%)
Location
1
1852.5
NH
48.9
NOBO ascent of Webster Cliffs
2
2194.9
ME
45.6
NOBO ascent of Mt Katahdin (x2)
3
1883.0
NH
43.2
NOBO ascent from Carter Notch
4
1947.4
ME
43.0
NOBO ascent of Moody Mtn
5 (tie)
1871.2
NH
41.5
SOBO ascent of Mt Madison
5 (tie)
1878.1
NH
41.5
NOBO ascent of Wildcat Mtn (x2)
7
2001.1
ME
41.1
NOBO ascent of South Crocker Mtn
8
1833.1
NH
40.3
NOBO ascent of Mt Garfield
9
1949.6
ME
39.8
NOBO ascent from South Arm Rd
10
1476.9
CT
38.6
SOBO ascent to St. John's Ledges
Southbound (since 8/10 of the overall list are northbound):
Rank
AT Mile
State
Grade (%)
Location
1
1871.2
NH
41.5
SOBO ascent of Mt Madison (x2)
2
1476.9
CT
38.6
SOBO ascent to St. John's Ledges
3 (tie)
1885.1
NH
38.4
SOBO ascent from Zeta Pass (x2)
3 (tie)
1998.9
ME
38.4
SOBO ascent of Sugarloaf Mtn
5
1920.9
ME
37.9
SOBO ascent from Mahoosuc Notch
6
1882.0
NH
36.9
SOBO ascent from Carter Notch
7 (tie)
1219.6
PA
35.2
SOBO ascent from Port Clinton
7 (tie)
1805.7
NH
35.2
SOBO ascent of Mt Moosilauke
9
132.7
NC
35.0
SOBO ascent from the NOC
10 (tie)
1819.2
NH
34.1
SOBO ascent of North Kinsman Mtn
10 (tie)
1961.2
ME
34.1
SOBO ascent of Bemis Mtn
South of NH (Since 9/10 of the overall list are in NH and ME):
Rank
AT Mile
State
Grade (%)
Location
1
1476.9
CT
38.6
SOBO ascent to St. John's Ledges
2
99.6
NC
35.4
NOBO ascent of Albert Mtn
3
1219.6
PA
35.2
SOBO ascent from Port Clinton
4
132.7
NC
35.0
SOBO ascent from the NOC
5
1512.3
CT
33.9
SOBO ascent of Bear Mtn (x2)
6
1689.9
VT
33.1
NOBO ascent from Clarendon Gorge
7
78.6
NC
33.0
NOBO ascent from Bly Gap
8
1261.6
PA
32.4
NOBO ascent from Lehigh Gap
9 (tie)
152.0
NC
31.6
NOBO ascent from Sweetwater Gap
9 (tie)
1601.2
MA
31.6
NOBO ascent to the MA/VT state line
By State (since 7/14 states don't appear on any of the lists above):
State
AT Mile
Grade (%)
Location
GA
19.1
28.4
SOBO ascent of Ramrock Mtn
NC
99.6
35.4
NOBO ascent of Albert Mtn
NC/TN
184.8
31.4
NOBO ascent of Rocky Top
TN
421.4
29.0
SOBO ascent from Laurel Falls
VA/WV
798.2
29.2
SOBO ascent of Bluff Mtn
MD
1064.5
26.3
SOBO ascent to High Rock
PA
1219.6
35.2
SOBO ascent from Port Clinton
NJ
1354.6
30.1
NOBO ascent of Pochuck Mtn
NY
1387.4
30.3
SOBO ascent of Agony Grind
CT
1476.9
38.6
SOBO ascent to St. John's Ledges
MA
1601.2
31.6
NOBO ascent to the MA/VT state line
VT
1689.9
33.1
NOBO ascent from Clarendon Gorge
NH
1852.5
48.9
NOBO ascent of Webster Cliffs
ME
2194.9
45.6
NOBO ascent of Mt Katahdin
Something doesn't make sense... Those grade percentages are off the charts steep.
LittleRock
02-22-2023, 09:32
Something doesn't make sense... Those grade percentages are off the charts steep.
Well, these are the steepest 0.1 mile segments on the AT, and yeah the trail does get that steep in some places. Pretty much anything above 30% grade is where trekking poles become useless and you have to use your hands to climb.
Seatbelt
02-22-2023, 09:50
I wonder where the SOBO climb of Briar Knob in the Smokies fits in? You can literally touch the ground in front of you while going up that one. It's right before the climb up Thunderhead going SOBO.
Thanks for posting, this is interesting. I find it surprising that GA has the least-steep steepest section of all states..I would have figured GA would have somewhere steeper than the mid Atlantic states.
Well, these are the steepest 0.1 mile segments on the AT, and yeah the trail does get that steep in some places. Pretty much anything above 30% grade is where trekking poles become useless and you have to use your hands to climb.
Regardless, those numbers absolutely don't make sense.
Mfturner
02-22-2023, 10:37
I wonder how the gps tracking would handle switchbacks? Not that the AT is known for switchbacks, but any tight turn might look like less horizontal for the vertical gain…
Mfturner
02-22-2023, 10:39
My question shouldKatadin be in top ten SOBO?
Interesting. Having Thru Hiked and returned to portions of the AT, I would agree with the toughness of those listed climbs! The only one I didn’t see that I thought was difficult (but not as bad as Webster Cliffs) were the Kinsmen’s. I didn’t think much about SouthArm or Moody until a return trip. Moody put me in a bad mood for sure and showed the respect you need for Maine and Katahdin.
LoneStranger
02-22-2023, 11:34
Well, these are the steepest 0.1 mile segments on the AT, and yeah the trail does get that steep in some places. Pretty much anything above 30% grade is where trekking poles become useless and you have to use your hands to climb.
Have you looked at the data using quarter mile and mile segments as well? Be interesting to see how the results compare. I ask primarily because I've long heard of the SOBO ascent of Garfield (NH) listed among the steepest climbs and it doesn't appear on your list. Having climbed it a few times in that direction I'd hate to find out now that it is actually easy :)
carouselambra
02-22-2023, 13:39
That is a nice compilation. Thank you for putting in that work and publishing it.
LittleRock
02-22-2023, 13:52
I wonder where the SOBO climb of Briar Knob in the Smokies fits in? You can literally touch the ground in front of you while going up that one. It's right before the climb up Thunderhead going SOBO.
The Briar Knob climb tops out at 27.3% over 0.1 mi increments but it averages about 25% over 1/2 mile. By comparison going up Rocky Top is only above 20% grade for the last 0.1 mile to the summit.
Thanks for posting, this is interesting. I find it surprising that GA has the least-steep steepest section of all states..I would have figured GA would have somewhere steeper than the mid Atlantic states.
I think it's actually MD... only 26.3% max grade vs 28.4% for GA. But yeah from what I remember the trail in GA was mostly pretty well graded.
I wonder how the gps tracking would handle switchbacks? Not that the AT is known for switchbacks, but any tight turn might look like less horizontal for the vertical gain…
I think it depends on the quality of the GPS data. Most of the ATC's GPS track is very good quality (points every 10-20 ft) but some areas (most notably the section maintained by the PATC) are not as good with points only every 100 ft or so.
My question shouldKatadin be in top ten SOBO?
Haha, yeah I guess SOBOs have to climb Big K too :)
Have you looked at the data using quarter mile and mile segments as well? Be interesting to see how the results compare. I ask primarily because I've long heard of the SOBO ascent of Garfield (NH) listed among the steepest climbs and it doesn't appear on your list. Having climbed it a few times in that direction I'd hate to find out now that it is actually easy :)
Hmmm... it would take a little more work, but looking at 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile, 1 mile steepest segments can be done and I agree it would be interesting. I'll give it a try if I can find the time.
