How long does it take to hike a mile

One of the most popular activities to do while camping is to go on a hike. To the non-outdoorsy types, it seems like a strange activity to do to go on a long walk. People who live in cities with great public transportation wonder why you would want to go on a hike when you do a lot of walking in the city already.

But, those who camp know that hiking is more than just a long walk. It’s purposeful walking to enjoy what nature has to offer. While walkers will typically stick to concrete when they go on walks, hiking will go on dirt trails, mountains, forests, and park reserves. Walkers can enjoy nature on dirt trails and sand, but a hiker doesn’t always have the trails to walk on. Oftentimes, a hike is more strenuous than a traditional walk.

For a beginning hiker, it’s an achievement to be able to hike a mile. It’s not easy to figure out how long it takes to hike a mile. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to figure out how long it’ll take you to hike that mile. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to plan your hiking trip and the rest of your camping weekend.

How long does it take to hike a mile?

Typically the main factors affecting the time it takes to hike a mile are fitness level, elevation, and weight of your backpack, assuming you’re carrying it. We’ll be using our internal projections to help you determine the average time it will take a person to hike a mile.

To keep things simple, we will keep the elevation simple. Every fitness type will be on the same elevation. The elevation of the hike is going to be 1,000 feet. There will be no backpacks, and the weather will be the same for all hikes. It will also be a summer hike, not snowshoeing. There will also be no brush that needs to be cleared.

Any of those factors above can add time to your hike. We’ll assume each group faces the same conditions, so it’s a true “apples to apples” comparison.

Unfortunately, our analysis doesn’t include kids, so this will be a solo hike or a group of adults. For a group of people, you want to calculate using the least athletic member of your group. That’ll make the calculation as accurate as possible. Twitchell uses a range between ten minutes in case some people hike faster than others.

Let’s ask ourselves. How long does it take to hike a mile?

Fitness type: Avid Hiker

This is in here because the body is being affected differently with hiking than it is through sports. Douglas Twitchell, for example, is a well-known avid hiker. He’s been known to out hike high school athletes and could hike with the best of them.

How long does it take to hike a mile? According to Twitchell’s, an avid hiker would take anywhere from 60-70 minutes to hike a mile. For these people, the hike will be a fast one.

Twitchell likes to point out that his calculation doesn’t include the time it takes to sightsee or have a picnic while you’re hiking.

Fitness type: Athletic

As I mentioned before, athletics affects the body in a different way than hiking does. It’s why someone who doesn’t say no to playing sports could be winded on a hiking trip. Hiking could prove to be a challenge for the biggest fitness enthusiasts.

With that in mind, how long does it take to hike a mile? For the athletic types, but perhaps those who aren’t avid hikers, it would take 80-90 minutes to hike a mile. The athletic types wouldn’t be too far behind the experienced hikers.

Fitness type: Sedentary

This doesn’t mean that people are necessarily overweight. A lot of sedentary people are all different body types. Skinny people can live sedentary lifestyles as well as overweight ones. These are the people who don’t spend a lot of time playing sports or doing any strenuous exercises. Their jobs usually involve them sitting down or standing all day. For example, a cashier has a sedentary job.

The sedentary types, they’re not used to having a long hike, so they’re going to take more time than someone athletic. How long does it take to hike a mile? For the sedentary types, it could take 80-110 minutes to hike a mile.

From this point on, the stronger hikers need to be patient with anyone sedentary and beyond. If you want to make a potential hiker out of the sedentary type, you need to give them time to adjust to this new lifestyle to catch up to the level of the average hiker.

Fitness type: Somewhat overweight

For this fitness type, don’t assume that the person is out of shape or unhealthy. Many somewhat overweight people in the world enjoy a good hike and a good exercise routine. Instead of focusing on the fact they’re overweight, focus on their endurance in a hiking situation. A somewhat overweight person could be just as athletic as the athletic type.

How long does it take to hike a mile? This could take anywhere from 100-110 minutes to hike a mile. You’ll want to make sure your somewhat overweight hiker is comfortable enough around you to tell you when they need to rest. At this point, with this hike, they could hurt themselves if they feel uncomfortable telling you they need a break.

Fitness type: Seriously overweight

As with the somewhat overweight hiker, you will need to be patient. If this person wants you to take them on a mile hike like this, they’re on a mission to seriously change their health and lifestyle. Any sign of annoyance or impatience will make them want to give up on hiking before they begin. It might turn them off from hiking for life. It might discourage them from changing their health for the better. Please make sure you’re patient, and they feel comfortable with telling you they need a break.

How long does it take to hike a mile? It will take 120-150 minutes.

That’s how long it will take to hike a mile. Hike safely, everyone!

Happy Camping!

Sean's an avid camper, kayaker, and RVer. He loves spending time finding new trails and campsites to take his family and friends.