What is the steepest trail you have run/hiked on?

Steepest hill around me is 37% for ~0.35mi. it's a hands and knees type of hill and you have to hike 95% of it, even as a sub-elite.

They call it The Inch and it's behind The Church Farm School in Exton ,Pa. You can only run up it and not down or you'll fall down.

joecrunner wrote:

Around where I live, we have some cool maintained trails that average 25-35%. Even for top runners, it may be difficult or inefficient to maintain a running cadence, similar to certain ultras and mountain races.

What are some of your steep trails you like to do, or hate to do?

The upper part of the mount washington (NH) climb. At times it was near 50%. My outstreched hand could easily touch the trail above me.

Mile 27 of speedgoat was like 1300 feet in a mile with some 50 yard stretches much steeper...like 50% almost. Hands needed to grab schrubs for balance.

Jacobs Ladder in moab was steep as hell. Behind the rocks ultra hits it twice.

A lot of 14ers ive done have been way steeper but werent runnable. I think the steepest run ive survived without hiking was up elbert.

Stairs are 45 degrees; subway escalators run forever.

Google “Baldwin street Dunedin New Zealand”

Sorry, I don’t know how to embed or link, yet, on my new phone.

1:46 was my time from the corner stop sign to the top wall (some events start slightly up the street at the actual start of the gradient).

Years ago, I ran a 5 mile trail race near Evergreen, Colorado. There was a section known as "the wall". I was a noob and had never run the race before and had no idea about the course, except that it was a trail race at 7500 feet. We had run up some steep inclines and I found myself thinking "I hope this is the wall" . When we really came to the wall I knew why it had that name. The shoes of the guy in front of me were in my face. It had just enough "slope" to be slightly less than 90 degrees.

Then there was the Imogene Pass Run a long slow 10 mile grind up to 13,100ft then down to Teluride, CO.

I think that is faster than the official race record haha

Yeah there's this trail I ran that gains 2,000 feet in just over 1.5 miles, I was recently fresh off a low 19 minute 5k (I'm not that fast) but it was that day where I appreciated the different skill set that is mountain "running". 35 odd minutes later, I reached the top, I probably ran less than a third of the way if that. Felt way harder than the 5k, which was all out as well.

Kind of reminds me of a segment of a trail called Section Line near Seattle. If not, I understand the feeling. My calves were on fire.

Road Gymnastics wrote:

Stairs are 45 degrees; subway escalators run forever.

My brains tell me that technically literally that doesn't count. Think of the steps of a stairs like a discontinuous function(like a Heavyside step function). A hill slope would be literally like a continuous function, so we can more better define its slope.

I google earth'd it. Gave me a chuckle.

Ideal stairs are 30-37 degrees

The steepest trail I've hiked is the climb out of Cotahuasi canyon in Peru with ~1600m/5248ft of elevation gain over 7.8km. It was eye-wateringly steep, especially at the beginning and near the end, and HOT. There was a small creek, but it was difficult to access so my wife and I carried 5L of water between the two of us. Our mistake was not starting the hike at 4am...

The steepest trail I've "run" on was just this weekend at the Salomon X-Trail half-marathon in Breitnau, Germany. 750m of elevation gain, two huge descents. A portion of the climb out of the Höllental (Hell Valley) was so steep that I didn't see anyone even trying to run. I was so toast that even just walking up was difficult, and I'm still sore 3 days later.

We do lots of them but Helicopter Spur near the Upper Howqua near Mt Stirling Victoria probably is the steepest. You have to pull yourself up by hand. Pretty close to being climb rather than hike but we didn't need ropes. Mt Juliet gets pretty steep and is the steepest run I have done. Only managed to run all the way once back in the 80s. A crisp cover of snow up on the 45-50% section meant I could dig the toes in and maintained some resemblance of a running motion. I normally descend that section in toboggan style. Best not to wear yoir best running shorts.

Plenty of brief rock pullups on many of my hikes/trail runs but the Copter wins the crown because it is sustained pullup hiking.

One good climb near my place is Mt Ida The Hard Way. Gets in the 40+% gradient near the top on the actual track. I often go up off track under some cliffs near the summit. Several sections that require all fours for minutes at a time. Even though I am way padt my Best By date (58 and can't even break 20 for 5 anymore) I can still run all the way up The Hard Way but sometimes it is quicker to fell walk it than run. I was only a 33 min.10 k guy in my day but could out climb 29 min. guys on very, very steep stuff. Some sort of unusual biomechanics perhaps. I am too old weak and fat now though haha.

joecrunner wrote:

I think that is faster than the official race record haha

My run was just up one way the entire length of the street. I think the race record referenced was up and down, but they no longer go down. It is way too dangerous. I can’t imagine racing down that on wobbly legs.

joecrunner wrote:

Around where I live, we have some cool maintained trails that average 25-35%. Even for top runners, it may be difficult or inefficient to maintain a running cadence, similar to certain ultras and mountain races.

What are some of your steep trails you like to do, or hate to do?

I was climbing in Yosemite a number of years ago, one day after 8 hours on various routes decided to go for a run. Saw this trail called the "4 mile trail". Goes from the valley floor to the top of the Glacier Point apron. Nasty, nasty run but very scenic. Switchback after switchback, steep climb with huge elevation change. Was a quad fest on the way down also......and yes I ran the entire trail, however not all that fast. My only goal was not to walk any of it.

There's a trail near me that has a ladder that actually bends backwards, so it's like a 95% incline. BEAT THAT.