I think it's actually MD... only 26.3% max grade vs 28.4% for GA. But yeah from what I remember the trail in GA was mostly pretty well graded.
.
Ah yes thanks for the correction.
peakbagger
02-22-2023, 14:29
Interesting. Having Thru Hiked and returned to portions of the AT, I would agree with the toughness of those listed climbs! The only one I didn’t see that I thought was difficult (but not as bad as Webster Cliffs) were the Kinsmen’s. I didn’t think much about SouthArm or Moody until a return trip. Moody put me in a bad mood for sure and showed the respect you need for Maine and Katahdin.
If you think the AT over Moody is difficult, the AT corridor boundaries on both the north and south sides of the AT route are decidedly more interesting. I am the corridor monitor for that section.
illabelle
02-22-2023, 15:09
A while back I believe it was Guthook himself who posted a similar list. I copied and pasted the info into a Word document, including an introductory paragraph from him.
Okay, here are the calculations using 0.5 miles as the limit rather than 1.0 miles. One thing that is clear to me after looking at these is that after the top 20 or 30, things start to look pretty similar. I think this is more interesting as a discussion piece (just an addition to what's already been discussed here), but I had a good time running through all of the calculations with my elevation data. It's kind of fun to see the numbers. Here we go:
Section 1 from 1865.5 to 1866.0 with 1017 change -- Pinkham Notch to Wildcat E (2000' in 1.5m)
Section 2 from 1794.3 to 1794.8 with 934 change -- Asquam Ridge Trail to Kinsman Notch (2180' in 1.7m)
Section 3 from 1824.2 to 1824.7 with 896 change -- Galehead to South Twin (1130' in 0.8m)
Section 4 from 1821.2 to 1821.7 with 875 change -- Northbound from Mt Garfield (970' in 0.6m)
Section 5 from 2182.1 to 2182.6 with 860 change -- O Joy Brook to The Gateway (2120' in 1.4m)
Section 6 from 1908.2 to 1908.7 with 850 change -- Mahoosuc Arm (1600' in 1.4m)
Section 7 from 1869.9 to 1870.4 with 846 change -- Carter Notch to Carter Dome (1530' in 1.1m)
Section 8 from 1934.5 to 1935.0 with 812 change -- South Arm Rd to Old Blue (2180' in 2.6m)
Section 9 from 1790.4 to 1790.9 with 801 change -- South Peak Moosilauke (total, 2920' in 3.0m)
Section 10 from 1932.2 to 1932.7 with 799 change -- Sawyer Notch to Moody Mtn (1300' in 1.3m)
Section 11 from 1897.4 to 1897.9 with 792 change -- south side of Mt Success (800' in 0.5m)
Section 12 from 1985.3 to 1985.8 with 792 change -- Crocker Cirque to South Crocker (1330' in 1.1m)
Section 13 from 1918.8 to 1919.3 with 778 change -- North from East Peak Baldpate (1070' in 0.9m)
Section 14 from 1906.1 to 1906.6 with 759 change -- Fulling Mill Mtn to Mahoosuc Notch (900' in 0.9m)
Section 15 from 1930.8 to 1931.3 with 754 change -- Hall Mtn Lean-to to Sawyer Notch (1530' in 1.3m)
Section 16 from 1983.4 to 1983.9 with 749 change -- South from Carabassett River (1020' in 0.9m)
Section 17 from 1875.4 to 1875.9 with 742 change -- North Carter to Imp (1200' in 1.4m)
Section 18 from 1880.2 to 1880.7 with 742 change -- Just north of Mt Moriah to First Crossing of Rattle River (1600' in 1.3m)
Section 19 from 1968.1 to 1968.6 with 734 change -- The Horn to Redington Stream Campsite (900' in 0.6m)
Section 20 from 1916.7 to 1917.2 with 732 change -- Baldpate Lean-to to West Baldpate (960' in 0.8m)
Section 21 from 1813.4 to 1813.9 with 719 change -- Liberty Brook to Franconia Ridge Trail (2180' in 1.8m)
Section 22 from 1585.7 to 1586.2 with 698 change -- Mt Prospect to stream at base of Greylock (1450' in 1.4m)
Section 23 from 1818.4 to 1818.9 with 695 change -- Lafayette to Garfield Notch (1460' in 1.5m)
Section 24 from 1804.5 to 1805.0 with 687 change -- Eliza Brook to South Kinsman (1310' in 1.4m)
Section 25 from 2110.6 to 2111.1 with 682 change -- White Cap to Logan Brook Lean-to (1270' in 1.4m)
Section 26 from 1971.7 to 1972.2 with 678 change -- Poplar Ridge to spring before Orbeton Canyon (1100' in 1.0m)
Section 27 from 1210.8 to 1211.3 with 677 change -- Northbound into Port Clinton (950' in 0.8m)
Section 28 from 1765.2 to 1765.7 with 677 change -- Northbound to Smarts Mountain (800' in 0.8m)
Section 29 from 1964.9 to 1965.4 with 661 change -- Moose & Deer Stream to Saddleback (1480' in 1.9m)
Section 30 from 1830.0 to 1830.5 with 658 change -- Zeacliff to Zealand Falls Hut (1070' in 1.0m)
Section 31 from 1605.5 to 1606.0 with 656 change -- Northbound into Woodford Hollow / VT Rte 9 (760' in 0.7m)
Section 32 from 1252.1 to 1252.6 with 639 change -- North from Lehigh Gap (950' in 0.9m)
Section 33 from 1840.4 to 1840.9 with 637 change -- Crawford Notch to Mt Webster (2650' in 3.2m)
Section 34 from 2106.5 to 2107.0 with 633 change -- Sydney Tappan Campsite to West Peak (760' in 0.7m)
Section 35 from 1913.5 to 1914.0 with 629 change -- The Eyebrow to Grafton Notch (960' in 1.1m)
Section 36 from 2036.9 to 2037.4 with 628 change -- Pleasant Pond Lean-to to Pleasant Pond Mtn (1150' in 0.7m)
Section 37 from 1795.6 to 1796.1 with 622 change -- Kinsman Notch north (850' in 0.9m)
Section 38 from 1507.6 to 1508.1 with 620 change -- Race Brook Falls to Mt Everett (730' in 0.7m)
Section 39 from 2104.9 to 2105.4 with 618 change -- Carl Newhall Lean-to to Gulf Hagas Mtn (740' in 1.0m)
Section 40 from 1945.8 to 1946.3 with 617 change -- Northbound to Bemis Stream (800' in 0.9m)
Section 41 from 1976.4 to 1976.9 with 615 change -- Perham Stream to Lone Mountain (950' in 1.1m)
Section 42 from 1997.6 to 1998.1 with 608 change -- Beaver Bog to View before Horns Pond View (1030' in 1.3m)
Section 43 from 783.3 to 783.8 with 597 change -- Little Rocky Row to Big Rocky Row (600' in 0.5m)
Section 44 from 1701.1 to 1701.6 with 597 change -- Thundering Falls Rd to Quimby Mtn (1300' in 1.2m)
Section 45 from 1838.1 to 1838.6 with 596 change -- Ethan Pond Trail to Crawford Notch (850' in 1.0m)
Section 46 from 1466.9 to 1467.4 with 592 change -- St John's Ledges to River Rd (590' in 0.5m)
Section 47 from 1850.7 to 1851.2 with 587 change -- Lakes of the Clouds to Mt Washington (1260' in 1.5m)
Section 48 from 187.0 to 187.5 with 584 change -- Northbound into Starkey Gap (580' in 0.5m)
Section 49 from 2048.5 to 2049.0 with 584 change -- Moxie Bald North Peak side trail to Bald Mtn Lean-to (1000' in 1.2m)
Section 50 from 2090.0 to 2090.5 with 582 change -- Northbound from Fourth Chairback (580 in 0.5m)
Section 51 from 1969.3 to 1969.8 with 579 change -- Northbound to Saddleback Junior (600' in 0.6m)
Section 52 from 2001.0 to 2001.5 with 578 change -- Avery Peak to Safford Notch (1860' in 2.0m)
Section 53 from 1806.6 to 1807.1 with 575 change -- North Kinsman to stream before Lonesome Lake Hut (1470' in 1.4m)
Section 54 from 1772.9 to 1773.4 with 574 change -- Mt Cube to Brackett Brook (1500' in 1.7m)
Section 55 from 1877.6 to 1878.1 with 574 change -- Between Imp Campsite and Mt Moriah (700' in 0.8m)
