Like terrain that’s tough for gardeners and hikers crossword clue
38 Down · WSJ Crossword, September 30, 2026 · 5 letters
Explanation
The answer to “Like terrain that’s tough for gardeners and hikers” is ROOTY. It appears as 38 Down in the Wall Street Journal crossword of September 30, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle titled “Classical Symmetry” by Kathleen Diamantakis & Jeff Chen, and it fills 5 squares running top to bottom from row 7, column 12 of the 15×15 grid.
The clue is a straightforward definition, so the answer is a direct synonym or a factual match for the words as written. The entry begins with R and ends with Y, and contains 2 vowels and 3 consonants. If you are working from the crossings, two or three confirmed letters from the Across entries should be enough to lock it in. Wednesday puzzles sit mid-week on the difficulty curve, so expect the rest of this grid to be pitched at the same level.
Past appearances
ROOTY has not appeared as an answer in any other WSJ puzzle in our index, which runs from May 2026 onward. It will be listed here the next time it turns up.