Are we going to rate the Trail Difficulty?
The 1-4 system:
1. All weather road; 4WD not needed.
1-1/2. Graded road; 4WD may be needed in poor weather.
2. Unimproved or rarely graded road. 4WD or extra clearance needed at times, with no special driving skills required.
2-1/2. Road rarely maintained, 4WD, good clearance, low gears often needed, with some extra care and a bit of driving experience useful.
3. Road in difficult terrain, rarely maintained, 4WD, good clearance, and low gears essential, with some driving skill and daring required.
3-1/2. Road in difficult terrain, probably maintained only by occasional users. Excellent stock truck or utility vehicle required, with considerable driving skill and daring needed.
4. Trail either never bladed or badly eroded. Stock vehicles are in jeopardy. Modifications for improved off-road performance and top driving skills needed.
4+. We can hardly improve on the original description written a few years ago by Jack Bickers: "with driving by World Class Yahoo Jeepers not much concerned with vehicle durability or personal safety." It is common to have as many as 10 percent of the vehicles experience major mechanical failures (gears, axles, driveshafts) on these trails.
The 1-10 system (The Jeep Jamboree version):
1 - 2. Quite mild and may not even require the use of four-wheel drive (4WD).
3 - 4. Moderate trails in which 4WD is required.
5 - 6. You could encounter mud holes, climb over small rocks, and generally experience more difficult four-wheeling conditions.
7 - 9 present the possibility of getting stuck. Mud holes here will be deep and extreme, and the rock climbing will be more arduous.
10 reserved for only one - the Rubicon. Past participants know this rating is justly deserved. You'll do things on this trail that you never thought possible in your Jeep vehicle. The Rubicon is not recommended for Cherokee or Grand Cherokee models.
Yosemite Decimal System:
Class 1. Hiking (driving) on trail.
Class 2. Cross country travel requiring route finding skills.
Class 3. Scrambling on rocks using hands as well as feet (and tires).
Class 4. Climbing on steep terrain requiring (wire) roped belay (a.k.a. winching).
Class 5. Climbing involving technical moves and protective hardware (Pull-Pal).
5.0 to 5.4. There are two hand- and two foot-holds for every move; the holds become progressively smaller as the number increases (two tires in the air - lockers required).
5.5 to 5.6. The two hand- and two footholds are there, obvious to the experienced, but not necessarily so to the beginner.
5.7. The move is missing one hand- or foothold.
5.8. The move is missing two holds of the four, or missing only one but is very strenuous.
5.9. The move has only one reasonable hold which may be for either a foot or a hand.
5.10. No hand- or footholds. The choices are to pretend a hold is there, pray a lot, or go home.
5.11. After thorough inspection you conclude this move is obviously impossible; however, occasionally someone actually accomplishes it. Since there is nothing for a handhold, grab it with both hands.
5.12. The surface is as smooth as glass and vertical. No one has really ever made this move, although a few claim they have.
5.13. This is identical to 5.12 except it is located under overhanging rock