1 mph ?

[pawlinghiker]

I have been clocking my hikes and it seems that with stopping to eat and drink etc.. I am hiking approx 1 MPH, maybe 1.5 MPH tops.

I walk at a brisk pace always and keep breaks down to improve time but I cant seem to break out of the 1 mph zone.

is this slow ? I really try to keep up a good pace, figured it would be better.. mostly hilly rocky terrain by me so its not open paths..

[hikerboy57]

theres no rule. theres times depending on terrain ill struggle to do 1 mph, other stretches where im doing 3+.you take what the trail gives you. you push too hard, you end up giving it back the following day(s). the more hiking you do the more your pace will increase. if youre hiking ny youre encountering a lot of rocky rooty stretches that can slow you down until your feet know what to do and where to go without you thinking about how to place them.but its your hike. hiking someone elses pace is usually a mistake.hike as fast or as slow as you feel comfortable.and aim to increase your daily mileage in small increments.before you know it you'll be doing 25mph!!

[Violent Green]

It's a little slow, but it all depends on where you are hiking really. 2mph is about average so you aren't far off really. How many breaks and for how long?

Ryan

[gunner76]

If you are having a good time then who cares how fast you are going. HYOK and have fun

[HikerMom58]

Are you having fun pawlinghiker? That's all that really matters. :>) I think I hike about 2 miles an hour or so, I think that's about average. Fast hikers are awesome to watch... they got it going on & they fly down the trail. I admire them but I'm quite happy with my own pace. I'm not going to say what I'm thinking cause it has become so overused. You know what I'm thinking right?

[pawlinghiker]

doing 5 to 6 mile hikes in about 5 hours. I stop to eat and I stop to drink and hit the john.

im not looking to break any records I was just wondering where I stood,

[tiptoe]

As long as you know your hiking rate and plan for it, you'll be fine. I too have heard that 2 mph is average, but I generally do 3 miles in 2 hours. Without a pack and not in mountains, I walk 3 mph. It's not a major issue for me, or even a minor one.

[Slo-go'en]

Unless your a young kid, I'd say 1 - 1.5 mph is pretty typical for New England trail where you have to constantly look at where your stepping so you don't trip over rocks and roots and what ever else gets in the way. Like wicked steep climbs and decents.


I typically do a bit better down south were the grade isn't as bad and there are less things to trip over in the trail. Down there I can kick it up to 2 - 2.5 mph most of the time. But in VT/NH/ME, lucky to do 1 mph most of the time...

[Cookerhiker]

What counts is if you're enjoying your hike, not your speed.

[russb]

As others have said, terrain and conditions are significant variables. Last winter it took me three hours to cover 3/4 of a mile. I was breaking trail with snowshoes in 3 feet of snow. Spruce trees were bent over the trail every ten or so meters blocking progress until I could get over, under, through or around them. Took me half an hour on the way out two days later. Enjoy the hike!

[Another Kevin]

1 mph isn't unreasonable. On trail, as opposed to roadwalking or walking a bike path, or something, my personal Naismith Rule is 30 min per mile + 40 min per 1000 feet of elevation change. (Down slows me down as much as up does.) On a tough trail, that can be slower than 1 mph.

The people who do 20-25 mile days in the Mid-Atlantic don't do the same mileage in New England.

Of course, I'm a clueless weekender, so I never really get into trail shape. But if you read Ray Jardine or Nimblewill Nomad, both hiking legends, they'll tell you that they're both slower than other hikers. They make the miles by hiking longer, not faster.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Most people think they will (or should) hike a lot faster than they really can. Especially true in difficult and/or steep terrain.
It's not just walking.

[Teacher & Snacktime]

That pace sounds perfect to me. On the street I walk about 2.5mph, on the trail with a pack I'm lucky to do 1.25mph. Our last trip (with Another Kevin above) Snacktime and I struggled to manage 1mph, and with the downhill scrambles we were travelling closer to .75mph. THAT is slow.....but it was what we could do. You're doing fine.

