Last Updated on July 27, 2026 by Daniel Globe
Hiking can burn a meaningful number of calories while building cardiovascular fitness, challenging the legs and core, and giving you time outdoors. But there is no single “calories per hour” number that applies to every hike. Your body weight, pace, elevation gain, trail surface, pack weight, fitness level, and total hiking time all change the result.
Quick Answer
A 155-pound person may burn roughly 270 calories per hour while hiking slowly, about 370 calories at a normal hiking pace, and 420 calories or more during harder cross-country hiking. Steep climbs, faster pacing, and carrying a pack can push the estimate higher. These are estimates, not exact measurements.
Key Takeaways
- The calories burned hiking depend most on body weight, duration, pace, grade, terrain, and carried load.
- For a 155-pound person, a normal hike is roughly 370 calories per hour using current CDC and Adult Compendium benchmarks.
- Uphill hiking can raise energy use substantially, but harder is not always better if footing, weather, altitude, or fatigue make the trail unsafe.
- A backpack increases the work your body performs, but there is no universal percentage increase in calorie burn for a given pack weight.
- Use brisk uphill intervals on stable terrain instead of sprinting on steep or technical trails.
- Hydration, adequate food, route planning, weather checks, and the Ten Essentials matter more than maximizing a calorie number.
At a Glance
| Time Required | About 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the route and your goals |
| Difficulty | Easy to vigorous; elevation, terrain, pace, weather, and altitude can change the difficulty quickly |
| Tools Needed | Appropriate footwear, water, navigation, weather-appropriate clothing, food as needed, and other Ten Essentials; trekking poles are optional |
| Cost | Potentially $0 on free local trails if you already own suitable gear; parking, permits, entrance fees, food, and equipment vary by location |
How Many Calories Does Hiking Burn?
A useful starting point comes from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. It assigns activities a MET, or metabolic equivalent, based on their energy cost. One MET is approximately the amount of energy used while resting.
The Compendium lists slow hiking through fields and hillsides at about 3.8 METs, normal hiking through fields and hillsides at 5.3 METs, cross-country hiking at 6.0 METs, and backpacking or hiking with a daypack at 7.8 METs. The CDC separately estimates that a 154-pound person burns about 370 calories in one hour of hiking, which closely matches the normal-hiking Compendium estimate.
| Body Weight | Slow Hiking 3.8 METs | Normal Hiking 5.3 METs | Cross-Country 6.0 METs | Hiking With Daypack 7.8 METs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 130 lb | ~224 kcal/hr | ~313 kcal/hr | ~354 kcal/hr | ~460 kcal/hr |
| 155 lb | ~267 kcal/hr | ~373 kcal/hr | ~422 kcal/hr | ~548 kcal/hr |
| 180 lb | ~310 kcal/hr | ~433 kcal/hr | ~490 kcal/hr | ~637 kcal/hr |
| 205 lb | ~353 kcal/hr | ~493 kcal/hr | ~558 kcal/hr | ~725 kcal/hr |
These values are estimates, not promises. Two hikers of the same weight can use different amounts of energy on the same trail because of fitness, movement efficiency, temperature, altitude, pack setup, stops, and trail conditions.
The CDC estimates that a 154-pound person uses about 370 calories during one hour of hiking.
How to Estimate Your Own Hiking Calories
A simple Compendium-based estimate is:
Calories per hour ≈ MET value × body weight in kilograms.
To convert pounds to kilograms, divide your weight by 2.205. For example, a 155-pound person weighs about 70.3 kg. At 5.3 METs:
5.3 × 70.3 ≈ 373 calories per hour.
Note: MET calculations estimate gross energy expenditure, which includes the energy your body would have used at rest. A watch that reports only “active calories” may therefore display a lower number.
Why Your Fitness Watch May Show a Different Number
Fitness watches estimate calories from inputs such as body size, heart rate, movement, GPS data, and proprietary algorithms. They do not directly measure your metabolic energy use during an ordinary hike. A watch is useful for comparing your own hikes consistently, but its calorie total should not be treated as an exact measurement.
