Hiking Time Calculator
Estimate hiking duration using Naismith's Rule and Langmuir corrections. Accounts for distance, elevation gain, pack weight, and terrain difficulty.
Pace Analysis: -- min/km
Vertical Penalty: +-- mins
About
Accurate trip planning is essential for safety in backcountry environments. Underestimating the time required to traverse a route can lead to unplanned night hiking, exhaustion, or exposure to adverse weather conditions. This calculator employs Naismith's Rule, a heuristic developed by Scottish mountaineer William Naismith in 1892, with modern Langmuir corrections to account for fitness and terrain.
The standard Naismith rule assumes a base speed of 5 km/h on flat terrain, adding 1 hour for every 600 m of ascent. However, real-world hiking involves variables such as pack weight (the "burden") and surface resistance (sand, snow, scree). This tool integrates these factors to provide a conservative estimate for moving time and total trip duration.
Formulas
The calculation uses the modified Naismith-Langmuir formula:
Where T is total time, d is distance (km), v is base speed (km/h), ft is the terrain factor (dimensionless, usually ≤ 1.0), h is elevation gain (m), and tb represents break times calculated per interval.
Reference Data
| Terrain Type | Correction Factor (ft) | Impact Description |
|---|---|---|
| Paved / Road | 1.0 | Ideal conditions. No speed loss. |
| Groomed Trail | 1.0 | Standard hiking path. |
| Rough Trail | 0.8 | Roots, rocks, uneven steps. |
| Off-Trail / Bushwhack | 0.6 | Dense vegetation or navigation required. |
| Sand / Loose Gravel | 0.5 | High energy expenditure, significant slippage. |
| Snow (Post-holing) | 0.3 - 0.5 | Extremely slow without flotation gear. |
| Steep Scramble | 0.4 | Requires hands; verticality slows horizontal progress. |
| Heavy Pack (>15kg) | −10% | Additional penalty applied to base speed. |