Pace

[Chumps Later]

Fit guy, not overloaded, not in a rush, not dawdling, looking for advice on expected pace for planning purposes. I get it, we're all different, just looking for thoughts. In the ADKs I go with 1.5 mph plus 30 mins per kfoot. Good rule of thumb on the AT? Go.

[Slo-go'en]

As you say, everyone is different. 2.5 mph is a fairly typical pace on most of the AT - until you hit New England. 3 mph is a fairly brisk walk with few if any breaks.

[MuddyWaters]

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/content.php/44

mapmans data

[pyroman53]

As you say, everyone is different. 2.5 mph is a fairly typical pace on most of the AT - until you hit New England. 3 mph is a fairly brisk walk with few if any breaks.

Not to disagree with Slo, cause he's got the knowledge and experience but...if this were the case everyone would be doing 20 mile days and that's just not the case in my experience. Granted, most people are faster than me but most people also don't hike 20 mile days. Maybe, when moving they hike at 2.5 mph but then they must not be keeping it up. My experience is more like yours and the people I see seem to be going slightly more miles per day than me.

I will admit that the prevailing answer on WB is 2.5 but I'm just not seeing those people on the trail. Yes there are many who do hike that and faster but my perception is that it is not "average".

[4eyedbuzzard]

Not to disagree with Slo, cause he's got the knowledge and experience but...if this were the case everyone would be doing 20 mile days and that's just not the case in my experience. Granted, most people are faster than me but most people also don't hike 20 mile days. Maybe, when moving they hike at 2.5 mph but then they must not be keeping it up. My experience is more like yours and the people I see seem to be going slightly more miles per day than me.

I will admit that the prevailing answer on WB is 2.5 but I'm just not seeing those people on the trail. Yes there are many who do hike that and faster but my perception is that it is not "average".

^Agree with above.

Inre OP's post: Go with what you know. 1.5 mph + 1/2 hr/1000' sounds realistic. If for thru-hiking planning, note mapman's data for thru-hiker averages, especially the second table and the miles per hiking day (MPHD). The range from toughest to easiest, section wise, is 11.4 mpd in the Whites, to 16.8 mpd in northern VA through DWG. That's the average daily pace, not including zeros, of thru-hikers who already have lots of miles of trail conditioning. If for thru-hiking planning, the trail in GA and GSMNP is tougher than many assume.

What that all equates to in terms of average mph depends upon so many unaccounted for variables. Miles per hour pace, number of hours spent actually hiking, elevation gained, weather, terrain as it influences how much care is needed in terms of foot placement, etc. Based on an average actual hiking time of 8 hours each day (which seems pretty realistic in my experience), mapman's data would tend to suggest about a 2.0 mph or perhaps slightly faster average pace - without elevation factor.


I often see posts and even hiking articles where people state that an average hiking pace is 3.0 mph + 1/2hr per 1000' elevation gained. I have to wonder where these people are hiking and who they are, because I see a lot of thru-hikers on the AT in the summer, and damn few come anywhere near that pace. 2.0 mph to 2.5 mph + 1/2 hr or more per 1000' (from in-shape thru-hikers) is more what I see. And section hikers are typically well under 2.0 mph.


For reference, most of my hiking is in the Whites and VT. My walking pace on sidewalk/road is 3 to 3.5 mph. But my hiking pace on a trail is more like about 1.5 mph + 1hr/1000' in the Whites, maybe a bit quicker (as high as 1.75 mph + 1hr/1000') in VT. A lot of that difference is due simply to the nature of the footpath (steep, rocks, roots, slippery, etc.). NH is just rocky and steep, VT tends to be slippery with both roots and rocks. Maybe I can do 2.0 in SNP. And then again, maybe not . . .

[BirdBrain]

In Maine I do about 1 mph on the worse (best) of it, 1.5 mph on the semi steep stuff, 2 mph on the semi normal stuff and 5 mph into ponds.

[peakbagger]

I am not a fast hiker but consistent. The big unknown for daily mileage is how many hours you walk a day. I usually budget 10 hours on trail time which includes a 5 minute stop every hour and about 20 minutes for lunch. Others hike longer hours at a slower pace. Some hike longer hours at a faster pace. I ran into one retired thru hiker who hiked from sunrise to sunset. He had a slow pace but when he was in new England with 12 hours plus of daylight he covered a lot of miles. The AMC formula 2 MPH plus 1/2 hour per thousand feet of elevation tends to be conservative for day hikers used to the terrain but northbound thruhikers who haven't hiked the whites will be challenged to meet it. My daily tolerance in PA VA and NC was about 16 to 19 miles a day after 2 or 3 shorter days at the beginning of the hike. I would be hard pressed to repeat that in the whites.

[Chumps Later]

If for thru-hiking planning, the trail in GA and GSMNP is tougher than many assume.

That's the section I'm looking at - my shelter picks seemed pretty far apart and I was looking for a sanity check as I had a couple 12 hour days based on my picks.

When in GSMNP, I understand you need a permit, but do you need to reserve your shelters ahead of time? What if you don't make your pace and therefore don't make it to the one you planned / reserved?

[colorado_rob]

I like even numbers, and even though I can hold a 2.5 MPH+ pace including rest stops (and I'd say this is faster than average, at the end of the day), I just use a nice even 2MPH number and at the end of the day, is pretty close when everything is considered, including photo stops, water stops, chatting with other hikers, whatever. (It's more like 2.2-2.4 MPH, but really, 2MPH is close enough for rough planning). Using the nice even 2MPH number means I usually get to where I want to a bit earlier than planned, which is nice because there are sometimes surprises, like a full campsite or shelter.

