Hiking time calculator
How long a hike takes from its distance and climbing, when to start, and how cold it is at the top.
How it’s worked out
Naismith’s rule: 1 hour per 3 miles (5 km), plus 1 hour per 2,000 ft (600 m) of climbing, then adjusted for your pace, your pack and the trail, with breaks added on top. Steep descents aren’t faster than the flat, so the way down is counted at flat pace.
| Hike | Walking time, moderate pace |
|---|---|
| 3 mi, 500 ft | 1 h 15 min |
| 5 mi, 1,000 ft | 2 h 10 min |
| 8 mi, 2,000 ft | 3 h 40 min |
| 10 mi, 3,000 ft | 4 h 50 min |
| 14 mi, 5,000 ft | 7 h 10 min |
Before a big day
- Set a turnaround time and keep to it, summit or not. The top is halfway.
- Pack for the top, not the trailhead: it’s about 3.5°F colder per 1,000 ft and windier, and you’ll stop moving up there.
- Afternoon thunderstorms build over mountains in summer. Aim to be off summits and ridges by early afternoon.
- Carry a light whenever your finish is within a couple of hours of sunset.
With the real forecast
Upload the hike’s GPX to Route Forecast and choose Hike: it times the route from its actual profile and shows the weather you’ll meet along it, the temperature at the high point when you get there, sunset, and what to bring. Open a route.
Questions
How long does it take to hike 5 miles?
On easy ground with little climbing, about 1 hour 40 minutes at a steady 3 mph, or 2 hours with short stops. Add 30 minutes for every 1,000 feet of climbing: 5 miles with 2,000 feet of gain is about 2 hours 40 minutes of walking, plus breaks.
What is Naismith’s rule?
A Scottish mountaineer’s rule from 1892: allow 1 hour for every 3 miles (5 km), plus 1 hour for every 2,000 feet (600 m) of climbing. It’s for a fit walker on good trail without stops, so most people add time for breaks, a heavy pack or rough ground.
How much colder is it at the top of a mountain?
About 3.5°F for every 1,000 feet you climb (6.5°C per 1,000 m) on an average day, and it’s usually windier. A 3,000-foot climb from a 60°F trailhead means around 50°F on top before wind chill.
What time should I start a hike?
Take sunset, subtract your total time, then subtract a margin of at least an hour. On big days set a turnaround time at the halfway point of your daylight and keep to it.