How walking tracks are rated

Look out for the following grade symbols online, on visitor guides and signs to let you know what to expect on the hike you are interested in and choose one that is a match for you.

  Grade 1: No bushwalking experience required. Flat even surface with no steps or steep sections. Suitable for assisted wheelchair users.

  Grade 2: No bushwalking experience required. A hardened or compacted surface which may have gentle hill sections or occasional steps. Walks up to 10km.

  Grade 3: Suitable for most ages and fitness levels. Tracks may have short steep sections, a rough surface and many steps. Walks up to 20km.

  Grade 4: Bushwalking experience recommended. Tracks may be long, rough and very steep. Directional signage may be limited.

  Grade 5: Very experienced bushwalkers with specialised skills, including navigation and emergency first aid. Tracks likely to be very rough, very steep and unmarked.

These track grades are part of the Australian Walking Track Grading System (AWTGS). This system assesses how difficult a walk is by considering the experience required, steps, how steep it is, quality of the path surface, and signage. A walk’s final grade is the based on the most difficult of these five criteria, rather than an average of them all.