Tips for Maximizing Calorie Burn While Hiking
The safest way to increase hiking energy expenditure is usually to do more work: hike a little longer, move at a brisker sustainable pace, or choose a route with more climbing. You do not need to turn every trail into an all-out workout.
A faster hiking pace generally raises cardiovascular demand. The CDC’s talk test offers an easy way to judge intensity: during moderate effort you can usually talk but not sing; during vigorous effort you can say only a few words before needing a breath.
Short brisk sections can add intensity without forcing you to maintain a fast pace for the entire outing. On a broad, stable uphill, for example, hike hard for 30 to 90 seconds, then return to a comfortable pace until your breathing settles.
Pro Tip: Elevation is often a better intensity tool than unnecessary pack weight. A steeper but technically safe climb can increase the work dramatically while allowing you to carry only the gear you actually need.
Does Carrying a Backpack Burn More Calories?
Usually, yes. Moving additional mass requires more work, and modern load-carriage research confirms that carried load can increase metabolic cost. However, there is no universal rule stating that adding a certain percentage of body weight produces the same percentage increase in calories for everyone.
Speed, slope, terrain, pack design, load position, and conditioning all matter. If you already need water, food, rain gear, navigation equipment, and emergency supplies, that real trail load will naturally increase demand.
Warning: Do not load a backpack heavily just to chase a larger calorie number. Extra weight increases fatigue and can change gait and balance. Build load gradually if you are training for backpacking, and stop if the load causes pain, numbness, instability, or poor posture.
Choosing the Right Trail for a Calorie-Burning Hike
Trail choice has a major effect on hiking intensity. Elevation gain is especially important because climbing requires your muscles to move your body upward against gravity.
The 2024 Adult Compendium shows how sharply hill grade can change estimated energy cost. Climbing a 1% to 5% grade at a moderate-to-brisk pace is listed at 5.3 METs, while a 6% to 10% grade at a moderate-to-brisk pace is 7.0 METs. An 11% to 20% grade at a slow-to-moderate pace is listed at 8.8 METs.
That does not mean you should automatically choose the steepest trail. Technical difficulty, exposure, loose rock, mud, heat, altitude, and your experience can matter more than the calorie estimate.
Trail length matters as well. A longer hike generally produces greater total energy expenditure simply because you remain active longer. For many hikers, adding manageable distance is safer and more sustainable than trying to make every mile extremely intense.
Research the route before leaving. Look at distance, elevation gain, trail surface, expected weather, water availability, turnaround options, and official difficulty information.
The Main Factors That Change Hiking Calorie Burn
- Body weight: Moving a larger body generally requires more energy at the same activity intensity.
- Duration: More active time usually means more total calories used.
- Pace: A brisker pace normally raises energy expenditure.
- Elevation gain and grade: Uphill travel can increase demand substantially.
- Terrain: Sand, rocks, roots, mud, snow, and uneven ground can change movement cost and speed.
- Pack weight: Additional load normally increases metabolic demand.
- Fitness and movement efficiency: Individual responses vary even at the same pace and body weight.
- Conditions: Heat, cold, altitude, wind, and poor footing can change both effort and safe pace.
Incorporating Interval Training into Your Hike
| Interval Training Benefit | What It Means for Hiking |
|---|---|
| Higher Cardiovascular Demand | Brisk periods temporarily raise the intensity of the hike. |
| Improved Endurance | Regular appropriately dosed training can make sustained climbing feel more manageable over time. |
| Uphill Strength-Endurance | Harder climbing recruits the legs and hips more heavily than level walking. |
| More Work Per Minute | Higher-intensity periods can increase energy expenditure compared with staying at an easy pace. |
| Time-Efficient Intensity | You can add short hard sections without hiking fast for the entire route. |
Interval hiking simply means alternating harder and easier efforts. You might power-hike uphill for 45 seconds, then hike comfortably for 90 seconds before repeating. The exact times matter less than maintaining control and choosing terrain where faster movement is safe.
Another approach is to let the trail create the intervals naturally: hike the climbs at a strong but controlled effort, then recover on flatter ground.
