About Trail Compass
Open hiking trail directory · plain HTML · no account required
Trail Compass is a hiking trail directory for US national parks, state parks, and major long-distance trail systems. The goal is simple: give hikers a fast, no-friction way to look up a trail's distance, difficulty, elevation gain, and basic local guidance before they head out, and to do it in plain HTML pages that load on weak signal at the trailhead.
Every page on this site is rendered server-side from a structured dataset of 1,099 trails across 112 parks in 38 states. There is no JavaScript framework, no client-side hydration, and no tracking script wedged into the critical path. The result is an extremely fast, bookmarkable, indexable directory.
Where the data comes from
Trail and park data is compiled from publicly available US park and recreation sources, including the National Park Service public park inventory and OpenStreetMap hiking route metadata. Trail descriptions on each page are generated from the underlying structured data — distance, elevation gain, difficulty, route type — combined with general hiking guidance that applies to that class of trail.
Distances and elevation values are best-effort and should be treated as approximate. Always verify current conditions, closures, and permit requirements with the park's official website before your trip.
How to use Trail Compass
- Search from the box at the top of any page — match by trail name, park, or state.
- Browse by difficulty using the navigation: easy, moderate, hard, or expert.
- Browse by location: pick a state, then a park, then a trail.
- Bookmark any trail page and pull it back up offline at the trailhead — pages are small and cache well.
What this site is not
Trail Compass is not a navigation app. It does not provide turn-by-turn GPS directions, live trail conditions, or a trip planner. It is a fast directory and reference. For navigation, current closures, and emergency information, use the official park resources linked from each park page.
Get in touch
If you spot bad data, broken links, or a missing trail, please flag it. Trail Compass is built as an open reference and improves with feedback from the hiking community.