[Feral Bill]

Hiking with a group, that's typical. Matching paces and overlapping stops slow you down. Hiking alone, its all about what works for you. I'm often in that speed range.

I suspecct many who speak of much faster speeds are refering to walking time only, not including rests, staring at clouds, adjusting clothes, and so forth. They are faster than me, in any event.

[Sarcasm the elf]

I suspecct many who speak of much faster speeds are refering to walking time only, not including rests, staring at clouds, adjusting clothes, and so forth. They are faster than me, in any event.

This.


Thanks to my GPS, I know that I walk at 2.5-3 miles an hour on average, However I only actually go 1-2 miles per hour throughout a day of backpacking.

I hike, then I stop for a minute or two to rest, I hike more I then stop and check out the cool looking tree just off trail, I hike on and then stop to readjust my pack and get the pebbles out of my shoes, I hike more and stop and rest again for a couple minutes, I hike some more and then stop for a while to check out the view at a vista etc....

...this is how I can walk at almost 3mph and sometimes still only hike 10 miles a day

[Whack-a-mole]

When I walk in the park, I can really move, but when you put on a pack- things change. Also, have you ever noticed that when you step out of the car, and I don't care where you are, you get ten steps on flat land and then it seems to go straight up! I always make my campsite goal for the day, but I always get there later than I thought I would. Don't worry so much about your speed. Enjoy your time outside and enjoy your hike!

[4Bears]

Years ago my cousin and hiking partner learned the hard way that the hardest thing to do is to walk at another's pace. So when we hike we take off together but with in 15 minutes or so we would be separated by a turn or two. He might have had the lead and saw something that caught his eye and stop to observe, I come up a minute or so later and look and push on, we would see-saw like that all day. All we would do in the morning was set a couple points to meet up, and what we found we were rarely more than 10 minutes apart. What was the most interesting was what we saw, in scenery and in wildlife, made for great conversation at lunch and supper. So don't be hung up on how fast you hike, just take what a trail gives you and be aware of what slows or speeds your pace. Look at a profile for the day ahead and set a realistic goal, if you arrive early then decide whether to stop or move on. Just enjoy your time in the woods and HYOH.

[Dogwood]

Sounds typical. I would say avg MPH thru-hiker pace for an AT NOBOer acclimatized to trail life is something in the order of 2.25 mph. And, don't sweat your pace. You're doing well. I've clocked myself postholing in heavier snow up to my waste taking 3 hrs+ to hike 1 mile with a winter kit with 9 days food. Sometimes, it's best not to try hiking according to a "trail" in those conditions.

[fredmugs]

In general it seems that once I factor in breaks I average 2.2 mph for the day. When I plan I use 2 mph so I am always ahead of "pace" to keep me from feeling rushed.

[garlic08]

Do you know your walking pace unloaded on open trail or road? I think generally if your backpacking pace is 1/2 your normal walking speed, that's pretty good. Mine are 2 mph and 4 mph, respectively, for instance. In tough conditions it can really drop.

Are you carrying a heavy pack? My pack weight is generally less than 15% of my body weight, often less than 10%, and that's a factor we don't know in your case. If you're stumbling along with 80 pounds and you weigh 150, you're doing great.

Are you clocking yourself on long hikes, or on day hikes? On longer hikes you can get into an efficient daily routine. We all have our routines. For me, it's hiking for two hours then stopping for a ten minute snack break, two more hours then a longer meal break, repeat. I can break camp and get moving in ten to fifteen minutes, and can be sleeping 30 minutes after deciding to look for a place to camp. I don't eat or bathe where I camp, that all takes place during the hike while resting. In summer, that often means a 14 or 15 hour hiking day and as noted above, you don't really have to walk all that fast to make good miles.

I think it's important to know your pace for different conditions. It can be very important for navigating in some cases. It's at least good for planning your day.

I think it's more important to know what your pace is than it is to increase it. The most common causes of backcountry injuries are slips and falls. Be careful.