Hiking Time Calculator: How Long Will This Hike Take?
How long a hike takes, and when to turn around.
6 miles out and back · 1,200 ft of climb
About 2 h 36 min of hikingBy Naismith’s rule, for 6 miles and 1,200 ft of climb. Shenandoah rates it Moderately Strenuous: at its 1.3 mph, 4 h 37 min. Add your breaks.
- Naismith’s rule
- 2 h 36 min
- Shenandoah’s pace
- 4 h 37 min
- Tobler’s function
- 2 h 8 min
- Back by
- 10:36 am
Back before dark?
A 6-mile hike with 1,200 ft of climb takes about 2 h 36 min by Naismith’s rule: an hour for every 3 miles, plus an hour for every 2,000 ft of ascent. At Shenandoah National Park’s slower average pace it is 4 h 37 min. Add a start time and the sunset to see when to turn around.
How to use it
Type the whole distance (there and back, for an out-and-back trail) and the total elevation gain from the trail map or app, then choose out and back or a loop. Add a start time, and the sunset (or tap Find today’s sunset here): the answer says when you will be back and, on an out-and-back trail, the latest time to turn around. Switch to kilometres and metres and the metric version of the rule is used. Copy the link to send the plan to whoever is hiking with you.
Three ways to time a hike
Naismith’s rule (1892) allows one hour for every three miles walked, plus one hour for every 2,000 ft of ascent. In metric, that’s one hour for every five kilometres and one hour for every 600 metres of ascent. It’s moving time for a fit walker, with no breaks, and it gives nothing for coming down.
Shenandoah National Park’s pace. The park rates each hike by its distance and climb: elevation gain × 2 × distance in miles, and the square root of that is the rating. It gives an average pace for each rating, from 1.5 miles per hour on the easiest trails to 1.2 mph on strenuous and very strenuous trails. Treat it as a rough guide: the time doesn’t count your own fitness, or any time you spend exploring, resting or just looking around.
Tobler’s hiking function (1993) sets a speed for every slope. On footpaths in hilly terrain, your walking speed in km/h is 6 × e−3.5 × |S + 0.05|, where S is the slope (the rise over the run, both in the same units). On flat ground that comes to 5 km/h. Here the climb is spread evenly over the way up and the descent over the way down, so a gentle descent comes out faster than the flat and a steep one slower.
Hiking times by distance and climb
| Hike (out and back) | Naismith’s rule | Shenandoah’s rating | At its pace | Tobler |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 mi, 0 ft | 40 min | Easiest (0) | 1 h 20 min | 38 min |
| 3 mi, 500 ft | 1 h 15 min | Moderate (54.8) | 2 h 9 min | 1 h 1 min |
| 4 mi, 800 ft | 1 h 44 min | Moderate (80) | 2 h 51 min | 1 h 25 min |
| 5 mi, 1,000 ft | 2 h 10 min | Moderate (100) | 3 h 34 min | 1 h 47 min |
| 6 mi, 1,200 ft | 2 h 36 min | Moderately Strenuous (120) | 4 h 37 min | 2 h 8 min |
| 8 mi, 2,000 ft | 3 h 40 min | Strenuous (178.9) | 6 h 40 min | 3 h 2 min |
| 10 mi, 2,200 ft | 4 h 26 min | Very Strenuous (209.8) | 8 h 20 min | 3 h 39 min |
| 12 mi, 3,000 ft | 5 h 30 min | Very Strenuous (268.3) | 10 h | 4 h 33 min |
Moving time only: add your breaks, photos and lunch.
Worked examples
A Shenandoah example. A 10-mile hike that gains 2,200 ft scores 209.8, the square root of 44,000, so the park rates it Very Strenuous and its pace gives 8 h 20 min. Naismith’s rule says 4 h 26 min: the gap is your breaks, your fitness and the rocks.
How long to hike a mile. On the flat, 20 min by Naismith’s 3 mph, and 40 min at Shenandoah’s easiest pace of 1.5 mph.
How long to hike 5 miles. On the flat, 1 h 40 min by Naismith and 3 h 20 min at Shenandoah’s easiest pace; with 1,000 ft of climb Naismith says 2 h 10 min.
In kilometres. 10 km with 700 m of climb: 3 h 10 min by the metric rule (5 km an hour, plus an hour for each 600 m).
Common mistakes
- Typing the one-way distance of an out-and-back trail. Trail signs and maps often give it one way; the time is for all of it.
- Forgetting the breaks. Every figure here is moving time. It doesn’t include your fitness, exploring, resting or just looking around.
- Starting late on a hot day. Most people who need emergency medical help in the Grand Canyon for heat illness are hiking between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and hikers can lose one or two quarts (liters) of water per hour.
- Cutting the turnaround close. Light goes before sunset under trees and in canyons; turn around with time to spare.
Plan the hike
Read our beginner hiking tips, hiking safety, the best sunrise hikes, waterfall hikes and hiking with your dog. Then check the sunset with the Golden Hour Calculator, the climb with What Is My Elevation? and the altitude with the Altitude Sickness Planner.
FAQ
How long does it take to hike a mile?
About 20 min on the flat by Naismith’s rule (3 mph), and 40 min at Shenandoah National Park’s easiest average pace (1.5 mph). Climbing adds time: Naismith gives an extra hour for every 2,000 ft.
How long does it take to hike 5 miles?
1 h 40 min on the flat by Naismith’s rule, or 3 h 20 min at Shenandoah’s easiest pace. With 1,000 ft of climb, Naismith says 2 h 10 min.
What is Naismith’s rule?
A Scottish mountaineer’s rule from 1892 for walking time: one hour for every three miles (five kilometres), plus one hour for every 2,000 ft (600 m) of ascent. Ordnance Survey still uses it.
How do you calculate hiking time with elevation gain?
Add time for the climb to the time for the distance: Naismith adds an hour per 2,000 ft. Shenandoah National Park folds the climb into a difficulty rating, the square root of gain × 2 × miles, and gives a slower pace for harder ratings.
What is a good hiking pace?
Shenandoah’s averages run from 1.5 mph on its easiest trails to 1.2 mph on strenuous ones, breaks not included. Naismith’s 3 mph is a brisk walk on level ground.
When should I turn around on a hike?
At the latest when the time left before sunset is the time the way back takes. Enter your start, the sunset and the trail above, and the calculator gives that turnaround time.
Sources
- Ordnance Survey: Naismith’s rule
- Shenandoah National Park: its difficulty rating and paces
- Tobler’s hiking function (1993)
- Grand Canyon National Park: water on a hot day