Trail Gradient Calculator
Convert horizontal distance and elevation change into grade, angle and rise-to-run ratio.
What would you like to do next?
Translate mapped elevation change into an average slope
Enter horizontal distance and elevation gain in metric or Imperial units. The calculator normalizes the measurements, divides vertical change by horizontal run for percentage grade, converts that ratio to an angle and estimates straight slope distance. A negative elevation value represents an average descent.
Average grade can hide short steep sections
A route that climbs and descends within the selected segment can have a small net change while still containing difficult slopes. Map distance may follow the trail surface rather than a perfect horizontal run, and elevation data has resolution limits. Inspect a detailed profile and current route information instead of treating the average as the maximum grade.
Frequently asked questions
What does a negative grade mean?
It means the endpoint is lower than the start for the segment entered.
Is trail distance the same as horizontal run?
Not always. Use a mapped horizontal distance when available for the defined grade formula.
Does this find the steepest section?
No. It calculates only the average over the full segment.