Hiking is an extremely demanding activity and can wear down your body fast. Learning to pace yourself is a great way to push your body to new limits. After all, most of us backpackers do it to push ourselves physically.

Fortunately, there are several things you can start doing to increase your endurance and find yourself putting in more miles.

What is a Good Pace

All hikers have a different view on pace. It all comes down to personal preference and the terrain you are hiking. Hiking a pace of 4mph might be a reasonable pace in open highlands on ridge lines, but it could be near impossible in very steep areas.

Hiking at a slower pace is inherently safer because you are less likely to mess up your footing. Twisting an ankle 10 miles from your car could turn into a very dangerous situation. If you aren’t comfortable with traversing terrain safely, it might be a better option for you to slow down and focus.

As an experienced hiker, I can say with confidence that walking a very fast pace will wear you out much quicker. You will find yourself needing to stop for water more often and needing to take a breath.

From personal experience, a pace of 3mph is ideal in an open area with very little terrain or rocks. A slightly more difficult environment might require a slower pace of 2mph to stay safe. For a very difficult uphill environment with big rocks might not even allow you to hit 1mph.

How Many Miles Should I Hike

There is no perfect answer to this question, because it honestly depends. The harder the terrain, the less miles you may be able to cover at a decent pace. Some areas are very steep, making it hard to cover lots of ground.

A full day of hiking should be roughly around six hours for the average backpacker. This means you make only hit six miles in an extremely difficult area and that is perfectly fine.

However, in a more open and flat area, you may be able to cover around 20 miles in a day. It all comes down to how far you are willing to push yourself and what type of environment you are hiking in.

How Often Should I Stop For Water?

You should be stopping for water too much! Hiking causes a prolonged increase of heart rate which is great exercise. A a result you will be sweating a lot, especially in hotter climates.

As an avid hiker, I find myself getting into the routine of stopping every 30 minutes for a drink on long days. This is a common routine I have seen many experienced hikers get into as well. This gives your body a chance to rest and keep up with hydration.

I good rule of thumb I have always used is to drink a full Nalgene water bottle every 2 hours. This a LOT of water, but trust me when I say your body needs it. You may even need to stop for a drink if you’re not feeling thirsty.

How Often Should I Stop To Eat

Just like staying hydrated, eating is also very important. Long periods of exercise such as hiking cause extreme calorie burns. This means you need to have a high caloric intake throughout your hike.

As someone with a high metabolism, I find myself stopping for trail mix or a protein bar every hour. This is a good way to pace yourself because eating also allows your body to rest so you can gain back some strength.

Use Trekking Poles

Trekking poles are poles you use with your hands while walking to help stabilize yourself. They are especially helpful in tough terrain because they can help you maintain balance and be safe. This is the pair of trekking poles I use off Amazon, they are great!

Here is an article I wrote on trekking poles. It explains why you should be using them and what types of benefits they can offer to you.

The real reason they are important for keeping a good pace is because they allows you to take some load off your legs. Hiking with lots of weight can become tough and wear you out fast. Using the trekking poles to push with your arms while you hike helps you keep a good pace.

Trail Tricks For Pacing Yourself

Eat Jelly Beans (the sugar gives you a boost in energy)

Avoid coffee in the morning

Add flavor packets to your water

Eat a breakfast high in carbohydrates

Stop Frequently for water

Sing a song or laugh while hiking

Some of these sound weird like eating jelly beans on the trail, but I promise they are all great tips. My personal favorite is singing a song or joking around on the trail. This releases endorphins in your body which improves your mood and can give you a quick mental boost.