How Long Does it Take to Hike 5 Miles? [What to Know]

Whether it’s because you want to let your mom know how long you’ll be out or you need to pack a dinner, it’s good to know how long a hike will take.

5 miles is a pretty average length hike that can vary in estimated time for a number of reasons.

But narrowing down that timeline will help you out tremendously and will ensure that you’re safe out on the trail.

So if you’re wondering how long it takes to hike 5 miles, continue reading, because I’ve got a few ways to find out the answer!

How Long Does it Take to Hike 5 Miles?

Now I know that you were hoping that I would have a rock-solid answer for you, but there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to hiking.

Every person is different and will take a different amount of time to finish any length of hike.

Some may finish in under an hour, while others may take four.

But if we’re looking at the average person on a decently flat, well-maintained trail, it should take approximately 2.5 to 3 hours to hike 5 miles.

The average person hikes about 2 miles per hour, which also approves the fact that many people will finish 5 miles in 2.5-3 hours.

Now, remember, this definitely won’t be the same for every person because some will take much less and some will take much more time.

There are multiple factors to consider when determining how long a hike will take that are more than just the distance.

Consider These Factors

When you’re trying to determine an estimated time for a hike, there are many things that you’ll need to look at.

Let’s go over a few of these factors to better help you narrow down a time.

Your Personal Fitness Level

The first thing is to determine what your fitness and health levels are like.

Are you hitting the trails every weekend or is this the first hike you’ve ever been on?

Do you work out regularly or do you prefer to stay out of the gym?

Are you a healthy eater or is junk food more your style?

Tyler hiking on a dirt trail around Mount Rainier.

Have you had many health complications in your life or do you only visit the doctor when you have a broken bone?

All of these factors, which play into your personal health and fitness level, will be deciding factors in how long it takes you to hike.

A healthy person will have an easier time hiking any distance than someone who is unhealthy.

Elevation Gain

Many people forget to look at how much elevation gain a hike has and just assume that because it’s 2 miles, it’ll be easy.

This couldn’t be farther from the truth.

1,000 feet of elevation change could be the difference between an easy and a difficult hike.

It’s really important to look at elevation change for a lot of reasons.

First, hiking uphill is going to tire you out faster and you’re going to take longer to finish.

Second, if you’re in the mountains, the environment and weather is different when you’re up higher.

The All Trails app does a really great job of giving you all the information that you need for a hike, including elevation.

Conditions of the Trail

If you’re going out on a well-maintained, flat nature trail, chances are, it’s going to be a lot easier to walk on.

Trails in national parks or hikes to the top of a mountain are often times unmaintained and see a lot rougher terrain.

When there are rocks, exposed tree roots, downed trees, boulder fields, and streams to cross, you can expect to spend a lot more time on the trail.

Tyler walking across a rocky, boulder-covered path.

A lot of times this information can be found in the All Trails reviews and trip reports.

If the trail is popular and there are a lot of people on it, this can also affect how fast you’re able to move because you may have to wait for others.

Number of Breaks

Are you the type of person that likes to take 10 breaks on the way up and then sit at the viewpoint for 2 hours? (That’s me!)

If so, you’re obviously going to need to plan that into your time frame.

You can sometimes determine how many breaks you’re going to need by looking at the elevation change.

More elevation gain usually means more breaks will be needed.

Your personal fitness level also may play a part in this.

Another factor of breaks is the weather and temperature. If it’s hot outside, you might need more stops for water.

Hiking Partners

Something that some people forget to think about is how fast their hiking partners are.

If you’re hiking with someone else, you can’t decide your time frame off of just how fast you’ll be hiking.

Tyler and I walking on a long trail around the Mount Rainier area.

To make this easier, find someone who holds a similar pace to what you do.

And if that’s not an option (my boyfriend is naturally a faster hiker than me 😅), just try to find a pace that suits you both.

FAQ: Hiking 5 Miles

Here are a few more questions that might help you determine just about how long it will take you to hike 5 miles.

How Long Will a 5-Mile Hike Take With a Backpack?

This depends on how heavy your backpack is.

If you don’t have anything crazy in there and it just sits nice and easy on your back, it shouldn’t hinder you and you should be able to keep your normal pace.

But if you have a heavy pack, say you’re backpacking, this could definitely slow you down.

Tyler walking through a wooded forest with rocks and tree roots on the ground.

