Which is harder, 4C National Recreation Trail or Clouds Rest Trail?

4C National Recreation Trail is the tougher of the two on distance and elevation (20 mi (32 km), 581 ft (177 m) of climbing). See the full side-by-side breakdown.

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4C National Recreation Trail vs Clouds Rest Trail

A side-by-side look at distance, elevation, difficulty and the best time to hike each — so you can pick the right route.

Units

	4C National Recreation Trail	Clouds Rest Trail
Distance	20 mi32 km	9.1 mi15 km
Elevation gain	581 ft177 m	1,965 ft599 m
Typical duration	2 days	1 day
Difficulty	—	—
Route type	Point-to-point	Point-to-point
Network	Regional	Local
Country	United States	United States
Best time to hike	Best months: February, October, November, December	Best from June to September
	map Route & GPX	map Route & GPX

4C National Recreation Trail vs Clouds Rest Trail: which should you hike?

At 20 mi32 km, 4C National Recreation Trail is the longer route — roughly 11.0 mi17 km more than Clouds Rest Trail (9.1 mi15 km). If you want the bigger challenge or a longer trip, that's the one; for a shorter or first multi-day hike, Clouds Rest Trail is the gentler pick. Check the elevation and best-season rows above, then open each route for the full guide and a free GPX download.

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