Section 56 from 374.7 to 375.2 with 568 change -- Ash Gap to Roan Mtn (870' in 0.9m)
Section 57 from 142.1 to 142.6 with 566 change -- Jump Up to Swim Bald (930' in 1.2m)
Section 58 from 672.3 to 672.8 with 563 change -- Northbound to Sinking Creek Mtn (800' in 0.9m)
Section 59 from 1584.1 to 1584.6 with 562 change -- Mt Williams (Greylock) to Junction with Notch Rd (600' in 0.6m)
Section 60 from 1502.4 to 1502.9 with 561 change -- Bear Mtn to Sage's Ravine (720' in 0.7m)
Section 61 from 429.5 to 430.0 with 555 change -- North from Wilbur Dam Rd (550' in 0.5m)
Section 62 from 152.0 to 152.5 with 552 change -- Sweetwater Gap north (550' in 0.5m)
Section 63 from 1397.3 to 1397.8 with 552 change -- Perkins Memorial Drive to Bear Mtn Rec Area (740' in 1.0m) NY
Section 64 from 1722.5 to 1723.0 with 552 change -- Stage Road to Suicide Six View (600' in 0.6m)
Section 65 from 1891.1 to 1891.6 with 552 change -- Northbound into Trident Col (550' in 0.5m)
Section 66 from 1534.3 to 1534.8 with 551 change -- Northbound to Shaker Campsite (550' in 0.5m)
Section 67 from 667.3 to 667.8 with 549 change -- Kelley Knob to Laurel Creek Shelter (960' in 1.4m)
Section 68 from 1678.0 to 1678.5 with 549 change -- Northbound from Clarendon Gorge (620' in 0.7m)
Section 69 from 372.8 to 373.3 with 548 change -- Hughes Gap Rd to Ash Gap (1400' in 1.6m)
Section 70 from 1378.5 to 1379.0 with 545 change -- Agony Grind to NY 17 (540' in 0.4m)
Section 71 from 1399.4 to 1399.9 with 544 change -- US 9D to Anthony's Nose side trail (540' in 0.5m)
Section 72 from 2097.7 to 2098.2 with 542 change -- Southbound from Katahdin Ironworks Road (650' in 0.6m)
Section 73 from 627.8 to 628.3 with 540 change -- Angels Rest to Pearisburg (1900' in 2.4m)
Section 74 from 1352.8 to 1353.3 with 540 change -- Northbound to Pinwheels Vista & Wawayanda Vista (780' in 0.9m)
Section 75 from 1762.3 to 1762.8 with 540 change -- Lye-Dorchester Rd to Lambert Ridge (1250' in 1.7m)
LittleRock
02-22-2023, 16:44
A while back I believe it was Guthook himself who posted a similar list. I copied and pasted the info into a Word document, including an introductory paragraph from him.
Thanks for sharing this, illabelle - this is a really good list. A couple of the sections have been rerouted (Roan Mtn in NC/TN, Bear Mtn in NY) but the vast majority are still accurate. It's rather discomforting to know that I've finished nearly 80% of the trail and still haven't done any of the top 20.
There's a lot of overlap but also some differences due to the different distance increments (0.5 mile vs. 0.1 mile). For example, the steep part of the trail going up Albert Mtn is only about 1/4 mile long so it doesn't show up in guthook's list.
As a sanity check, the grade calculation based on guthook's steepest 1/2 mile segment is 100%*1017 ft/(0.5 mi*5280 ft/mi) = 38.5%. This is not terribly different from my list and it makes sense that you will get steeper grades if you use shorter (0.1 mi) distance intervals. It is very steep though - for comparison, the roof of my house is 50% grade (45 degree angle) and I've always been afraid to climb up there.
Seeing the NOBO descent into Bennington, VT reminded me of a funny story from my last trip. My guide book said to call the motel in Bennington from the top of Harmon Hill for a shuttle into town because there wasn't any cell reception at the road. So I called, and the guy said he'd meet me there in an hour and 15 minutes. I hung up and was like "It's not even 2 miles - I'll be waiting for 30 minutes." Then I got to the last 1/2 mile down to the road and I understood why he said that: the trail went straight down on slick wet boulders. The shuttle driver pulled up 30 seconds after I got to the road.
Mfturner
02-22-2023, 18:24
Very cool lists, thanks LittleRock and illibelle!
Regardless, those numbers absolutely don't make sense.
Can't say for sure on most, but the St. John's ledges one in CT feels like a staircase, except someone left out every other (or in some cases 2 out of every 3) stairs. The kind of stuff you feel like you should sit down on going down (otherwise you are more jumping then stepping down, and if your foot doesn't land right...) and as someone else said you are close to rock climbing without a rope on the ascents. I do seem to remember the other one (Bear Mountain) feeling fairly steep as well, but don't remember it being so much of a step-like setup as St. John's is.
You hike from GA thru VT.
NH and ME are a whole another experience.
illabelle
02-23-2023, 07:56
Thanks for sharing this, illabelle - this is a really good list. A couple of the sections have been rerouted (Roan Mtn in NC/TN, Bear Mtn in NY) but the vast majority are still accurate. It's rather discomforting to know that I've finished nearly 80% of the trail and still haven't done any of the top 20.....
I think I probably copied that list about 2017 or so. At the time we would have had 3-4 years left in our 10-year section hike, and yes, we had a bunch of those tough ones left. However because we weren't trying to do the trail in order, we organized the remaining miles (slacking at times) so that we could knock out several in each trip without being overwhelmed by a particularly tough section. I think one of the worst for us was from Pinkham north to Gorham. The Mahoosucs were "memorable" also.
If I remember correctly, Guthook said he selected half-mile increments to avoid having data skewed by things like ladders. I'll look for the old thread and post it here if I can find it.
illabelle
02-23-2023, 08:02
I think I probably copied that list about 2017 or so. At the time we would have had 3-4 years left in our 10-year section hike, and yes, we had a bunch of those tough ones left. However because we weren't trying to do the trail in order, we organized the remaining miles (slacking at times) so that we could knock out several in each trip without being overwhelmed by a particularly tough section. I think one of the worst for us was from Pinkham north to Gorham. The Mahoosucs were "memorable" also.
If I remember correctly, Guthook said he selected half-mile increments to avoid having data skewed by things like ladders. I'll look for the old thread and post it here if I can find it.
And here it is, Guthook's list is on post 121 out of 183 from 2009 to 2018, so if you wanna peruse the old discussion, it's there:
https://whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/54822-Steepest-part-of-the-AT/page5
If you think the AT over Moody is difficult, the AT corridor boundaries on both the north and south sides of the AT route are decidedly more interesting. I am the corridor monitor for that section.
I couldn’t imagine the difficulty of that! Thank you for being a corridor monitor! When I was there the last time, there was a camp of maintainers and crew in a low valley close to a. Water source. I even mentioned to my trail brother how difficult it must be to be a part of that crew!