For a heavy pack, add about 30 minutes to an hour of extra time to what you’ve already determined.

So for the average hiker with a heavy backpack, plan for about 3-4 hours of time on the trail.

What Should I Pack For a 5-Mile Hike?

A 5-mile hike is decently long and you certainly won’t want to show up to the trail with nothing.

Here are a few of the most important things to pack in your bag.

Water: Using a water bladder helps store plenty of water for a day hike. It’s important to stay hydrated.
Snacks: Pack a variety of snacks with protein, carbs, ad salt to stay energized. You may also need a meal if you’re out at mealtime.
Navigation: This could be with a map, compass, GPS system, or on your phone. But use some sort of navigation to stay on the trail.
Sun Protection: Even in the winter, it’s important to protect your skin. Have a sun hat and sunscreen all the time.
First Aid: A small bag with bandages, first aid cream, pain relievers, etc. just in case.
Bug Spray: Some trails have a nasty amount of bugs and it might be helpful to have some spray.
Sweater: I always carry a sweater, even if it’s warm out, just in case I need it later.
Camera: This could be a real camera or just your phone, but you’ll surely want to take some photos.
Portable Charger: I carry one of these with me everywhere, especially because I use my phone for navigation. Don’t forget the cord!

How Much Water Do I Need For a 5-Mile Hike?

It’s recommended to have 1/2 liter of water for every hour of hiking.

So for 5 miles on the trail, you should have about 2.5 liters of water with you.

I use this water bladder that can hold up to 3 liters, which is perfect for any of my hikes from 1-8 miles.

Do I Need to Train For a 5-Mile Hike?

There’s not really a reason to ‘train’ for a 5-mile hike, as long as you’re in good shape.

If you aren’t in the best shape, I would recommend at least getting out and doing some walking and maybe climbing some stairs.

Getting some stretching in before and after will help with relieving your sore muscles after the hike.

If you’re completely new to hiking, I would try out a few shorter trails, between 1-3 miles before you jump right into a 5-miler.

Useful Hiking Apps

Trails NH

I love this website for calculating my estimated hiking time.

It has filters for heavy backpacks, rough terrain, elevation, mileage, and more.

All Trails

This is the app that I use to find new hiking trails, read trip reports, and track my hikes while I’m on them.

With the Pro version, you can download maps for offline use.

It’s fantastic and many hikers out there use it, so you should too!

Cairn

Another great app for tracking your hike, finding cell coverage, and alerting family members of your late arrival.

Downloadable maps are also available in their Pro version.

Hiking for Beginners: Top Tips

If you’re a beginner hiker and are contemplating getting out on the trail, follow these tips to have an enjoyable experience.

(I also have a post about avoiding mistakes as a beginner hiker if you want to check that out!)

Don’t Underestimate the Elevation

Elevation can be easy to overlook, especially when the hike seems short.

But I promise you that you do not want to underestimate it. Speaking from experience.

It can be the difference between something extremely easy and something extremely hard.

Always check the elevation changes and make sure that it’s something you can handle.

2,500 feet may not seem like much, but that’s a lot of uphill! Trust me!

Try Not to Overpack

It’s also easy to overpack, thinking that you need a lot more than you really do.

But you’ll probably get out on the trail and be like “oh… I guess I didn’t need this entire change of clothes, curling iron, and 5-star meal.”

Just kidding. But really, don’t pack those things.

You’ll be done with a 5-mile hike in likely no more than 5 hours at the most, so only bring what you might need for that amount of time.

A long, steep path down through the forest that can be hiked.

Always Leave No Trace

Please, please, please, when you’re out on the hiking trail, LEAVE NO TRACE.

This means cleaning up your garbage, leaving nature where you found it, staying on the trail, and leaving wildlife alone.

You can read all 7 principles of LNT here.

Have a Blast!

Overall, hiking is a great way to get some exercise and see all that the world has to offer.

It’s one of my all-time favorite activities (hence the hiking blog 😉), and I’m sure that you’ll love it too.

Just remember not to take it too seriously (beyond the safety things) and enjoy those VIEWS!

Wrap-Up: How Long Does it Take to Hike 5 Miles?

In the end, there, unfortunately, is no way for me to give you an exact timeframe of how long it takes to hike 5-miles.

But if you use these factors to try and narrow it down, you’ll have an easier time determining that timeframe for you.

On average, it’ll take someone about 2.5-3 hours to finish that 5-mile hike that they’re on.