This is for average terrain, faster on long flats, slower in NH: we were lucky to hold 1MPH in those whites!

[MuddyWaters]

What you cant tell from mapmans data, is the reasons for the distances hiked.

Some carry a high amt weight, some little.
Some push their limits, some cruise at ez pace for themself.
Some hike 12 hrs per day, and some 8.
Some break minmally, some take several hour long breaks during day.

The funny things about averages, is they dont actually represent anything well.

[BirdBrain]

The funny things about averages, is they dont actually represent anything well.

73.6% of all statistics are made up.

[wornoutboots]

I'd say 2 mph is a good avg starting pace then it will increase as you move on.

[kayak karl]

a guy one time bragged about his 3.5 mph one night. next night 3.8 mph. next night 3.6 mph. i said "if you are so fast, why are you where i am every night. shouldn't you be miles down the trail?"
i found that miles per week was more helpful with planning.

[Slo-go'en]

That's the section I'm looking at - my shelter picks seemed pretty far apart and I was looking for a sanity check as I had a couple 12 hour days based on my picks.

When in GSMNP, I understand you need a permit, but do you need to reserve your shelters ahead of time? What if you don't make your pace and therefore don't make it to the one you planned / reserved?

Yes, you need a permit and reserve a spot in each shelter. If your in half decent shape the park can be traversed in 5 nights, 6 days. The section north of New Found gap is easier then the southern end. Plan 3 nights south of New Found gap and 2 nights north. That gives you an "average" day of just shy of 12 miles/day or 6 to 8 hours hiking. Plenty of time of a long lunch or to take in the views along the way.

There should be no reason not to make your designated shelter, even if you have to crawl there in the dark. The only excuse is if you have a medical emergency or get caught in a blizzard.

[4eyedbuzzard]

That's the section I'm looking at - my shelter picks seemed pretty far apart and I was looking for a sanity check as I had a couple 12 hour days based on my picks.

When in GSMNP, I understand you need a permit, but do you need to reserve your shelters ahead of time? What if you don't make your pace and therefore don't make it to the one you planned / reserved?

Okay, a bit of confusion. You posted this in Thru-Hiker Specific Topics, so I kind of assumed you were thru-hiking or at least doing a pretty long section. Where are you starting and ending your section hike? If starting 50 miles from and ending 50 miles after GSMNP you would be considered a thru-hiker per GSMNP regs and not have to reserve shelters, but you do have to get an AT Thru-Hiker Permit https://smokiespermits.nps.gov/index.cfm?BCPermitTypeID=2 If not, then you need to reserve shelters and get a Backcountry Permit https://smokiespermits.nps.gov/index.cfm?BCPermitTypeID= (https://smokiespermits.nps.gov/index.cfm?BCPermitTypeID=1)1

[Spirit Walker]

I was usually walking a consistent 2 mph when hiking the AT (except in the Whites and southern ME). However the difference was that when I started out, it was 2 mph, plus break times (so averaging less than 2 mph overall) vs. later when I was in better condition I hiked 2 mph including breaks, so 16 miles would take me 9 or so hours in the beginning but only 8 later on. On western trails, with lighter packs and easier grade, I hiked faster, but still usually only about 2.5 mph.

[Chumps Later]

Now I feel better, I read that wrong, I thought everybody needed reservations, thru hikers too.

thanks for all the info

[Slo-go'en]

Now I feel better, I read that wrong, I thought everybody needed reservations, thru hikers too.

thanks for all the info

If your a thru hiker, you still need to buy a permit ($20) and you still have to stay in a shelter, but you don't have to specify which ones in advance and your allowed 8 days to make it from one end to the other, which gives you a day to drop into Gatlinburg if you want.

[fredmugs]

If I'm doing a 20+ mile day I find that by the end of the day I average 2.25 MPH (including breaks).

[soulrebel]

2mph + 30mins for every 1000 vertical up. If yer fit, more than likely you will walk a solid 3mph and then take a 10-20 min break every hour. So you end up averaging 2 mph.

[Lyle]

For initial planing purposes I would say 12 - 15 MPD (after the initial week of about 10 MPD. You will probably become quite comfortable doing more, but I do know of some folks who never are comfortable with more than 15 MPD and that is fine.

You are out there to enjoy it. No planning should be written in stone, so plan conservatively at first, then modify as you gain experience.

[CarlZ993]

I use 2mph as my 'average pace.' This is what I averaged on my 2013 AT hike. I kept good records of the times that I started & when I stopped for each day. Some days I took some longish breaks (meal breaks usually) that lessened the pace of that day. My fastest 'typical day' was 2.83 mph over 19.5 miles (Fayetteville PA to Ironmaster's Hostel). My slowest days were 0.93 mph (Lake of the Clouds Hut to Madison Hut; 7M; nasty weather w/ break @ Mt. Washington) & 1.01 mph (thru Mahoosuc Notch; Full Goose Shelter to Baldpate Lean-to - 12M).

If I needed to go further and/or faster, I simply got up earlier & took fewer & shorter breaks. I only had to do that a few times to make PO deadlines.

[Drybones]

For planning I use 2 MPH including rest stops but actually always ends up at about 2.22 MPH, I consistently do 20 miles in 9 hours, pretty much regardless of terrain (which I don't understand either), I walk at a steady pace and rarely ever stop (except for a quick pee) until a scheduled break which is mid morning , lunch and mid afternoon, I don't stop on hills, may slow to a crawl but don't stop. You don't have to walk fast to cover miles, you just have to put in the hours.