High-intensity exercise can also create a small increase in post-exercise oxygen consumption, sometimes called the “afterburn” effect. However, the main calorie difference comes from the extra work performed during the activity itself, not a large metabolic boost that continues for hours afterward.
Warning: Do not sprint on loose rock, steep descents, exposed ledges, wet roots, crowded paths, or other technical terrain. Slow down whenever footing or visibility becomes uncertain.
Using Proper Hiking Techniques to Increase Calorie Burn
Good hiking technique is about moving efficiently and safely, not deliberately making your stride awkward to burn extra calories. Maintain a balanced posture, keep your eyes on the trail ahead, and shorten your steps as the grade becomes steeper.
On climbs, avoid overstriding. Small, steady steps often make it easier to maintain rhythm and traction. On descents, stay controlled rather than allowing gravity to pull you into a pace that exceeds your ability to stop or change direction.
Foot placement depends on the surface. A smooth trail may allow a normal rolling stride, while rock, roots, mud, or scree may require a flatter or more deliberate landing. Choose the secure placement rather than forcing a universal heel-to-toe pattern.
Do Trekking Poles Increase Calorie Burn?
Trekking poles can involve the arms and upper body, and research on Nordic walking shows that active pole use can increase oxygen consumption and energy expenditure compared with ordinary level walking. However, trekking poles used mainly for balance on a trail do not guarantee a specific increase in calorie burn.
Their more important trail benefits are stability, rhythm, and an extra point of contact when conditions warrant it. Use poles because they improve your hiking experience and control, not merely because a watch might show a larger calorie number.
The Importance of Nutrition and Hydration for a Calorie-Burning Hike
Food and water help you maintain the effort required for a hike. The harder and longer the route, the more important it becomes to start adequately fueled and carry enough to avoid running out.
Before a demanding hike, a familiar meal containing carbohydrates plus some protein and fat can provide energy without requiring unusual supplements. Examples include oatmeal with fruit and yogurt, a sandwich with fruit, or rice with eggs and vegetables. What matters most is choosing food that you tolerate well.
Hydration on the Trail
Hydration needs vary with body size, sweat rate, heat, humidity, altitude, pace, and duration, so a single ounces-per-hour rule does not fit everyone.
The National Park Service recommends carrying adequate water and drinking regularly during outdoor activity, especially in hot conditions. For shorter activities of less than about an hour, plain water is generally adequate for healthy people. During longer, strenuous, hot, or high-sweat outings, carbohydrates and electrolytes may be useful.
More fluid is not always better. Exercise-associated hyponatremia can occur when someone drinks excessive hypotonic fluid and gains water faster than it is lost through sweat.
Note: For long hikes, plan water around the actual route. Do not assume a stream is safe to drink from. Carry enough treated water or a reliable treatment method when your route depends on natural water sources.
Food for Longer Hikes
As hiking duration rises, convenient carbohydrates become useful for maintaining effort. Fruit, dried fruit, sandwiches, bars, pretzels, crackers, and trail mix are common choices. Longer or especially strenuous outings may require more substantial meals and a personalized fueling plan.
Nutrition should support the hike rather than become a way to “earn” or replace an exact number of calories reported by a watch. Wearable calorie estimates are too imprecise for that approach.
Incorporating Strength Training into Your Hiking Workout
Strength training can make hiking easier by improving the capacity of the muscles that climb, descend, stabilize the hips, and carry a pack. Squats, split squats or lunges, step-ups, calf raises, hip-hinge movements, rows, and core exercises can all support hiking performance when they match your ability.
For most people, structured strength work is better done away from the trail rather than turning scenic breaks into exhausting exercise circuits. That keeps hiking technique focused on safe travel and gives you more control over resistance, recovery, and progression.
The current U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults include muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days each week in addition to aerobic activity.
Strength training can support lean muscle and increase total training energy expenditure, but it should not be sold as a way to create a huge calorie “afterburn.” The bigger benefit for hikers is having stronger muscles that can tolerate climbs, descents, and repeated outings.
