Average walking speed
Average walking speed gives you a starting point for comparing how quickly you move on foot, but a single pace will not suit every walker or route. The figures below describe broad everyday walking bands rather than a promise of how fast you will travel on a particular path. Speed is shown in metres per second, miles per hour and kilometres per hour so you can use whichever unit is most familiar. Age, fitness, terrain, the weight you carry, weather and walking companions can all affect your pace. Treat the figures as a guide to your own comfortable rhythm, not as a target you must maintain.
Typical figures
For a useful comparison, the table separates a slower pace from a comfortable adult pace and a brisk pace. The comfortable range is consistent with usual adult gait speeds reviewed by Bohannon and Williams Andrews (2011); the brisk band is an approximate walking category represented in the Compendium of Physical Activities by Ainsworth and colleagues (2011).
| Pace | Metres per second | Miles per hour | Kilometres per hour | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slow | Below 1.2 m/s | Below about 2.7 mph | Below about 4.3 km/h | Below the lower edge of the comfortable range |
| Comfortable adult pace | 1.2–1.4 m/s | About 2.7–3.1 mph | About 4.3–5 km/h | Usual adult gait-speed review: Bohannon and Williams Andrews (2011) |
| Brisk | About 1.56–1.79 m/s | About 3.5–4 mph | About 5.6–6.4 km/h | Approximate brisk walking band: Ainsworth et al. (2011) |
Conversions are rounded from the stated speeds using the mile and kilometre conversion factors in NIST Special Publication 811 (2008). The slow band is a comparison category below the comfortable range, not a separate research-defined standard.
For an initial walking speed estimate, use the comfortable band if you expect a steady, sustainable pace; the brisk band is more suitable when you naturally walk quickly on level ground.
What affects your pace
Your pace can change substantially between walks, even when the distance stays the same. Consider these influences when choosing a realistic speed for yourself.
- Age: Walking speed often changes with age as strength, balance and joint mobility change; compare your pace with your own comfortable baseline rather than another age group.
- Fitness: Regular walking can make a steady pace feel easier, while fatigue or unfamiliar exertion may slow you. Tudor-Locke and colleagues (2018) cite over 100 steps per minute as a commonly used moderate-intensity cadence.
- Terrain: Smooth, level paths generally allow a more even stride than uneven surfaces, mud, loose stones or narrow footpaths, where you may need to shorten steps and watch your footing.
- Load: A heavier rucksack or awkwardly distributed kit can increase effort and restrict natural movement, so your unloaded pace may not reflect how quickly you travel carrying supplies.
- Weather: Rain, wind, heat and cold can affect comfort, grip and the effort needed to keep moving, prompting a slower pace or more frequent pauses.
- Group size: A mixed-ability group usually moves at the pace of its slowest walkers, and regrouping or waiting can reduce the distance covered per hour.
The cadence figure describes steps per minute, not a guaranteed walking speed: stride length varies, so it should not be converted directly into miles per hour. Use your comfortable range for an unhurried, sustainable outing; choose the brisk range if you are fit and naturally walk quickly on level ground, while the slower band better suits a relaxed pace or a day when conditions make movement harder.
Estimating time with Naismith’s rule
Naismith’s Rule gives a straightforward way to turn a route’s distance and ascent into a starting time estimate. It treats distance and uphill climbing as separate parts of the calculation, then adds their times together. The result is an estimate of time spent walking, rather than a promise of when you will finish. The worked example below shows the metric calculation, while the adjustments explain why a real journey may take longer.
The rule
Naismith’s Rule combines the length of a route with its total ascent to estimate walking time. William W. Naismith, a Scottish mountaineer, devised the rule in 1892 (Naismith, 1892). It assumes a fit walker and gives a baseline rather than a route-specific guarantee.
In imperial units, allow one hour for every three miles walked, then add 30 minutes for every 1,000 feet of ascent (Naismith’s Rule, 1892). In metric units, allow one hour for every five kilometres, plus one hour for every 600 metres of ascent (metric form of Naismith’s Rule, 1892). The metric values are rounded equivalents of the imperial figures.
For the distance part, use the route’s length; for the climbing part, use its cumulative ascent, not just the difference between the start and finish elevations. Add the two time allowances to obtain the estimate. For example, a route that climbs and later descends still includes the full uphill gain in the ascent calculation; the descent does not cancel it out. The calculation is often used when estimating time for a walking route because it accounts for both ground covered and height gained, unlike a distance-only estimate.
A worked example
For a 10 km walk with 600 m of ascent, apply the metric version of Naismith’s Rule: one hour per 5 km and one hour per 600 m of ascent (Naismith’s Rule, 1892).
| Component | Input and rule | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Distance | 10 km ÷ 5 km per hour | 2 hours |
| Ascent | 600 m ÷ 600 m per hour | 1 hour |
| Total walking time | 2 hours + 1 hour | 3 hours |
The calculation gives three hours of walking time before stops. It is a guide for a fit walker, not a precise prediction for every person or route; many walkers add time to the estimate.
A hiking pace calculator using the same inputs should produce the same baseline if it applies this metric rule. The figure does not include time spent resting, eating or waiting, so it should not be treated as the full elapsed time for the outing.