LittleRock
02-23-2023, 15:33
OK, I re-did the calculations with a 0.25 mile distance increment instead of 0.1 mile. Here goes:
Overall:
Rank
AT mile
State
Elev. Change (ft)
Grade (%)
Location
1
1878.0
NH
537
40.7
NOBO ascent from Pinkham Notch
2
2194.7
ME
516
39.1
Ascending Mt Katahdin
3
1882.8
NH
503
38.1
NOBO ascent from Carter Notch
4
1884.9
NH
489
37.0
SOBO ascent from Zeta Pass
5
1947.2
ME
488
37.0
NOBO ascent of Moody Mtn
6
2001.0
ME
487
36.9
NOBO ascent of South Crocker Mtn
7
1871.1
NH
475
36.0
SOBO ascent of Mt Madison
8
1920.7
ME
465
35.2
SOBO ascent from Mahoosuc Notch
9
1949.5
ME
456
34.6
NOBO ascent from South Arm Rd
10
1888.5
NH
450
34.1
SOBO ascent of North Carter Mtn
11
1852.4
NH
443
33.6
NOBO ascent of Webster Cliffs
12 (tie)
1801.8
NH
442
33.5
NOBO ascent of Mt Moosilauke
12 (tie)
1805.6
NH
442
33.5
SOBO ascent of Mt Moosilauke
14
1836.5
NH
438
33.2
NOBO ascent of South Twin Mtn
15
1833.4
NH
431
32.7
SOBO ascent of Mt Garfield
South of Glencliff, NH:
Rank
AT Mile
State
Elev. Change (ft)
Grade (%)
Location
1 (tie)
1476.8
CT
417
31.6
SOBO ascent to St. John's Ledges
1 (tie)
1512.2
CT
417
31.6
SOBO ascent of Bear Mtn
3
1689.7
VT
405
30.7
NOBO ascent from Clarendon Gorge
4
1219.4
PA
400
30.3
SOBO ascent from Port Clinton
5
1387.2
NY
399
30.2
SOBO ascent of Agony Grind
6
99.4
NC
383
29.0
NOBO ascent of Albert Mtn
7
1517.6
MA
378
28.6
NOBO ascent of Mt Everett
8
1596.5
MA
366
27.7
SOBO ascent of Mt Greylock
9
1776.9
NH
365
27.7
NOBO ascent of Smarts Mtn
10
151.8
NC
355
26.9
NOBO ascent from Sweetwater Gap
11
1409.4
NY
347
26.3
NOBO ascent from the Hudson River
12
1261.5
PA
343
26.0
NOBO ascent from Lehigh Gap
13
187.6
NC/TN
338
25.6
SOBO ascent of Brier Knob
14
791.8
VA
335
25.4
NOBO ascent of Big Rocky Row
15
1616.8
VT
327
24.8
SOBO ascent from Bennington/Rt. 9
By State:
State
AT Mile
Change (ft)
Grade (%)
Location
GA
37.3
296
22.4
NOBO ascent from Tesnatee Gap
NC
99.4
383
29.0
NOBO ascent of Albert Mtn
NC/TN
187.6
338
25.6
SOBO ascent of Brier Knob
TN
421.1
323
24.5
SOBO ascent from Laurel Falls
VA/WV
791.8
335
25.4
NOBO ascent of Big Rocky Row
MD
1064.3
321
24.3
SOBO ascent to High Rock
PA
1219.4
400
30.3
SOBO ascent from Port Clinton
NJ
1354.5
274
20.8
NOBO ascent of Pochuck Mtn
NY
1378.2
399
30.2
SOBO ascent of Agony Grind
CT (tie)
1476.8
417
31.6
SOBO ascent to St. John's Ledges
CT (tie)
1512.2
417
31.6
SOBO ascent of Bear Mtn
MA
1517.6
378
28.6
NOBO ascent of Mt Everett
VT
1689.7
405
30.7
NOBO ascent from Clarendon Gorge
NH
1878.0
537
40.7
NOBO ascent from Pinkham Notch
ME
2194.7
516
39.1
Ascending Mt Katahdin
Odd Man Out
02-23-2023, 17:34
Here it is in a table:
Half Mile Sections
from MP
to MP
elevation
grade
Pinkham Notch to Wildcat E
1865.5
1866
1017
38.5%
Asquam Ridge Trail to Kinsman Notch
1794.3
1794.8
934
35.4%
Galehead to South Twin
1824.2
1824.7
896
33.9%
Northbound from Mt Garfield
1821.2
1821.7
875
33.1%
O Joy Brook to The Gateway
2182.1
2182.6
860
32.6%
Mahoosuc Arm
1908.2
1908.7
850
32.2%
Carter Notch to Carter Dome
1869.9
1870.4
846
32.0%
South Arm Rd to Old Blue
1934.5
1935
812
30.8%
South Peak Moosilauke
1790.4
1790.9
801
30.3%
Sawyer Notch to Moody Mtn
1932.2
1932.7
799
30.3%
south side of Mt Success
1897.4
1897.9
792
30.0%
Crocker Cirque to South Crocker
1985.3
1985.8
792
30.0%
North from East Peak Baldpate
1918.8
1919.3
778
29.5%
Fulling Mill Mtn to Mahoosuc Notch
1906.1
1906.6
759
28.8%
Hall Mtn Lean-to to Sawyer Notch
1930.8
1931.3
754
28.6%
South from Carabassett River
1983.4
1983.9
749
28.4%
North Carter to Imp
1875.4
1875.9
742
28.1%
north of Mt Moriah to Rattle River
1880.2
1880.7
742
28.1%
The Horn to Redington Stream Campsite
1968.1
1968.6
734
27.8%
Baldpate Lean-to to West Baldpate
1916.7
1917.2
732
27.7%
Liberty Brook to Franconia Ridge Trail
1813.4
1813.9
719
27.2%
Mt Prospect to stream at base of Greylock
1585.7
1586.2
698
26.4%
Lafayette to Garfield Notch
1818.4
1818.9
695
26.3%
Eliza Brook to South Kinsman
1804.5
1805
687
26.0%
White Cap to Logan Brook Lean-to
2110.6
2111.1
682
25.8%
Poplar Ridge to spring before Orbeton Canyon
1971.7
1972.2
678
25.7%
Northbound into Port Clinton
1210.8
1211.3
677
25.6%
Northbound to Smarts Mountain
1765.2
1765.7
677
25.6%
Moose & Deer Stream to Saddleback
1964.9
1965.4
661
25.0%
Zeacliff to Zealand Falls Hut
1830
1830.5
658
24.9%
Northbound into Woodford Hollow / VT Rte 9
1605.5
1606
656
24.8%
North from Lehigh Gap
1252.1
1252.6
639
24.2%
Crawford Notch to Mt Webster
1840.4
1840.9
637
24.1%
Sydney Tappan Campsite to West Peak
2106.5
2107
633
24.0%
The Eyebrow to Grafton Notch
1913.5
1914
629
23.8%
Pleasant Pond Lean-to to Pleasant Pond Mtn
2036.9
2037.4
628
23.8%
Kinsman Notch north
1795.6
1796.1
622
23.6%
Race Brook Falls to Mt Everett
1507.6
1508.1
620
23.5%
Carl Newhall Lean-to to Gulf Hagas Mtn
2104.9
2105.4
618
23.4%
Northbound to Bemis Stream
1945.8
1946.3
617
23.4%
Perham Stream to Lone Mountain
1976.4
1976.9
615
23.3%
Beaver Bog to View before Horns Pond View
1997.6
1998.1
608
23.0%
Little Rocky Row to Big Rocky Row
783.3
783.8
597
22.6%
Thundering Falls Rd to Quimby Mtn
1701.1
1701.6
597
22.6%
Ethan Pond Trail to Crawford Notch
1838.1
1838.6
596
22.6%
St John's Ledges to River Rd
1466.9
1467.4
592
22.4%
Lakes of the Clouds to Mt Washington
1850.7
1851.2
587
22.2%
Northbound into Starkey Gap
187
187.5
584
22.1%
Moxie Bald North Peak side trail to Bald Mtn Lean-to
2048.5
2049
584
22.1%
Northbound from Fourth Chairback
2090
2090.5
582
22.0%
Northbound to Saddleback Junior
1969.3
1969.8
579
21.9%
Avery Peak to Safford Notch
2001
2001.5
578
21.9%
North Kinsman to stream before Lonesome Lake Hut
1806.6
1807.1
575
21.8%
Mt Cube to Brackett Brook
1772.9
1773.4
574
21.7%
Between Imp Campsite and Mt Moriah
1877.6
1878.1
574
21.7%
Ash Gap to Roan Mtn
374.7
375.2
568
21.5%
Jump Up to Swim Bald
142.1
142.6
566
21.4%
Northbound to Sinking Creek Mtn
672.3
672.8
563
21.3%
Mt Williams
1584.1
1584.6
562
21.3%
Bear Mtn to Sage's Ravine
1502.4
1502.9
561
21.3%
North from Wilbur Dam Rd
429.5
430
555
21.0%
Sweetwater Gap north
152
152.5
552
20.9%
Perkins Memorial Drive to Bear Mtn Rec Area
1397.3
1397.8
552
20.9%
Stage Road to Suicide Six View
1722.5
1723
552
20.9%
Northbound into Trident Col
1891.1
1891.6
552
20.9%
Northbound to Shaker Campsite
1534.3
1534.8
551
20.9%
Kelley Knob to Laurel Creek Shelter
667.3
667.8
549
20.8%
Northbound from Clarendon Gorge
1678
1678.5
549
20.8%
Hughes Gap Rd to Ash Gap
372.8
373.3
548
20.8%
Agony Grind to NY 17
1378.5
1379
545
20.6%
US 9D to Anthony's Nose side trail
1399.4
1399.9
544
20.6%
Southbound from Katahdin Ironworks Road
2097.7
2098.2
542
20.5%
Angels Rest to Pearisburg
627.8
628.3
540
20.5%
Northbound to Pinwheels Vista & Wawayanda Vista
1352.8
1353.3
540
20.5%
Lye-Dorchester Rd to Lambert Ridge
1762.3
1762.8
540
20.5%
Very cool, and some fond memories. And a few not so fond. Several of the sections I recall really huffing and puffing and thinking how come you don’t hear about this beforehand?
