Hiking Time Calculator (Naismith)
Estimate hiking time from distance and elevation using Naismith's rule with a Langmuir descent correction.
Related tools
All Running & endurance tools →Open Hiking Time Calculator (Naismith) and you get an answer straight away, with no account to create. It sits under Running & endurance in our catalogue, alongside Pace to finish time calculator and Race time predictor.
How to use it
- Open the tool — no signup or install needed.
- Enter your input or adjust the available options.
- Get your result instantly, then copy or download it.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hiking Time Calculator (Naismith) do?
Estimate hiking time from distance and elevation using Naismith's rule with a Langmuir descent correction.
When would I actually use this?
Preparing a race: the pace a target time needs, the splits to hold it, and the training zones that sit under it — on foot, and equally on a bike or in a pool, where the same session is measured in watts or in a hundred-metre split instead.
What is the most common mistake?
Scaling a time linearly to a longer distance. A marathon is not two half-marathons; race predictors use an exponent around 1.06 precisely because fatigue is not proportional.
How is Hiking Time Calculator (Naismith) different from Pace to finish time calculator?
They sit next to each other but answer different questions: Pace to finish time calculator is the one to open when you need it to turn your running pace and a race distance into an expected finish time. Pick whichever matches what you're starting from — both are free.
Is there a tool for the next step?
Race time predictor is the closest one after this: Predict your finish time over a new distance from a recent race result (Riegel formula).
What else is worth having open alongside it?
Walking time calculator and Backpacking Food Weight Calculator — they come up in the same task often enough to be worth a second tab.
Where do the figures come from?
Pace arithmetic is exact. Race predictions follow Riegel's formula, which assumes training matched to the longer distance — without it the prediction is optimistic.