For very tough conditions, drop multiple fitness levels. If conditions are tough, then drop a fitness level. You can also adjust based on terrain or weather.
Note that the rule is made assuming that you will be hiking on a trail or footpath of some kind, and the hike will be of moderate difficulty.Īllow 20 minutes for every 1 mile forward PLUS 60 minutes for every 2000 feet of ascentįor example, the Phelps Lake trail in the Grand Tetons is 4.7 miles and has an elevation gain of 965 feet. Even though some hikers have come up with their own modifications to the rule, it is still one of the most common guidelines used to calculate how long a hike will take. Naismith’s Rule was devised by a Swedish hiker in the 1890s to calculate how long a hike would take. Don’t forget to add time for breaks to these calculations. If you are hiking with a heavy pack, then calculate 30 minutes for each mile plus 60 minutes for every 1,000 feet of ascent. If you are fairly fit and the conditions are mild (no snow, ice, or slick mud), expect it to take 20 minutes for each mile plus 60 minutes for every 2,000 feet of ascent. Now I’ve learned my lesson and always use this formula to calculate how long a hike will take. We were lucky that no one sprained their ankles while walking in the dark. Once, this resulted in my group arriving at base camp after nightfall. When I first started going hiking and backpacking, I was really bad at calculating how long the hike would take.