I think 0.1 mile is too long a sample interval for accurate results. The GPS will shortcut the switchbacks, drawing straight lines between points. This is not a good way to measure steepness of trails and will always give an abnormally high number. Misleading to the point of uselessness. IMO. Go back to rolling a wheel-based scale, or go home.
peakbagger
02-24-2023, 06:45
Switchbacks are rarely an issue in Maine and NH;)
LoneStranger
02-24-2023, 07:34
OK, I re-did the calculations with a 0.25 mile distance increment instead of 0.1 mile. Here goes:
Overall:
Rank
AT mile
State
Elev. Change (ft)
Grade (%)
Location
1
1878.0
NH
537
40.7
NOBO ascent from Pinkham Notch
2
2194.7
ME
516
39.1
Ascending Mt Katahdin
3
1882.8
NH
503
38.1
NOBO ascent from Carter Notch
4
1884.9
NH
489
37.0
SOBO ascent from Zeta Pass
5
1947.2
ME
488
37.0
NOBO ascent of Moody Mtn
6
2001.0
ME
487
36.9
NOBO ascent of South Crocker Mtn
7
1871.1
NH
475
36.0
SOBO ascent of Mt Madison
8
1920.7
ME
465
35.2
SOBO ascent from Mahoosuc Notch
9
1949.5
ME
456
34.6
NOBO ascent from South Arm Rd
10
1888.5
NH
450
34.1
SOBO ascent of North Carter Mtn
11
1852.4
NH
443
33.6
NOBO ascent of Webster Cliffs
12 (tie)
1801.8
NH
442
33.5
NOBO ascent of Mt Moosilauke
12 (tie)
1805.6
NH
442
33.5
SOBO ascent of Mt Moosilauke
14
1836.5
NH
438
33.2
NOBO ascent of South Twin Mtn
15
1833.4
NH
431
32.7
SOBO ascent of Mt Garfield
Thanks for humoring me. I feel much better now! I was pretty sure that was hard :)
LittleRock
02-24-2023, 10:49
I think 0.1 mile is too long a sample interval for accurate results. The GPS will shortcut the switchbacks, drawing straight lines between points. This is not a good way to measure steepness of trails and will always give an abnormally high number. Misleading to the point of uselessness. IMO. Go back to rolling a wheel-based scale, or go home.
Sure, a measuring wheel will give more accurate distance measurements. I don't dispute that (though I don't see how anyone could get accurate distance measurements over some of the boulder scrambles on the AT). But it would also be very hard to geolocate measuring wheel data and get accurate elevation measurements for a 2000+ mile trail in a way that can be crunched through using a computer program like I and others have done. This is why we use GPS.
I agree the 0.1 mile interval was too short, which is why I went back and did 0.25 mile intervals. I'm in the process of crunching the data for 0.5 mile intervals so I can compare with guthook's table. Now that the program is written I could do this fairly easily for any interval. It just takes about an hour of computer time, plus the effort to translate the mile markers into specific locations.
Daybreak
02-24-2023, 11:47
I think 0.1 mile is too long a sample interval for accurate results. The GPS will shortcut the switchbacks, drawing straight lines between points. This is not a good way to measure steepness of trails and will always give an abnormally high number. Misleading to the point of uselessness. IMO. Go back to rolling a wheel-based scale, or go home.
In New England you have the issues of roots, rock steps and rocky paths along with the PA rocks. On the IAT in Quebec in '99, they used a string measuring device where they tied one end to a tree (or stood on it) and ran out string. Sadly they left the string on the trail. I walked through that stuff for several days. This was standard in their logging industry. The ATC was also documenting GPS coordinates using a backpack sized unit that year but of course the accuracy was lower then.
I found this article that describes the methods of determining trail length, their associated problems and how GPS is used today. Perhaps the ATC has or will write an article precisely describing their measuring methods.
https://www.wta.org/news/magazine/features/how-far-is-it-the-truth-behind-trail-measurements
Daybreak
02-24-2023, 12:04
SOBO ascent out of NOC
I climbed NOBO out there twice.
Daybreak
02-24-2023, 12:34
I would define grade as rise/horizontal run. This is the standard in engineering, roads, railroads, and construction. It also gives a slightly larger number especially when looking at the steeper grades. If you think of a right triangle, the trail length is the hypotneuse. The horizontal run is the base which would be the distance as measured on a flat map. Fanny Pack describes this well in
https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php/21642-average-incline-grade-on-the-AT-in-North-Carolina/page2
Unfortunately after all their discussion, I don't think anyone backed out the horizontal run to do an actual trail calculation. The base or horizontal run = square root (square of trail length - square of the elevation change).
This gives a description and graph of various grades we encounter.
http://sonorannews.com/archives/2011/110309/community-DAC-Trail.html#:~:text=It's%20also%20a%20great%20aid,a pproximately%2060%20percent%20or%20so.
LittleRock
02-24-2023, 15:55
Here's what I got using 0.5 mile intervals. Very similar to guthook's list.
