Quick answer
Calories = MET × weight (kg) × hours. Hiking slowly with no load (3.8 MET) for 30 minutes at 70 kg burns 133 kcal, about 4.43 kcal a minute.
Choose the type of hike, your weight and the duration. The calculator returns calories, MET, kilojoules and calories per minute.
Related tools: Calories Burned Standing Calculator: Calories burned while standing, from Compendium MET values. Calories Burned Calculator: Estimate calories burned from activity, body weight and time using MET values. Push-Up Calorie Calculator: Calories burned doing push-ups (calisthenics) for a given effort level and time.
How to use the Calories Burned Hiking Calculator
- Choose hiking type: Hiking slowly or ambling through fields and hillsides, no load (3.8 MET), Hiking or walking at a normal pace through fields and hillsides, no load (5.3 MET), Hiking, cross country (6 MET), Backpacking, hiking with a daypack (7.8 MET), Climbing hills, no load, 1 to 5% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace (5.3 MET) and Climbing hills, no load, 6 to 10% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace (7 MET) and 1 more.
- Enter body weight (between 20 and 500).
- Choose weight unit: Kilograms and Pounds.
- Enter duration (minutes) (between 0.1 and 1440).
- Press Calculate to see the result, and use Reset to start again.
| Input | What to enter | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|
| Hiking type | Choose one: Hiking slowly or ambling through fields and hillsides, no load (3.8 MET); Hiking or walking at a normal pace through fields and hillsides, no load (5.3 MET); Hiking, cross country (6 MET); Backpacking, hiking with a daypack (7.8 MET); Climbing hills, no load, 1 to 5% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace (5.3 MET); Climbing hills, no load, 6 to 10% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace (7 MET); Climbing hills, 21 to 40 lb load, 3 to 10% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace (7.5 MET) | Starts at Hiking slowly or ambling through fields and hillsides, no load (3.8 MET) |
| Body weight | A number | ≥ 20, ≤ 500 |
| Weight unit | Choose one: Kilograms; Pounds | Starts at Kilograms |
| Duration (minutes) | A number | ≥ 0.1, ≤ 1440 |
Formula and method
Formula
calories = MET × weight (kg) × duration (hours)
IEEE-754 double precision; shown to at most 6 decimal places.
Uses the hiking and hill-climbing entries of the Compendium's walking category. Gross energy use (it includes the resting metabolism you would burn anyway) for an average adult. MET values are population averages: your real burn varies with fitness, body composition, pace, terrain and technique.
Worked examples
These examples are verified: each one is an automated test case that the live calculator must reproduce exactly.
Example 1
Inputs: Hiking type = Hiking slowly or ambling through fields and hillsides, no load (3.8 MET); Body weight = 70; Weight unit = Kilograms; Duration (minutes) = 30.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Calories burned | 133 kcal |
| MET value | 3.8 |
| Compendium code | 17081 |
| Per minute | 4.43 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 556 kJ |
Example 2
Inputs: Hiking type = Hiking slowly or ambling through fields and hillsides, no load (3.8 MET); Body weight = 180; Weight unit = Pounds; Duration (minutes) = 45.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Calories burned | 232.7 kcal |
| MET value | 3.8 |
| Compendium code | 17081 |
| Per minute | 5.17 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 974 kJ |
Example 3
Inputs: Hiking type = Hiking or walking at a normal pace through fields and hillsides, no load (5.3 MET); Body weight = 70; Weight unit = Kilograms; Duration (minutes) = 30.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Calories burned | 185.5 kcal |
| MET value | 5.3 |
| Compendium code | 17082 |
| Per minute | 6.18 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 776 kJ |
The first line is the headline result (calories burned). Below it the calories Burned Hiking Calculator lists mET value, compendium code, per minute and kilojoules, which describe the same case from other angles. IEEE-754 double precision; shown to at most 6 decimal places.
Terrain and load change the MET
Hiking cross-country or uphill, or carrying a pack, has higher MET values than a flat trail. The list on the page uses the Compendium's categories, so pick the closest match rather than averaging by eye.
Planning food
For a long day hike, multiply per-hour calories by the hours and add a margin. Heat, cold, altitude and pace all change real-world energy use, so treat the result as a baseline.
How the result changes with body weight
Holding every other input at the first worked example, this table changes only body weight. It shows how sensitive the answer is to that one value; each row was produced by running this calculator.
| Body weight | Calories burned | MET value | Compendium code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 66.5 kcal | 3.8 | 17081 |
| 70 | 133 kcal | 3.8 | 17081 |
| 140 | 266 kcal | 3.8 | 17081 |
| 280 | 532 kcal | 3.8 | 17081 |
What happens with invalid input
These messages are produced by the calculator itself, so you know what to fix.
