Which is harder, Catoctin National Recreation Trail or Clouds Rest Trail?

Catoctin National Recreation Trail is the tougher of the two on distance and elevation (27 mi (43 km), 3,655 ft (1,114 m) of climbing). See the full side-by-side breakdown.

Home › Trails › Catoctin National Recreation Trail vs Clouds Rest Trail

Catoctin 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

	Catoctin National Recreation Trail	Clouds Rest Trail
Distance	27 mi43 km	9.1 mi15 km
Elevation gain	3,655 ft1,114 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 from October to October	Best from June to September
	map Route & GPX	map Route & GPX

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

At 27 mi43 km, Catoctin National Recreation Trail is the longer route — roughly 18 mi28 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.

More comparisons