Choosing a walk: track grades explained

Choosing the right walk is the single most important safety decision you'll make before you leave home. A track that's a pleasant stroll for a fit, experienced walker can be exhausting or dangerous for a beginner, a child or someone carrying an injury. This guide explains the Australian track grades, what to look for in a walk description and how to plan a day that everyone in your group will enjoy.

This guide is general information written in our own words, based on the official sources listed at the end. Track conditions, closures, fire danger and safety advice change, and rules differ between parks and states, so always check current park alerts and the managing agency's advice before you go. It is not a substitute for first aid training or local knowledge. In an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).

Start with your group, not the destination

It's tempting to pick a walk because of a famous view or a photo you've seen. A better starting point is the people walking with you. NSW National Parks advises walkers to go at the pace of the slowest person, not to overestimate their abilities and to make sure everyone is comfortable with the planned route. Think about fitness, experience, age, any medical conditions or injuries, and how everyone copes with heat, heights and uneven ground.

Ask yourself honestly: has everyone in the group done a walk of this length and steepness recently? If not, choose something shorter or easier, and build up. There will always be another day for the harder walk.

The Australian Walking Track Grading System

Many Australian parks agencies describe their walks using the Australian Walking Track Grading System. It runs from Grade 1 to Grade 5, and each grade describes the experience needed and the conditions you can expect. In broad terms, as described by parks agencies:

• Grade 1: no bushwalking experience required. A flat, even surface with no steps or steep sections, suitable for wheelchair users with assistance. Usually up to about 5 km.
• Grade 2: no bushwalking experience required. A hardened or compacted track that may have gentle hills and occasional steps. Usually up to about 10 km.
• Grade 3: some bushwalking experience recommended. Tracks may have short steep hills, a rough surface and many steps. Usually up to about 20 km.
• Grade 4: bushwalking experience recommended. Tracks may be long, rough and very steep, with directional signage that may be limited.
• Grade 5: for very experienced bushwalkers with specialised skills, including navigation and emergency first aid. Tracks are likely to be very rough, very steep and unmarked, and walks may be more than 20 km.

Grades describe the hardest section of a walk. A mostly gentle track with one steep, rocky climb will usually carry the higher grade, so read the whole description.

Reading a walk description

Official walk pages usually give a distance, an estimated time, a grade and notes about the terrain. Read them carefully, and look for:

• Whether the distance is one-way or return. A "5 km one-way" walk is 10 km if you have to walk back to the car.
• Elevation and steps. A short walk with hundreds of steps down into a gorge means hundreds of steps back up at the end of the day, when you're tired.
• Surface. Sand, loose rock, mud and tree roots slow you down and increase the chance of a fall.
• Water crossings. Creeks that are easy to cross in dry weather can become impassable after rain.
• Facilities. Toilets, drinking water and phone coverage are often absent, and NSW National Parks notes that walking tracks are not always signposted or maintained.
• Park alerts. Closures for fire, flood, track damage or pest control are posted on agency websites and apps.

Estimating time realistically

Walking times given on signs and websites are estimates for a reasonably fit walker in good conditions. Allow extra time for breaks, photos, lunch, heat, wet tracks, children and the slowest person in the group. Plan to finish well before dark, and work out a turnaround time: the time at which you'll turn back regardless of whether you've reached your goal. Sticking to it is one of the simplest ways to avoid walking out in the dark.

Weather and season

Season changes everything. A coastal walk that's perfect in spring can be dangerously hot and exposed in summer, and an alpine walk that's easy in late summer can be snow-covered in winter. NSW National Parks advises checking weather forecasts and park alerts before you go, and warns that weather conditions can change rapidly. In the warmer months, check the fire danger rating too; our heat and fire danger guide explains what each level means for walkers.

Choosing your first walks

If you're new to bushwalking, start with well-used Grade 1 and 2 tracks close to help, ideally with a loop or a clear return route. Short walks let you test your footwear, learn how much water you drink and find out how your group copes with hills. As your confidence grows, try longer Grade 3 walks before considering anything harder. Walking clubs are a good way to gain experience with people who know the area.

When to choose a different walk

Change your plans if the forecast is very hot, stormy or windy, if there's a high fire danger rating, if a creek is in flood, or if anyone in the group is unwell. Turning back is never a failure. NSW National Parks recommends walking in groups of three or more, so that in an emergency one person can wait with an injured walker while another gets help.

Telling someone your plan

Once you've chosen your walk, tell someone responsible where you're going, your route and when you expect to be back. In NSW you can do this with an online trip intention form. Our bushwalk safety basics guide explains how.

Use our pack list

Our free pack list builds a checklist from the type of walk and the conditions you choose, such as hot weather, cold or alpine areas, remote walks without phone coverage and walking with children. It is based on NSW National Parks' bushwalking safety advice, runs entirely in your browser, and nothing you choose is sent anywhere.

Where our information comes from

Factual statements in our guides are based on official and expert sources, including NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, healthdirect, the Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation, St John Ambulance, the Australian Fire Danger Rating System, the NSW Rural Fire Service, the Bureau of Meteorology, Leave No Trace Australia and Parks and Wildlife Service Tasmania. We link to each source at the end of the page and write everything in our own words.

Conditions change

Tracks close for fire, flood, storm damage, maintenance and pest control, and conditions can change quickly. Safety advice and park rules are also updated from time to time, and they differ between states and parks. Treat our guides as a starting point, and always check current park alerts, the weather forecast and the fire danger rating with the managing agency before you go.

Other states and territories

Our examples often draw on NSW National Parks advice, because it is detailed and clearly written, but every state and territory has its own parks agency, rules and safety information. Before walking in another state, check that agency's website for park alerts, bookings, fire and camping rules, and any trip registration options.

Learn first aid and navigation

Two skills make the biggest difference for regular walkers: first aid and navigation. A recognised first aid course teaches you how to manage injuries, snakebite and medical emergencies until help arrives. Navigation skills, including reading a topographic map and using a compass, help you stay on route when signs are missing or your phone fails. Walking clubs often run navigation training.

Key points

• The Australian Walking Track Grading System runs from Grade 1 (no experience needed) to Grade 5 (very experienced walkers).
• Choose a walk for the slowest, least experienced person in your group.
• Check whether distances are one-way or return, and look at steps, surface and water crossings.
• Set a turnaround time and finish well before dark.
• Check the weather, park alerts and fire danger before you go.