Enter distance, elevation gain, and pace. We apply Naismith's Rule with modern corrections to estimate your time on trail, plus a MET-based calorie estimate that accounts for pack weight and terrain.
Time uses Naismith's Rule (1 hour per 3 mi / 5 km, plus 1 hour per 2,000 ft / 600 m of ascent) with a pace-scaled adjustment. Calories use MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities, scaled for pack load. Add 10–25% for rough terrain, snow, or frequent breaks. Estimates only — see how hiking time estimates work.
Twenty-five in-depth guides written for people who actually hike: the science of effort and altitude, training that transfers to trail, safety skills that matter, and where to go — including our complete U.S. National Parks hiking guide. Counting your daily miles off-trail too? Our sister tool CalculateSteps converts any distance into step counts.
The MET-based math behind hiking calorie burn, with a table by body weight, grade, and pack load.
Calorie burn, joint impact, and fitness gains compared honestly across all three.
Why elevation crushes your pace, how acclimatization works, and the ascent rules that prevent AMS.
Rumination, cortisol, attention restoration — the actual studies behind why trails clear your head.
The 1892 formula everyone uses, where it breaks, and the corrections that make it accurate.
High burn, low injury tax, and adherence — a realistic weekly structure for losing weight on trail.
An honest 8-week progression from couch-adjacent to a strong 10–15 mile day.
The rest step, cadence, and descent braking — mechanics that save quads and knees.
The evidence on joint offloading, correct length, and the technique most hikers never learn.
The talk test, rhythm breathing, and group pacing — how strong hikers go all day.
Friction, moisture, heat: attack all three and blisters stop happening. The full system.
Load limits by body weight, hip-belt fit, and the packing order that changes how heavy feels.
Trail runners, hiking shoes, or boots — decided by load and terrain, not tradition.
Base, mid, shell — what each layer actually does, and the 'be bold, start cold' rule.
GPS apps, paper backup, terrain reading — the habits that keep hikers found.
Water math, filtering strategy, electrolytes, and the hourly eating that prevents the bonk.
Lightning rules, the 50-degree hypothermia trap, heat illness, and turnaround discipline.
Actual risk ranked — why ticks beat bears — and the correct response to each animal.
The seven principles as practical habits — and the well-meaning mistakes that do real damage.
Our flagship guide: permits, timed entry, the best hiking parks by region and season, and crowd strategy.
Ten genuinely beginner-appropriate hikes nationwide — and the criteria for judging any trail yourself.
The white blazes without the six months — standout AT day sections from Georgia to Maine.
AT, PCT, CDT compared — costs, timelines, resupply, and why most attempts end by week six.
A gallon a day is the floor — water math, the midday shutdown, and flash-flood judgment.
Microspikes vs. snowshoes, the vapor problem, daylight math — winter's rules, mastered.
The Laurel Highlands, Pine Creek Gorge, and the famously rocky AT miles — PA's best, by region.