Hiking for Calorie Burn and Weight Loss
Hiking can contribute to weight management because it increases daily energy expenditure, but a high calorie reading on one hike does not guarantee weight loss. Body weight changes over time are affected by total energy intake and expenditure, sleep, recovery, health, medication, and many other individual factors.
A sustainable hiking routine is usually more useful than repeatedly choosing routes that leave you exhausted or injured. Increase distance, climbing, speed, or pack load gradually rather than changing everything at once.
Pro Tip: Track distance, elevation gain, moving time, and how hard the hike felt in addition to calories. Those measures are often more useful for judging fitness progress than the calorie number alone.
Safety Precautions to Consider While Hiking for Calorie Burn
Calorie burn should never override trail safety. Before leaving, research the route, check current weather and official alerts, understand the expected elevation and terrain, and tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return.
The National Park Service Ten Essentials cover navigation, sun protection, insulation, illumination, first aid, fire, repair tools, food, hydration, and emergency shelter. The exact equipment you need depends on the route, season, remoteness, and duration.
Pay attention to fatigue. Slower reactions and poor foot placement can become serious on steep or technical terrain. Turn around when weather deteriorates, water is running low, daylight is disappearing, or the route is exceeding your safe ability.
At higher elevations, allow time to acclimatize and avoid using calorie goals as a reason to push through significant altitude symptoms. NPS guidance specifically recommends taking additional time to adjust to unfamiliar altitude and avoiding overexertion.
Warning: Stop exercising and seek appropriate medical help for symptoms such as chest pain, fainting, severe shortness of breath, confusion, or other serious distress. If you have a medical condition, significant injury, or have been advised to limit exercise, get individualized guidance before starting vigorous hiking or loaded-pack training.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is hiking?
Hiking is walking for recreation or exercise on outdoor routes such as trails, paths, hills, forests, parks, and mountain terrain. Difficulty can range from an easy level path to long, steep, technical routes.
How many calories can you burn hiking?
A 155-pound person may use roughly 267 calories per hour during slow hiking, about 373 calories during normal hiking through fields and hillsides, and about 422 calories during cross-country hiking using 2024 Adult Compendium MET values. Loaded hiking, steep climbs, or a heavier body weight can raise the estimate.
What factors affect the number of calories burned while hiking?
The main factors include body weight, hiking time, speed, elevation gain, trail grade, surface, pack weight, fitness, altitude, weather, and how much time you spend moving versus resting.
Is hiking a good way to burn calories?
Yes. Hiking is aerobic physical activity that can produce meaningful energy expenditure while also training the legs, hips, balance, and endurance. Its total calorie burn depends on how long and how hard you hike.
How can I maximize calorie burn while hiking?
Increase the workload gradually by hiking longer, maintaining a brisker sustainable pace, choosing safe routes with more elevation, or adding controlled uphill intervals. Carry only appropriate loads and never sacrifice footing, hydration, weather awareness, or safe pacing for a calorie target.
Does hiking uphill burn more calories than hiking on flat ground?
Usually. The Adult Compendium assigns higher MET values as climbing grade and effort increase. For example, moderate-to-brisk climbing on a 6% to 10% grade is listed at 7.0 METs versus 5.3 METs for normal hiking through fields and hillsides.
Are fitness-watch hiking calorie estimates accurate?
They are estimates rather than direct measurements. Watches can be useful for comparing your own outings when you use the same device consistently, but their calorie totals may differ from MET calculations and from other devices. Some also report active calories separately from total calories.
Sources
- 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities — Walking — MET values for hiking, hill climbing, backpacking, downhill walking, and Nordic walking.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Physical Activity and Your Weight and Health — current benchmark calorie expenditure for hiking and other activities.
- National Park Service — Hike Smart — route planning, weather, pacing, altitude, food, water, and trail-safety guidance.
- National Park Service — Ten Essentials — essential hiking safety and emergency-preparedness categories.
- National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement: Fluid Replacement for the Physically Active — hydration, electrolyte, and overhydration guidance.
- Effects of Green Exercise on Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — current evidence on exercise in natural environments and mental well-being.