Overall:
Rank
AT Mile
State
Elev. Change (ft)
Grade (%)
Location
1
1877.9
NH
945
35.8
NOBO ascent from Pinkham Notch
2
1870.9
NH
874
33.1
SOBO ascent of Mt Madison
3
1805.6
NH
843
31.9
SOBO ascent of Mt Moosilauke
4 (tie)
1882.8
NH
836
31.7
NOBO ascent from Carter Notch
4 (tie)
1949.5
ME
836
31.7
NOBO ascent from South Arm Rd
6
1836.4
NH
821
31.1
NOBO ascent of South Twin Mtn
7
2194.4
ME
813
30.8
Ascending Mt Katahdin
8
1947.0
ME
810
30.7
NOBO ascent of Moody Mtn
9
1833.2
NH
806
30.5
SOBO ascent of Mt Garfield
10
1801.5
NH
764
29.0
NOBO ascent of Mt Moosilauke
11
1920.4
ME
758
28.7
SOBO ascent from Mahoosuc Notch
12 (tie)
1881.9
NH
755
28.6
SOBO ascent from Carter Notch
12 (tie)
2000.8
ME
755
28.6
NOBO ascent of South Crocker Mtn
14
1922.7
ME
734
27.8
NOBO ascent of Mahoosuc Arm
15
1888.5
NH
723
27.4
SOBO ascent of North Carter Mtn
16
1884.8
NH
720
27.3
SOBO ascent from Zeta Pass
17
1933.6
ME
716
27.1
SOBO ascent of Baldplate East Peak
18
1911.2
NH
704
26.7
NOBO ascent of Mt Success
19
1931.5
ME
696
26.4
NOBO ascent of Baldplate West Peak
20
1998.8
ME
691
26.2
SOBO ascent of Sugarloaf Mtn
21
1219.2
PA
678
25.7
SOBO ascent from Port Clinton
22
1816.2
NH
665
25.2
NOBO ascent of South Kinsman Mtn
23
1983.4
ME
662
25.1
SOBO ascent of The Horn
24 (tie)
1825.4
NH
660
25.0
NOBO ascent from Franconia Notch
24 (tie)
1945.6
ME
660
25.0
SOBO ascent from Sawyer Notch
South of Glencliff, NH:
Rank
AT Mile
State
Elev. Change (ft)
Grade (%)
Location
1
1219.2
PA
678
25.7
SOBO ascent from Port Clinton
2
1776.9
NH
649
24.6
NOBO ascent of Smarts Mtn
3 (tie)
1517.4
MA
635
24.0
NOBO ascent of Mt Everett
3 (tie)
1616.6
VT
635
24.0
SOBO ascent from Bennington/Rt 9
5
1596.2
MA
625
23.7
SOBO ascent from North Adams
6
187.5
NC/TN
607
23.0
SOBO ascent of Brier Knob
7
1689.6
VT
602
22.8
NOBO ascent from Clarendon Gorge
8
791.5
VA
594
22.5
NOBO ascent of Big Rocky Row
9 (tie)
151.6
NC
583
22.1
NOBO ascent from Sweetwater Gap
9 (tie)
1476.8
CT
583
22.1
SOBO ascent to St. John's Ledges
11
674.5
VA
569
21.6
SOBO ascent of Kelly Knob
12
1261.2
PA
564
21.4
NOBO ascent from Lehigh Gap
13
1594.8
MA
563
21.3
SOBO ascent of Mt Williams
14
1735.6
VT
562
21.3
NOBO ascent from South Pomfret Rd
15
1713.8
VT
551
20.9
NOBO ascent of Quimby Mtn
16
667.0
VA
550
20.8
SOBO ascent from War Spur Shelter
17
1784.6
NH
548
20.7
SOBO ascent of Mt Cube
18
1690.6
VT
543
20.6
NOBO ascent from Clarendon Shelter
19
1387.0
NY
541
20.5
SOBO ascent of Agony Grind
20
1064.2
MD
535
20.3
SOBO ascent to High Rock
By State:
State
AT Mile
Elev. Change (ft)
Grade (%)
Location
GA
37.3
488
18.5
NOBO ascent from Tesnatee Gap
NC
151.6
582
22.1
NOBO ascent from Sweetwater Gap
NC/TN
187.5
607
23.0
SOBO ascent of Brier Knob
TN
433.5
453
17.2
NOBO ascent from Wilbur Dam Rd
VA/WV
791.5
594
22.5
NOBO ascent of Big Rocky Row
MD
1064.2
535
20.3
SOBO ascent to High Rock
PA
1219.2
678
25.7
SOBO ascent from Port Clinton
NJ
1361.3
503
19.1
NOBO ascent of Wawayanda Mtn
NY
1387.0
541
20.5
SOBO ascent of Agony Grind
CT
1476.8
583
22.1
SOBO ascent of St. John's Ledges
MA
1517.4
635
24.0
NOBO ascent of Mt Everett
VT
1616.6
635
24.0
SOBO ascent from Bennington/Rt 9
NH
1877.9
945
35.8
NOBO ascent from Pinkham Notch
ME
1949.5
836
31.7
NOBO ascent from South Arm Rd
The long slogs are the ones that stick in my mind. Not so much very steep but very short segments.
I've done GA to PA, and SOBO Priest, NOBO Three Ridges, NOBO out of the NOC, and NOBO up Albert Mountain I remember as extra tough. I descended into Port Clinton, but I swear that was the steepest descent I'd done up to that point. It would be a tough climb!
gpburdelljr
02-24-2023, 16:55
Since many people hike from shelter to shelter, an average of the grades of all the 0.1 mile ups and downs in each of the shelter to shelter segments might give a good idea of the difficulty of the sections. This, of course, wouldn’t factor in other difficulties like rocks in Pennsylvania.
illabelle
02-25-2023, 08:20
In preparation for a section hike that included some of these steep climbs/descents, I copied pages from AWOL and marked those steep areas with a highlighter. Because of the scale of AWOL's elevation profile, it was often hard to distinguish the truly steep places from the generally steepish terrain around them. Helped with mental preparedness if nothing else.
peakbagger
02-25-2023, 09:43
There is also the subjective aspect of steep climbs. Talk to many thru hikers and they will get attuned to certain daily elevation change and when a big ascent pops up, they seem to feel it much more. Western NH is not flat but in line with what was encoutered in VT but talk to many thru hikers and that climb up out of Glencliff to the summit of Moosilaukee and the trail down to Kinsman Notch really knocks it out of them. Many come into the whites overly optimistic about daily mileage and they end up several miles short (usually coming out near dark at Kinsman Notch whne they were planning for Kinsman Pond of Eliza Brook shelters, having to resupply for shorter days. I would expect the same from folks doing the climb up Katahdin after the relatively flat eastern 100 Mile Wilderness but expect adrenaline carries them up the Hunt Trail.
There is also the subjective aspect of steep climbs. Talk to many thru hikers and they will get attuned to certain daily elevation change and when a big ascent pops up, they seem to feel it much more. Western NH is not flat but in line with what was encoutered in VT but talk to many thru hikers and that climb up out of Glencliff to the summit of Moosilaukee and the trail down to Kinsman Notch really knocks it out of them. Many come into the whites overly optimistic about daily mileage and they end up several miles short (usually coming out near dark at Kinsman Notch whne they were planning for Kinsman Pond of Eliza Brook shelters, having to resupply for shorter days. I would expect the same from folks doing the climb up Katahdin after the relatively flat eastern 100 Mile Wilderness but expect adrenaline carries them up the Hunt Trail.
I think that leads to a couple of benefits of going SOBO:
1. By the time you come down Moosilaukee, you are pretty well physically conditioned.
2. Psychologically, the easier days with longer miles pump you up.
Disadvantage is of course, that you have to pass the gauntlet of Maine and the Whites first.
I'm a former land surveyor and I was actually thinking about compiling this info for my own personal use. But now since you've crunched the numbers for me, I don't have to! Thanks!
And yes, almost a 50% grade (Webster Cliffs) sounds extreme but I'm sure it happens in places.
peakbagger
02-26-2023, 08:27
Webster Cliffs may be steep but its well built trail with lots of steps and mini switchbacks. Its near the road and an AMC facility so its gets a lot of attention with respect to trail construction. Compare it Mahoosuc Arm with its eroded out trailbed in spots where a hiker needs to climb up roots and I will take Webster Cliffs anytime.
