What a 4x4 trail grade actually tells you (and what it doesn't)

A trail grade looks like a precise thing: a number printed next to the route name. In South Africa it is less precise than it looks. We couldn't find a national grading standard that operators are required to follow, and the operators in our trail listings describe difficulty in different ways. Some use numbers, some use words, and some don't grade at all. The grade is the operator's own judgement of its own route.

That doesn't make grades useless. It means you read them as one clue among several, and give more weight to the plainer facts around them.

Numbers without a published scale

SANParks grades the Bedrogfontein 4x4 Trail in Addo Elephant National Park at 2 to 3. The route runs 45 km one way from the Kabouga section towards Darlington, and SANParks says it can easily be travelled within six hours. It also says the route suits only vehicles with 4x4 and low range.

The Marakele 4x4 Eco Trail, on top of the Waterberg, is rated level 3 to 5. SANParks calls it strictly a 4x4 challenge and says 4x4 driving skills are needed.

Neither park page explains what a 2 or a 5 means, or what the top of the scale is. So "3" on one route and "3" on another tell you roughly where each operator thinks its route sits, but not that the two are equally hard. SANParks says Marakele's range of 3 to 5 is due to the challenges on the route, so when a grade is given as a range, plan for the top of it.

Grades in words

Other operators use words. SANParks rates the Caracal Eco Route in Namaqua National Park as easy to moderate, with sandy coastal sections and some steep parts with dongas. CapeNature calls the Zebra Crossing route at Gamkaberg moderate. SANParks describes the short Pienaars Pass Trail in Karoo National Park as challenging and not for beginners.

Some grades are only comparisons. In Mountain Zebra National Park, the Umngeni trail is described as the most demanding of the park's three short trails, harder than Juriesdam and Sonnenrust. That's useful inside the park and tells you little about how it compares with a route somewhere else.

Routes with no grade

Several routes in our listings carry no grade at all, but their descriptions are worth reading as closely as any number. SANParks says the Lebombo Eco Trail in Kruger is not strictly a 4x4 challenge, yet steep inclines and muddy patches need four-wheel drive. CapeNature warns that parts of the Swartberg 4x4 Route are slow going and will test vehicles, drivers and passengers.

The vehicle rules are clearer than the grade

Where an operator sets vehicle requirements, those are usually the most concrete guide to what a route demands, because they're conditions of entry rather than opinions.

Marakele inspects vehicles before departure and requires 4x4 with low range and minimum ground clearance of 240 mm under the rear diff and 330 mm under the front, with no trailers. The Nossob 4x4 Eco Trail in the Kgalagadi requires a 4x4 with high ground clearance and low range, and doesn't allow trailers. For the Baviaanskloof (R332) drive, ECPTA's reserve guide recommends a 4x4 or a 2x4 with diff lock. On the Augrabies Falls trail, SANParks requires at least two 4x4 vehicles travelling together. If your vehicle or group doesn't meet a stated requirement, the grade is irrelevant, because you can't do the route.

Weather changes the route

A grade describes a route in its usual state. Rain changes that. SANParks notes mud after rain on the Mafunyane trail in Kruger, says Mountain Zebra's short 4x4 trails may close in wet weather, and says sections of the Caracal Eco Route may close in the wet and flower season. A route graded moderate in dry conditions can be a lot harder after a storm. Phone the reserve before you go if the weather has turned.

Remoteness and group rules

How far you are from help also changes how hard a route feels. The Nossob trail is roughly 300 km from the start to the next fuel, and trailists must be fully self-sufficient. The Swartberg 4x4 Route allows a minimum of two and a maximum of four vehicles. These rules exist because a breakdown on a remote route is a bigger problem than the same breakdown near a rest camp. Our recovery basics guide covers the kit to carry.

How to use a grade

Start with the vehicle requirements and confirm you meet every one. Then read the route description for words like steep, sand, mud, dongas, river crossings and low range. Treat the grade as the operator's summary of those facts, and assume the top of any range applies. If it's your first trail, pick one the operator describes as easy or moderate, or a guided eco trail where a ranger or guide leads the group, and phone the reserve to ask about current conditions before you set off.