- Body weight: left empty shows "Enter body weight." beside that field and no result.
- Duration (minutes): entering "0" shows "Duration (minutes) must be at least 0.1." beside that field and no result.
Choosing between the Calories Burned Hiking Calculator and similar calculators
Each row shows what a related calculator on this site asks for and what it returns, so you can pick the one that matches your question.
| Calculator | You enter | It returns |
|---|---|---|
| [Calories Burned Standing Calculator](/health/calories-burned-standing/) | standing posture, body weight and weight unit | Calories burned |
| [Calories Burned Calculator](/health/calories-burned/) | activity, units and weight | Calories burned |
| [Push-Up Calorie Calculator](/health/push-ups-calorie-calculator/) | effort level, body weight and weight unit | Calories burned |
| [BMI Calculator](/health/bmi-calculator/) | units, weight and height | Your BMI |
| [Calorie Calculator](/health/calorie-calculator/) | units, sex and weight | Maintenance calories |
Assumptions and limitations
- Weights are limited to 20–500 kg-equivalent inputs and durations to 24 hours
- MET values come from the Compendium and are not adjusted for age, sex or fitness
This calculator gives general information based on published formulas. It is not medical advice, and it cannot account for your health history. Talk to a qualified clinician about decisions that affect your health.
If a required value is empty, not a number, or outside its allowed range, the form marks that field with a message and shows no result instead of a misleading number. The automated checks deliberately try invalid entries for body weight and duration (minutes) to confirm this.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories does a 2-hour hike burn?
At 3.8 MET and 70 kg it is about 532 kcal.
Does carrying a pack matter?
Yes, choose the matching load category.
Is this net or gross?
Gross, including resting energy.
What does the Calories Burned Hiking Calculator calculate?
Calories burned hiking for a given body weight, pace and time. It returns Calories burned, MET value, Compendium code, Per minute and Kilojoules.
What formula does the Calories Burned Hiking Calculator use?
calories = MET × weight (kg) × duration (hours). Uses the hiking and hill-climbing entries of the Compendium's walking category.
What do I need to enter in the calories Burned Hiking Calculator?
You enter Hiking type, Body weight, Weight unit and Duration (minutes).
How is the result rounded or limited?
IEEE-754 double precision; shown to at most 6 decimal places. Weights are limited to 20–500 kg-equivalent inputs and durations to 24 hours.
What are the limits of this calculator?
Weights are limited to 20–500 kg-equivalent inputs and durations to 24 hours. MET values come from the Compendium and are not adjusted for age, sex or fitness.
What does the “Hiking type” option change?
It sets how the calories Burned Hiking is worked out. The choices are Hiking slowly or ambling through fields and hillsides, no load (3.8 MET), Hiking or walking at a normal pace through fields and hillsides, no load (5.3 MET), Hiking, cross country (6 MET), Backpacking, hiking with a daypack (7.8 MET), Climbing hills, no load, 1 to 5% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace (5.3 MET), Climbing hills, no load, 6 to 10% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace (7 MET) and Climbing hills, 21 to 40 lb load, 3 to 10% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace (7.5 MET).
What is an example of a calories Burned Hiking result?
With hiking type Hiking slowly or ambling through fields and hillsides, no load (3.8 MET), body weight 70, weight unit Kilograms and duration (minutes) 30, the calories burned is 133 kcal.
Where does the method come from?
The method follows: 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, https://pacompendium.com/ (MET values used unchanged; free for educational and commercial use with citation); Energy cost: kcal = MET × body mass (kg) × hours, using 1 MET ≈ 1 kcal per kg per hour (Compendium convention).
Can I rely on this calculator for a decision?
This calculator gives general information based on published formulas. It is not medical advice, and it cannot account for your health history. Talk to a qualified clinician about decisions that affect your health. For this calculator in particular: Weights are limited to 20–500 kg-equivalent inputs and durations to 24 hours.
Related calculators
- Calories Burned Standing Calculator — Calories burned while standing, from Compendium MET values.
- Calories Burned Calculator — Estimate calories burned from activity, body weight and time using MET values.
- Push-Up Calorie Calculator — Calories burned doing push-ups (calisthenics) for a given effort level and time.
- BMI Calculator — Find your Body Mass Index (BMI) and weight status.
- Calorie Calculator — Daily calories to maintain, lose or gain weight.
- BMR Calculator — Estimate basal metabolic rate with the Mifflin–St Jeor and revised Harris–Benedict equations.
Sources
- 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, https://pacompendium.com/ (MET values used unchanged; free for educational and commercial use with citation)
- Energy cost: kcal = MET × body mass (kg) × hours, using 1 MET ≈ 1 kcal per kg per hour (Compendium convention)
Content last reviewed 2026-11-04. Formulas and worked examples are checked by automated tests against independently computed values.