I missed out on the non closed Fire Wardens trail up the east side of Mt Speck in Grafton Notch, it was a long route of the AT, it was a eroded trench, in spots reportedly 10 feet deep that became a drainage further accelerating the erosion. The reroute that has been in place for 40 plus years is a great piece of work, mostly stone staircases and switchbacks.
Mikerfixit
02-27-2023, 09:54
I've used Google Earth for many years to calculate the elevation and provide a profile for my hikes.
LittleRock
02-27-2023, 18:16
Last but not least, the steepest 1 mile AT segments.
Overall:
Rank
AT Mile
State
Elev. Change (ft)
Grade (%)
Location
1
1805.4
NH
1562
29.6
SOBO ascent of Mt Moosilauke
2
1870.8
NH
1534
29.1
SOBO ascent of Mt Madison
3
2194.0
ME
1515
28.7
Ascending Mt Katahdin
4
1882.8
NH
1370
26.0
NOBO ascent from Carter Notch
5
1922.6
ME
1302
24.7
NOBO ascent of Mahoosuc Arm
6
1836.1
NH
1298
24.6
NOBO ascent of South Twin Mtn
7 (tie)
1824.9
NH
1266
24.0
NOBO ascent from Franconia Notch
7 (tie)
1893.5
NH
1266
24.0
SOBO ascent of Mt Moriah
9
1878.1
NH
1234
23.4
NOBO ascent from Pinkham Notch
10
1945.7
ME
1229
23.3
SOBO ascent from Sawyer Notch
11
1946.9
ME
1223
23.2
NOBO ascent from Sawyer Notch
12
1933.2
ME
1171
22.2
SOBO ascent of Baldplate East Peak
13
1998.3
ME
1168
22.1
SOBO ascent of Sugarloaf Mtn
14
2000.8
ME
1167
22.1
NOBO ascent of South Crocker Mtn
15
2016.6
ME
1142
21.6
SOBO ascent of Bigelow East Peak
16
1979.9
ME
1117
21.2
NOBO ascent of Saddleback Mtn
17 (tie)
1801.0
NH
1113
21.1
NOBO ascent of Mt Moosilauke
17 (tie)
1830.1
NH
1113
21.1
SOBO ascent of Mt Lafayette
17 (tie)
1881.8
NH
1113
21.1
SOBO ascent from Carter Notch
20
1817.9
NH
1096
20.8
SOBO ascent to North Kinsman Mtn
21
1949.5
ME
1090
20.7
NOBO ascent from South Arm Rd
22
1842.3
NH
1069
20.3
SOBO ascent from Zealand Falls Hut
23
1815.7
NH
1061
20.1
NOBO ascent of South Kinsman Mtn
24
1851.5
NH
1049
19.9
NOBO ascent of Webster Cliffs
25
1596.2
MA
1038
19.7
SOBO ascent from North Adams
South of Glencliff, NH:
Rank
AT Mile
State
Elev. Change (ft)
Grade (%)
Location
1
1596.2
MA
1038
19.7
SOBO ascent from North Adams
2
1713.3
VT
1037
19.6
NOBO ascent of Quimby Mtn
3
1768.9
NH
966
18.3
NOBO ascent of Holt's Ledge
4
1784.5
NH
959
18.2
SOBO ascent of Mt Cube
5
1766.5
NH
939
17.8
SOBO ascent of Moose Mtn
6
1681.7
VT
923
17.5
SOBO ascent to Greenwall Shelter
7
674.3
VA
919
17.4
SOBO ascent of Kelly Knob
8
1261.0
PA
918
17.4
NOBO ascent from Lehigh Gap
9
1259.5
PA
912
17.3
SOBO ascent from Lehigh Gap
10
1218.7
PA
902
17.1
SOBO ascent from Port Clinton
11
633.9
VA
885
16.8
SOBO ascent from Pearisburg
12 (tie)
288.6
NC/TN
884
16.7
SOBO ascent from Allen Gap
12 (tie)
671.8
VA
884
16.7
NOBO ascent of Kelly Knob
14
1776.4
NH
874
16.6
NOBO ascent of Smarts Mtn
15 (tie)
52.6
GA
863
16.4
NOBO ascent from Unicoi Gap
15 (tie)
659.6
VA
863
16.4
NOBO ascent to Bailey Gap Shelter
17
1773.6
NH
859
16.3
NOBO ascent from Lyme-Dorchester Rd
18
758.8
VA
855
16.2
NOBO ascent from Jennings Creek
19
800.5
VA
854
16.2
SOBO ascent from Pedlar River
20
830.4
VA
843
16.0
SOBO ascent of The Priest
By State:
State
AT Mile
Elev. Change (ft)
Grade (%)
Location
GA
52.6
863
16.4
NOBO ascent from Unicoi Gap
NC
141.5
835
15.8
NOBO ascent from the NOC
NC/TN
288.6
880
16.7
SOBO ascent from Allen Gap
TN
423.0
818
15.5
NOBO ascent of Pond Mtn
VA/WV
674.3
919
17.4
SOBO ascent of Kelly Knob
MD
1030.2
606
11.5
NOBO ascent from Weverton Rd
PA
1261.0
918
17.4
NOBO ascent from Lehigh Gap
NJ
1360.8
786
14.9
NOBO ascent of Wawayanda Mtn
NY
1406.6
791
15.0
SOBO ascent of Bear Mtn
CT
1471.6
766
14.5
SOBO ascent from Kent/Rt 341
MA
1596.2
1038
19.7
SOBO ascent from North Adams
VT
1713.3
1037
19.6
NOBO ascent of Quimby Mtn
NH
1805.4
1562
29.6
SOBO ascent of Mt Moosilauke
ME
2194.0
1515
28.7
Ascending Mt Katahdin
wornoutboots
02-27-2023, 20:49
On my Oct/Nov sobo from Bennington > DWG, I was surprised to see so many straight up rock walls to climb, almost a few in every state, most were not long, but they were technical and a fun challenge!!
rvawebguy
12-29-2023, 11:48
I just sorted my AT elevation profile data by % grade and thought folks might be interested to know which places were the steepest. This is based on the most recent GPS track and mileage from the ATC, with elevations pulled from the USGS National Elevation Database at every 0.1 mile interval. Note: Some climbs make the list multiple times but only the steepest 0.1 mile segment is listed. If the 2nd steepest part of the climb would make the list I added an (x2).
