How long does it take to hike a mile?

About 20 minutes on flat ground by Naismith’s rule (3 miles an hour), plus 30 minutes for every 1,000 feet you climb. A mile with 500 feet of climbing takes about 35 min.

How long does it take to hike 5 miles?

About 1 h 40 min on flat ground, before breaks. With 1,500 feet of climbing it is about 2 h 25 min.

How many calories does hiking burn?

Calories = MET × body weight in kg × hours. The 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities gives hiking with a daypack 7.8 MET, so a 70 kg (154 lb) hiker on a 5-mile hike with 1,000 feet of gain (2 h 10 min) burns roughly 1,180 kcal.

How accurate is Naismith’s rule?

It is a planning rule, not a promise. It assumes a fit walker, a reasonable trail and no breaks. Rough or snowy ground, a heavy pack, steep descents and group pace all add time, so use the pace setting and add your breaks.

Hiking Time Calculator

Enter the distance and elevation gain to estimate how long a hike takes and how many calories it burns. The time uses Naismith’s rule: 3 miles an hour plus an hour for every 2,000 feet you climb.

Moving time

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With breaks

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Calories burned

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How long does a hike take? Naismith times

Moving time by distance and total climb, before breaks, at Naismith pace.

Distance	Flat	500 ft gain	1,000 ft gain	2,000 ft gain	3,000 ft gain
1 mi	20 min	35 min	50 min	1 h 20 min	1 h 50 min
2 mi	40 min	55 min	1 h 10 min	1 h 40 min	2 h 10 min
3 mi	1 h	1 h 15 min	1 h 30 min	2 h	2 h 30 min
5 mi	1 h 40 min	1 h 55 min	2 h 10 min	2 h 40 min	3 h 10 min
8 mi	2 h 40 min	2 h 55 min	3 h 10 min	3 h 40 min	4 h 10 min
10 mi	3 h 20 min	3 h 35 min	3 h 50 min	4 h 20 min	4 h 50 min

How the calculator works

Time. William Naismith’s 1892 rule allows one hour per three miles plus an extra hour per 2,000 feet of ascent (Naismith’s rule). The pace setting scales that time for your own speed, and breaks are added as minutes per hour of walking.

Calories. Energy = MET × body weight (kg) × hours. The MET values are from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: normal pace, no load 5.3 (code 17082), hiking cross country 6 (code 17080), hiking with a daypack 7.8 (code 17012) (Compendium, walking codes). Calories use moving time, not breaks.

Every trail guide on Summit Seeker shows this estimate for its own route, using the checked distance and gain. Find hikes near you.

More: how long it takes to hike a mile (and why Park Service times run about twice Naismith) and calories burned hiking by weight.

Common questions

How long does it take to hike a mile?: About 20 minutes on flat ground by Naismith’s rule (3 miles an hour), plus 30 minutes for every 1,000 feet you climb. A mile with 500 feet of climbing takes about 35 min.
How long does it take to hike 5 miles?: About 1 h 40 min on flat ground, before breaks. With 1,500 feet of climbing it is about 2 h 25 min.
How many calories does hiking burn?: Calories = MET × body weight in kg × hours. The 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities gives hiking with a daypack 7.8 MET, so a 70 kg (154 lb) hiker on a 5-mile hike with 1,000 feet of gain (2 h 10 min) burns roughly 1,180 kcal.
How accurate is Naismith’s rule?: It is a planning rule, not a promise. It assumes a fit walker, a reasonable trail and no breaks. Rough or snowy ground, a heavy pack, steep descents and group pace all add time, so use the pace setting and add your breaks.