How to Estimate Travel Times on Foot

Calculating Hiking Travel Times

When you are preparing for a wilderness trip, it is important to be able to judge approximately how long you will be hiking on the trail.  The following information is a general guideline that can help plan your itinerary.

5 km/hr          Good maintained trail free of obstructions               
3-4 km/hr       Trail with some obstructions, some vague spots      
2-3 km/hr        No trail but open terrain                                       
1-<1 km/hr      No trail with forested or obstructed terrain           

Other mitigating factors:

Add 1 hour for every 300m of elevation gained.

Add 15 minutes for every 300m of elevation lost.

Dense forest, dead fall, and slick conditions.  Add more time than you think!

Other mitigating factors that may affect your travel times include: excessive heat, heavy packs, substrate that you are traveling on, and individual walking speeds.  A cautionary tale: do not underestimate the mitigating factors!  To avoid a forest fire I was forced to divert through a 1 km section of forest to reach a fire guard which would have lead us to safety and eventually home.  Under normal circumstances I felt that it would take no more than one hour to travel this 1 km section as it was all downhill.  This has a gross underestimate of time!  It took four hours to travel the mere 1 km because the forest was disgustingly thick and a light rain made the ground very slippery.  Food for thought!