Hiking Time (Naismith's Rule)
Backcountry / SAR trip-time estimate by Naismith's rule.
Example
You enter
- Horizontal distance 6
- Distance unit mi
- Total ascent (climb) 2000
- Ascent unit ft
- Flat pace (per hour, blank = 3 mph or 5 km/h) 3
- Terrain / fatigue factor 1
You get
- Breakdown 2
- Ascent hours 1.016
- Total hours 3.016
Checked against published worked examples from: Naismith's rule (W. W. Naismith, 1892).
Details, formula, and sources
ScopeHorizontal distance / pace plus 1 hour per 600 m (about 2000 ft) of ascent, scaled by a terrain / fatigue factor, reported in hours and h:min (first-principles plus the canonical Naismith ascent rate; a planning estimate, distinct from pacing-distance which gives distance from a pace count).
Formula or tableNaismith's rule: time = horizontal distance / pace + ascent / (600 m per hour); total = that x terrain/fatigue factor. Default pace 5 km/h (3 mph).
Source and editionNaismith's rule (W. W. Naismith, 1892) for hill-walking time, plus the canonical 1-hour-per-600 m ascent rate, by name; first-principles, public domain.
Free accessPublic-domain rule of thumb. A planning estimate; pace, terrain, load, weather, rest, and the party's condition vary widely.
What governsEstimate. AHJ and licensed professional govern.
API field namesdistance, distance_unit, ascent, ascent_unit, speed, factor, base_hours, ascent_hours, total_hours
- Fit walker, good ground the default pace assumes a fit walker on good ground with a light load; scale with the factor otherwiseNaismith's rule