How difficult are the trails?
Interestingly enough, there is actually a recognized system of rating hiking trail difficulty. Accordingly the trails to both the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano are rated as “Class 1 trails – Easy hiking on well maintained trails.” More specifically, both trails are surfaced by hard packed earth and cinders (volcanic gravel.) The trails are wide enough for us to operate our snow plow – wide enough for us to get our maintenance vehicles over. The volcano trail has 3 segments, the first section is mainly level that takes you from the trading post to the base of the mountain. The next section winds up and around the volcano making a gradual incline between 5% and 10% grades. The last third of the trail levels out and into the breach of the cinder cone that was washed out when lava broke out the south side of the cider cone making it easy to see inside without having to climb to the top. The Ice Cave trail is mainly level until you reach the stairway and then 69 steps down into and back out
