Difficulty Level	Description	Suitability	Recommended Equipment
Grade 0	The trail is flat and has good facilities. The slope is gentle and suitable for wheelchairs and children’s strollers.	Suitable for all ages, wheelchair users, and children’s strollers.	Water, hiking snacks, rain gear, mobile phone.
Grade 1	The trail is well maintained with facilities in good conditions, and it features guiding resources and a gentle slope. A normal itinerary takes half a day to one day to complete.	Walkers.	Water, hiking snacks, rain gear, mobile phone.
Grade 2	The trail is well maintained with facilities in good conditions, but the slope has slight undulations, and there are potential risks due to unpredictable weather. A normal itinerary can be completed within one day.	People with average to good physical fitness.	Water, hiking snacks, rain gear, mobile phone, warm clothing, backpack.
Grade 3	The trail is located in a relatively remote mountainous area. The path is clearly formed but some slopes are very steep. There are potential risks due to unpredictable weather. A normal itinerary can be completed in one to three days.	People with good physical fitness who have the ability to read basic maps, carry heavy loads while walking, assess risks, and respond to emergencies.	Refer to Table 2 to bring the necessary camping or forced bivouac equipment based on your itinerary.
Grade 4	The trail is located in a remote mountainous area. The path is formed, but parts of the terrain are rugged, and there are potential risks due to unpredictable weather. A normal itinerary can be completed in three to five days, or within three days if the trail features challenging terrain.	People with good physical fitness who have the ability to read maps, carry heavy loads while walking, survive in the wilderness, assess risks, and respond to emergencies.	Refer to Table 2 to bring the necessary camping and related technical/climbing equipment based on your itinerary.
Grade 5	The trail is located in a remote mountainous area, and the path is relatively unformed. There are potential high risks due to rugged terrain and unpredictable weather. A normal itinerary takes three to five or more days to complete, and preparations for challenging terrain must be made.	People with excellent physical fitness who have the ability to read maps, carry heavy loads while walking, survive in the wilderness, assess risks, and respond to emergencies.	Refer to Table 2 to bring the necessary camping and related technical/climbing equipment based on your itinerary.
Grade 6	A Grade 3 to 5 trail covered in snow (ice). Special routes, such as routes that are not established, unformed mountainous tracks without defined roadbeds or paths, remnants of ancient trails, or trails that require specialized exploration or climbing skills.	People familiar with snow mountaineering or those who have the necessary technical/climbing skills.	Refer to Table 2 to bring the necessary camping and related technical/climbing equipment based on your itinerary.

Note 1: The estimated number of days is based on the average itinerary and is provided as a reference. If you decide to shorten the itinerary, please make sure to improve your fitness level and assess risks.

Note 2: Before embarking on high altitude mountain trails, please make necessary preparations and itinerary plan in advance, pay attention to whether you are suffering from altitude sickness, and establish a turning point to retreat if necessary.

Equipment checklist for individuals and groups

Equipment for individuals: please check off items according to your itinerary; items in bold are snow mountaineering essentials

	Basic Equipment	□	Lighter / candles / tinder	□	Carabiners (number:__)
□	Large backpack	□	Toilet paper / tissues / paper towels	□	*Mountaineering rope (__mm__meters)**
□	Backpack rain cover	□	Compass / GPS / mobile phone (with extra power source)	□	Webbing(__mm__metersnumber:__)
□	Small backpack (packable backpack)	□	Maps (topographic maps are recommended)	□	Prusik cords (__mm__metersnumber:__)
□	Sleeping bag (down or hollow fiber are recommended)	□	Altimeter	□	Descender (figure 8, ATC, etc.)
□	Sleeping pad (inflatable pads or foam pads are recommended for snow season)	□	Water bottle / water storage bag / thermos	□	Ascender
□	Hiking shoes / rain boots (please don’t wear rain boots during snow season)	□	Bushcraft knife / Multi-tool / paring knife	□	Ice axe
□	Warm hat	□	Personal medications / first aid kit	□	Crampons
□	Sun hat	□	Personal stove (including gas canisters)	□	Seat / full-body harness
□	Headwear/towel	□	Cooking and eating utensils (pots, bowls, cups, chopsticks)	□	Glacier sunglasses / sunglasses
□	Moisture-wicking clothing/ moisture-wicking shirts	□	Bivouac sack / personal tent		Other Items
□	Warm clothing	□	tarp/footprint	□	Camera (with extra batteries)
□	Rainwear (jacket & pants)	□	Survival whistle	□	Tripod
□	Warm work gloves /waterproof work gloves	□	Leg dressings	□	Lightweight sandals
□	Moisture-wicking socks /warm socks	□	Trekking pole (a pair is recommended)	□	Waist pack / flex gear bag
□	Headlamp (with extra batteries)	□	Paper (waterproof is recommended) / pen	□	Water shoes
□	National identification card and national health insurance card	□	Mountain/national park entry permit	□	Sanitation trowel
□	Mobile phone / radio / satellite phone	□	Plastic bags	□	Radio
□	Spare glasses / glasses straps	□	Trail snacks (__ grams*__ days)	□	Mobile power bank
□	Spare clothes		Technical / Snow Equipment	□	Menstrual products
□	Sun protection items and lip balm	□	Helmet	□	Sewing kit

Equipment for groups: please check off items according to your itinerary; items in bold are snow mountaineering essentials

	Basic Equipment		Water storage bag (__L*number__)	□	Topographic maps
□	Tent (including outer tent, guy ropes, stakes, poles)	□	Lighter / candles / tinder	□	Sewing kit
□	tarp/footprint	□	Mountain/national park entry permit	□	Radio
□	VHF/UHF walkie-talkie	□	LED/gas lantern (including extra lamp wicks)		Technical / Snow Equipment
□	Satellite phone	□	Cleaning products (tea powder, soybean powder are recommended)	□	*Mountaineering rope (__mm__metersnumber:__)*
□	Food (number of days:__)	□	Trash bags	□	Carabiners (number:__)
□	Spare food(number of meals:__)	□	First aid kit	□	*Webbing(__mm__metersnumber:__)*
□	Gas/liquid fuel stoves (number:__)	□	Bushcraft knife / saw	□	*Prusik cords (__mm__metersnumber:__)*
□	Gas canisters (number:__) / fuel (__liters)	□	Sanitation trowel	□	Ice hammer / ice screws
□	Cooking utensils (including ladles, spoons, plates, pot lifters, windscreens)	□	Altimeter	□	Rock hammer / rock pitons

Taroko National Park World Wide Web-English VersionTaroko National Park World Wide Web-English Version

Trail classification system

National park trail classification system

Equipment checklist for individuals and groups

Taroko National Park World Wide Web-English Version