Which is harder, Catoctin National Recreation Trail or Upper Gray Wolf River 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.

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Catoctin National Recreation Trail vs Upper Gray Wolf River 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	Upper Gray Wolf River Trail
Distance	27 mi43 km	11.0 mi19 km
Elevation gain	3,655 ft1,114 m	3,973 ft1,211 m
Typical duration	2 days	2 days
Difficulty	—	—
Route type	Point-to-point	Point-to-point
Network	Regional	Regional
Country	United States	United States
Best time to hike	Best from October to October	Best from July to July
	map Route & GPX	map Route & GPX

Catoctin National Recreation Trail vs Upper Gray Wolf River Trail: which should you hike?

At 27 mi43 km, Catoctin National Recreation Trail is the longer route — roughly 15.0 mi24 km more than Upper Gray Wolf River Trail (11.0 mi19 km). If you want the bigger challenge or a longer trip, that's the one; for a shorter or first multi-day hike, Upper Gray Wolf River 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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