Hikers - On the trails on how many miles do you walk in a session/day?

I live in North Carolina and when I go out for exercise I usually take my dogs out to the trails (we have like 5 of them with in a 10 minute drive) and try to walk 2.50 miles round trip in about an hour or so.

I think the most of trails are around 7 miles round trip...I'm not sure how to ask this but to those of you who exercise on the trails how many miles would you walk in a average workout? The last time I attempted 7 miles it took me close to 4 hours.. though it was my first attempt.

Just curious I suppose.

Replies

  • jturnerx
    jturnerx Posts: 325 Member
    I looked at my last hike. It was 8 miles, about 1000 feet of elevation gain so not particularly difficult. It took me 2.5 hours.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Most times for a short hike with the dog its about 60-90 minutes. Occasionally I'll go on a longer one on weekends for 2-4 hours. Last summer I trained for a hiking challenge and worked up to 16 mile hikes on weekends. Its fun but very time consuming
  • amberlykay1014
    amberlykay1014 Posts: 608 Member
    If I only have about an hour, I'll go for difficulty rather than distance. On the AT in Hamburg, PA there's a parking lot at the bottom of the mountain and the trail follows switchbacks going up for about 25-50 minutes, depending on your ability. I do that and try to beat my time going up.

    If we are going backpacking, we like to try a section hike or loop. The most we did in a day and a half was 27 miles (18 on the first day). That was the Old Loggers Path loop trail in PA.

    Glad to read there are more people here who use the trails for fitness and enjoyment!
  • Myrmilt
    Myrmilt Posts: 124 Member
    Hiking depends on the weather, locale, and time commitment. 10 miles with 2 kiddos, takes about 6 hours depending on terrain. If we want a shorter hike, maybe 5 miles, anywhere from 2 to 4 hours.

    Winter hikes can take much, much longer for the same distances. And of course the gear needed can add to the level of fun.

    General elevation gain for a hike is typically 1-4k. Anything more than that its most likely too much for the kiddos, but there are some of those they can do with us, it's just harder and takes a lot of planning and watching them for any issues.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    I did a nice walk a few months back, 70# pack, 1500' gain per mile, 4 miles, technical terrain. I think it was close to 5 hours?
  • Jpthorne
    Jpthorne Posts: 1 Member
    I try to do this trail near my area, it gets to 2300ft and i can do it in about 2.5 hours woth a rest at the top. I do it about twice a week