Intermediate +

+ Rating

Some trips fit quite well into one of the above Difficulty Ratings except for one or two aspects of the hike. The ‘+’ symbol next to a difficulty rating signifies an added degree of difficulty. The factors that necessitate this additional rating vary from trip to trip but generally include: a day or two with slightly longer hiking distances, greater elevation change, short sections of trail that present more challenging conditions than the majority of the rest of the trip.