Overall:
Rank
AT Mile
State
Grade (%)
Location
1
1852.5
NH
48.9
NOBO ascent of Webster Cliffs
2
2194.9
ME
45.6
NOBO ascent of Mt Katahdin (x2)
3
1883.0
NH
43.2
NOBO ascent from Carter Notch
4
1947.4
ME
43.0
NOBO ascent of Moody Mtn
5 (tie)
1871.2
NH
41.5
SOBO ascent of Mt Madison
5 (tie)
1878.1
NH
41.5
NOBO ascent of Wildcat Mtn (x2)
7
2001.1
ME
41.1
NOBO ascent of South Crocker Mtn
8
1833.1
NH
40.3
NOBO ascent of Mt Garfield
9
1949.6
ME
39.8
NOBO ascent from South Arm Rd
10
1476.9
CT
38.6
SOBO ascent to St. John's Ledges
Southbound (since 8/10 of the overall list are northbound):
Rank
AT Mile
State
Grade (%)
Location
1
1871.2
NH
41.5
SOBO ascent of Mt Madison (x2)
2
1476.9
CT
38.6
SOBO ascent to St. John's Ledges
3 (tie)
1885.1
NH
38.4
SOBO ascent from Zeta Pass (x2)
3 (tie)
1998.9
ME
38.4
SOBO ascent of Sugarloaf Mtn
5
1920.9
ME
37.9
SOBO ascent from Mahoosuc Notch
6
1882.0
NH
36.9
SOBO ascent from Carter Notch
7 (tie)
1219.6
PA
35.2
SOBO ascent from Port Clinton
7 (tie)
1805.7
NH
35.2
SOBO ascent of Mt Moosilauke
9
132.7
NC
35.0
SOBO ascent from the NOC
10 (tie)
1819.2
NH
34.1
SOBO ascent of North Kinsman Mtn
10 (tie)
1961.2
ME
34.1
SOBO ascent of Bemis Mtn
South of NH (Since 9/10 of the overall list are in NH and ME):
Rank
AT Mile
State
Grade (%)
Location
1
1476.9
CT
38.6
SOBO ascent to St. John's Ledges
2
99.6
NC
35.4
NOBO ascent of Albert Mtn
3
1219.6
PA
35.2
SOBO ascent from Port Clinton
4
132.7
NC
35.0
SOBO ascent from the NOC
5
1512.3
CT
33.9
SOBO ascent of Bear Mtn (x2)
6
1689.9
VT
33.1
NOBO ascent from Clarendon Gorge
7
78.6
NC
33.0
NOBO ascent from Bly Gap
8
1261.6
PA
32.4
NOBO ascent from Lehigh Gap
9 (tie)
152.0
NC
31.6
NOBO ascent from Sweetwater Gap
9 (tie)
1601.2
MA
31.6
NOBO ascent to the MA/VT state line
By State (since 7/14 states don't appear on any of the lists above):
State
AT Mile
Grade (%)
Location
GA
19.1
28.4
SOBO ascent of Ramrock Mtn
NC
99.6
35.4
NOBO ascent of Albert Mtn
NC/TN
184.8
31.4
NOBO ascent of Rocky Top
TN
421.4
29.0
SOBO ascent from Laurel Falls
VA/WV
798.2
29.2
SOBO ascent of Bluff Mtn
MD
1064.5
26.3
SOBO ascent to High Rock
PA
1219.6
35.2
SOBO ascent from Port Clinton
NJ
1354.6
30.1
NOBO ascent of Pochuck Mtn
NY
1387.4
30.3
SOBO ascent of Agony Grind
CT
1476.9
38.6
SOBO ascent to St. John's Ledges
MA
1601.2
31.6
NOBO ascent to the MA/VT state line
VT
1689.9
33.1
NOBO ascent from Clarendon Gorge
NH
1852.5
48.9
NOBO ascent of Webster Cliffs
ME
2194.9
45.6
NOBO ascent of Mt Katahdin
I love that you have done this! Where can I get the elevations along the AT in excel along with the mileage numbers so I can crunch some data too!
I'd like to do something like this:
START
Rock Gap
105.8
3732
0
3732
USFS 67 (Rock Gap)
105.9
3738
6
3738
Wallace Gap
106.5
3727
11
3749
Winding Stair Gap
109.6
3690
37
3786
Moore Creek
110.4
4011
321
4107
Swinging Lick Gap
110.7
4100
89
4196
Panther Gap
111.6
4480
380
4576
Big Stamp
113.1
4350
130
4706
Snowbird Gap Shelter
113.8
4769
419
5125
Siler Bald
114.2
5001
232
1625
5357
8.4
END
Please send me a link to the raw data - I typed this in myself, I'd like to do it for the whole trip.
Thanks,
Ron
///
Something doesn't make sense... Those grade percentages are off the charts steep.
I don't think they're off the charts at all. A standard staircase has a 7" rise for an 11" run... a 64% grade.
Webster Cliffs may be steep but its well built trail with lots of steps and mini switchbacks. Its near the road and an AMC facility so its gets a lot of attention with respect to trail construction. Compare it Mahoosuc Arm with its eroded out trailbed in spots where a hiker needs to climb up roots and I will take Webster Cliffs anytime.
I missed out on the non closed Fire Wardens trail up the east side of Mt Speck in Grafton Notch, it was a long route of the AT, it was a eroded trench, in spots reportedly 10 feet deep that became a drainage further accelerating the erosion. The reroute that has been in place for 40 plus years is a great piece of work, mostly stone staircases and switchbacks.
100% concur on this. I remember both coming down Mahoosuc Arm and up Fulling Mtn as much tougher than up Madison or down Webster. And just the general premise that trailbed conditions are pretty key.
LittleRock
01-02-2024, 10:18
I love that you have done this! Where can I get the elevations along the AT in excel along with the mileage numbers so I can crunch some data too!
I'd like to do something like this:
START
Rock Gap
105.8
3732
0
3732
USFS 67 (Rock Gap)
105.9
3738
6
3738
Wallace Gap
106.5
3727
11
3749
Winding Stair Gap
109.6
3690
37
3786
Moore Creek
110.4
4011
321
4107
Swinging Lick Gap
110.7
4100
89
4196
Panther Gap
111.6
4480
380
4576
Big Stamp
113.1
4350
130
4706
Snowbird Gap Shelter
113.8
4769
419
5125
Siler Bald
114.2
5001
232
1625
5357
8.4
END
Please send me a link to the raw data - I typed this in myself, I'd like to do it for the whole trip.
Thanks,Ron
Try this out: https://bentwells.shinyapps.io/atdata/
psyculman
01-03-2024, 05:26
I don't think they're off the charts at all. A standard staircase has a 7" rise for an 11" run... a 64% grade.
Not so, you are reading the obtuse side of the angle. I have built a lot of stairs. 7"x11" = 32.47 degrees, google that. (just say'in)
Try this out: https://bentwells.shinyapps.io/atdata/
That is pretty fascinating.
Not so, you are reading the obtuse side of the angle. I have built a lot of stairs. 7"x11" = 32.47 degrees, google that. (just say'in)
Here is a link on that topic. https://www.calculator.net/right-triangle-calculator.html?av=7&alphav=&alphaunit=d&bv=11&betav=&betaunit=d&cv=&hv=&areav=&perimeterv=&x=Calculate
Also, from having run several “Hustle up the Hancock” races, there is a huge difference between 1 flight of stairs and 90 of them. Yes, Albert Mt, St John Ledges and the Agony Grind are tough, but at the top you huff and puff for a few minutes and move on. Wildcat D or the SOBO climb out of NOC, you take a longer breather and you sleep pretty hard that night.
Not so, you are reading the obtuse side of the angle. I have built a lot of stairs. 7"x11" = 32.47 degrees, google that. (just say'in)
you're correctly measuring the grade in degrees, but the OP measured the grade as a percentage. a 7" rise on 11" run expressed in percent is (7/11)x100 or 63.6%
Daybreak
01-03-2024, 16:31
[QUOTE=Deadeye;2304057]you're correctly measuring the grade in degrees, but the OP measured the grade as a percentage. a 7" rise on 11" run expressed in percent is (7/11)x100 or 63.6%[/QUOTE}
Deadeye you have correctly IMO calculated the grade using the horizontal run. The last time I checked the OP calculated using the angled run of trail not the horizontal run. (However this seems to be more popular.) For the staircase example this would be the length of hypotenuse, The angled run would equal the sqrt( (7x7) + (11x11)) =13.0 rather than 11. Y'all can do the rest.
psyculman
01-04-2024, 09:23
[QUOTE=Deadeye;2304057]you're correctly measuring the grade in degrees, but the OP measured the grade as a percentage. a 7" rise on 11" run expressed in percent is (7/11)x100 or 63.6%[/QUOTE}
Deadeye you have correctly IMO calculated the grade using the horizontal run. The last time I checked the OP calculated using the angled run of trail not the horizontal run. (However this seems to be more popular.) For the staircase example this would be the length of hypotenuse, The angled run would equal the sqrt( (7x7) + (11x11)) =13.0 rather than 11. Y'all can do the rest.
Point taken, thank you.