Hiking Time Calculator
Work out how long a hike will take, when you will finish, and whether you have enough daylight. Built on Naismith's rule, with adjustments for terrain, pack weight and breaks.
Daylight check
Comfortable daylightYou should be back around 10:45, roughly 7h 15m before the daylight cut-off. That leaves room for a slower group or a longer lunch.
What to pay attention to
- Add 15–20% on top for photo stops, map checks and regrouping with a group.
Estimates only. Naismith's rule is a planning baseline — weather, navigation mistakes and group pace can add a lot. Always tell someone your route and carry a headlamp.
How this is calculated
Naismith's rule gives one hour for every 5 km walked and one extra hour for every 600 m climbed. Your pace choice sets the flat speed, then terrain and pack weight apply a multiplier. Break time is added on top of moving time.
The rule is deliberately simple, which makes it a good baseline for planning. It does not account for altitude, heat, snow or very steep descents — all of which slow a real group down.
- Relaxed pace is about 4 km/h — a conversational group with a day pack.
- Steady pace is about 5 km/h — the Naismith standard.
- Fast pace is about 5.8 km/h — a fit hiker on good trail, minimal stops.
Want the reasoning and a worked example? Read How to Calculate Hiking Time.