Difficulty Rating
All trails at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park have been classified as either easy, moderate, or difficult based on the hardest portion of the trail. As such, a trail described as “easy” will be easy all the way through while a trail rated “difficult” may have sections that are easy or moderate in addition to the difficult section(s) responsible for its rating. The following explains what is considered easy, moderate, and difficult.
Easy
- The trail surface is generally even and easy to walk on
- The trail is fairly flat with gentle inclines
- Natural obstacles such as water crossings, boulders, and ledges can easily be navigated (infrastructure may be in place to help this)
Moderate
- The trail surface is variable and requires good balance and dexterity
- The trail includes moderate to steep inclines and requires a good level of fitness
- Natural obstacles such as water crossings, boulders, and ledges must be navigated with caution
Difficult
- The trail surface varies widely and requires good balance and dexterity
- The trail includes steep inclines and requires a high level of fitness
- Natural obstacles such as water crossings, boulders, and ledges must be navigated with caution and require sound judgment, physical fitness, balance, and dexterity
Suggested Time
The times listed to complete each trail are suggestions based on a brisk but comfortable hiking pace. These times account for the assigned difficulty level; however, they don’t account for any long breaks so be sure to add extra time if you plan to stop for food or to admire the scenery. You’ll quickly be able to tell how you need to adjust the times listed in on this blog to suit your hiking style and/or fitness level once you’ve hiked a trail or two and compare the suggested times to your own.
Hike Categories
Short Day Hikes
A short hike is any trail or route under 10 km.
Full Day Hike
A full day hike is any trail or route that is over 10 km.
Multi-Day Trips
A multi-day trip is any trail or route meant to be hiked in more than one day.
Route Types
Out-and-Back
In out-and-back routes, a trail or multiple trails are hiked in their entirety twice from the same start and end location. In other words, you head out and then retrace your steps back. This is the most common type of route at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Return distances account for the total distance of an out-and-back route.
Loop
In a loop, a trail or series of trails is traveled only once from the same start and end location. Some loops may have out-and-back components at the start/end, but a portion of the route will always be traveled only once.
Linear
Linear routes, or point-to-point routes, consists of a trail or multiple trails that starts and ends in two different locations. Linear trails can be hiked as out-and-back routes and can sometimes be part of a loop route.