Adjustments
Naismith’s estimate is a starting point, and the route or group’s circumstances can change the time actually needed. Consider each factor separately rather than assuming the calculation already covers it.
- Descent: The rule adds time for ascent but does not prescribe a matching deduction for downhill sections. Steep or awkward descents may take longer than the distance figure suggests.
- Rough ground: Rocky paths, mud, boggy sections, steps or obstacles can interrupt a steady stride. Allow extra time where the mapped trail is harder to walk than a smooth path.
- Rest stops: Add breaks for food, water, navigation checks or photography to get elapsed time. These pauses are not included in the rule’s walking-time total.
- Group pace: Base the estimate on the pace of the group as a whole, not only its fastest walker. Differences in fitness, confidence and time spent regrouping can extend the journey.
- Route conditions: Check whether the planned line follows a clear, maintained footpath or includes less distinct terrain. If progress is likely to be interrupted, allow additional time.
Walking time is the time spent moving; elapsed time runs from departure to arrival and includes stops. Many walkers add time to the fit-walker estimate, especially when the route is unfamiliar or the group moves more slowly.
Use Naismith’s Rule as a quick baseline for a route with known distance and ascent. Allow extra time for difficult ground, a slower group and planned breaks when setting a realistic arrival time.
Pace on real walks
A route’s map distance does not capture every factor that changes the time spent moving. Slopes alter the effort and speed of each step, while mud, obstacles and interruptions can break a steady rhythm. A group may also move at a different pace from an individual because walkers need to stay together and regroup. Account for these conditions separately when turning a route estimate into a realistic walking time.
Hills and rough ground
A flat-ground pace is a poor guide where the path climbs or descends steeply. Uphill, shorter steps and greater effort usually reduce progress; downhill, a gentle gradient can help, but a steep or loose descent may require careful foot placement and slower movement. Mud can make each step less secure and add time as walkers pick a firm line, while stiles interrupt forward progress as people climb over them one at a time. These terrain effects on walking speed accumulate across a route, even when the map distance is modest.
Waldo Tobler’s hiking function (1993) models the relationship between slope and walking speed. It predicts a maximum of about 6 km/h on a gentle downhill slope of around 3 degrees. The model predicts slower speeds on steep ground in either direction: a sharp ascent reduces uphill progress, and a sharp descent is slower than the gentle downhill optimum. This is a theoretical slope-based relationship, not a promise that a walker will maintain that speed on a real path.
Its value is in showing why slope matters in both directions, rather than treating every kilometre as equivalent. Actual walking speed on trails also reflects surface, footing and interruptions: a smooth track may allow a continuous rhythm, while a muddy path with frequent stiles does not. A route profile and a map’s ascent information can reveal where a basic distance-based hiking time estimate is likely to be too optimistic. Allow more time for steep, uneven sections and for obstacles that repeatedly stop progress, rather than applying a single pace to every part of the route.
Group and rest pace
A group’s moving pace is shaped by its members, not just by the quickest walker. Differences in fitness, experience, stride and confidence on rough ground can spread people out; frequent regrouping then adds elapsed time even if the distance between stops is small. The pace used for an estimate should reflect the group that will walk the route, especially on steep sections where members may tackle the same slope at noticeably different speeds.
For planning, a common allowance is 5–10 minutes of rest per hour of walking. Treat that as stopped time added to the moving estimate, rather than assuming that every break is already included in the walking pace. A longer lunch stop is also outside the walking-time estimate: add its duration separately when working out the likely time from departure to return.
Keep the distinction clear between time spent walking, short rests and a meal stop. For a practical estimate, adjust the moving pace for the route’s slopes and surface, then add time for regrouping and planned breaks; this better reflects the day the group will actually experience.
Planning a realistic walking day
A useful hiking time estimate turns route length and ascent into moving time, then accounts for trail conditions and planned stops. Keep the calculation tied to the route you will actually walk, rather than relying on a generic average. Footpath Notes is an independent British guide to walking and hiking in the UK, offering a practical approach to turning a mapped route into elapsed time. The result should reflect both the ground and the people walking it.
Build a time estimate
Work through the route in order, using one consistent distance unit and the pace method that best matches the terrain. A hiking pace calculator can help organise the inputs, but the assumptions still need to fit the walk.
- Record route distance and total ascent from a map or track; use cumulative ascent, not the height of the highest point above sea level.
- Choose a baseline pace that fits the route’s easier sections, then calculate moving time from distance; keep miles with miles per hour, or kilometres with kilometres per hour.
- For a route with meaningful climbing, use Naismith’s Rule as a second baseline, entering trail distance and ascent in the same units required by your chosen version.
- Review the mapped surface and technical sections: mud, loose stone, gates, stiles, and steep descents can make a straight-line pace assumption unrealistic.
- Match the adjustment to the slowest likely conditions and the group, including loaded packs, children, unfamiliar navigation, and any walker who needs a measured pace.
- Add the duration of planned meal and rest stops to moving time; include likely map checks or transport transitions only when they belong to your route.
Compare the adjusted pace estimate with the Naismith’s Rule calculation rather than treating either as an exact finish time. Choose the estimate that best represents the route’s surface, ascent, group pace, and planned stops.