Hiking Time Calculator
Knowing how long a hike will take is crucial for safety and enjoyment. This hiking time calculator helps you estimate your route’s total time so you can plan your up-coming adventure wisely.
You don’t want to be caught in the dark miles from your car, especially in winter when the days are short. A good rule of thumb is to plan to finish at least an hour before sunset—giving yourself a buffer in case the hike takes longer than expected.
How to Use This Calculator
This tool helps you figure out roughly how long your hike will take based on four key factors:
- Hike Distance – Use the slider to set the total length of your hike.
- Elevation Gain – Steep hikes take longer! Use the slider to set how much climbing your hike includes.
- Your Hiking Speed – Adjust the pace slider to match how fast you usually hike (1–4 mph). I usually hike around 2 mph, but in deep snow that can drop to 1 mph.
- Trail Conditions – Select whether you’ll be hiking in deep snow or very humid weather—both of which slow you down.
Hiking Time Calculator
The calculator will instantly update and show you an estimated total hiking time. Bookmark this page so you can check your hike times anytime you need to!
How it works…
Curious about the math behind this hiking time calculator? It’s pretty straightforward: distance divided by pace with an extra 30 mins added for every 1000 feet of elevation gain, and then a multiplier for summer days (25% slower) or deep snow (50% slower). That’s it! It should give most people a pretty decent estimate for their hike time. YMMV!
You can read more about hiking pace formulae here.
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