Hiking Calorie Burn Estimator
Estimate calories burned from your body weight, distance, elevation gain, and pack weight — so you can pack enough food.
Running out of food miles from the trailhead is miserable. Enter your stats and trip details for a solid calorie estimate, then pack a little extra — hunger always hikes faster than you.
Updated October 14, 2026 — expanded with typical-trip benchmarks, how the math works, and pack-weight effects.
Quick answer: Plan on 300–500 calories per hour of hiking, 1.5–2 lbs of calorie-dense food per day, and 500+ extra calories in cold weather. When in doubt, pack more — bonking miles from camp is worse than carrying an extra bar.
How the estimate works
The calculator uses your total carried mass (body weight + pack weight) and two energy-cost rates drawn from exercise-science hiking studies:
- Flat distance: ~0.75 kcal per kg of carried mass per km on trail
- Climbing: ~2 kcal per kg per 1,000 m of elevation gain
This is an estimate, not a lab measurement — it doesn’t capture fitness level, trail surface, weather, or altitude effects, which is why the page ranges (“300–500 per hour”) are the safe numbers to plan around. When the calculator gives you 1,180 and the range says 1,000–1,400, trust the range.
What a typical trip costs
Four reference trips through the same formula the calculator uses, so you can sanity-check your own numbers:
| Trip | Body | Pack | Distance | Climbing | ~Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy day hike | 70 kg | 5 kg | 8 km | 300 m | ~495 |
| Moderate backpacking day | 80 kg | 12 kg | 15 km | 800 m | ~1,180 |
| Big mountain day | 75 kg | 8 kg | 20 km | 1,500 m | ~1,490 |
| Full backpacking day | 85 kg | 18 kg | 18 km | 900 m | ~1,580 |
The pattern to remember: your weight matters more than your speed. A heavier hiker on an easy trail can burn more than a lighter hiker pushing hard.
How pack weight moves the needle
Same hiker (70 kg), same route (10 km, 500 m climbing) — only the pack changes:
- 5 kg pack → ~638 calories
- 15 kg pack → ~723 calories
Ten extra kilograms adds ~85 calories on one hike — modest for a day trip, but ~600 extra calories over a weeklong trip, i.e. nearly a full day of food. Before you pack “just in case” gear, run the Pack Weight Calculator and see what it costs you in fuel.
Turn the number into food
Once you have your estimate:
- Pack 1.5–2 lbs of calorie-dense food per day (roughly 3,000–4,000 calories), choosing foods with 120+ calories per ounce — nuts, cheese, salami, energy bars, peanut butter.
- Add 500+ calories on top for cold weather; your body burns fuel just staying warm, and frozen food is food you can’t eat.
- For trips with big elevation days, sanity-check your total with the Hiking Time Estimator — slow, steep miles burn food fast and take longer than you think.
Related guides
- How to Train for a Multi-Day Hike — fuel your training like the real thing
- 3-Day Backpacking Packing List for Beginners — 1.5–2 lbs of food per day
- How Much Water for Desert Hiking — calories and hydration go together
- Pack Weight Calculator — what your gear costs you
- Hiking Time Estimator — how long the miles take
Rough estimate from distance, elevation, body weight and pack load. Eat accordingly.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories do you burn hiking?
Roughly 300–500 per hour depending on body weight, pack weight, terrain, and pace. A full day of backpacking typically burns 3,000–5,000 calories — roughly double a sedentary day. The estimator above personalizes it.
How much food should I pack per day of backpacking?
1.5–2 lbs of calorie-dense food per day (roughly 3,000–4,000 calories). Choose foods with 120+ calories per ounce — nuts, cheese, salami, energy bars — to keep weight down.
Do you burn more calories hiking in cold weather?
Yes — your body burns extra fuel just staying warm. Cold-weather hikers should pack 500+ more calories than the same distance in summer, and favor foods that don’t freeze solid.
Keep planning with our guides
These tools pair with our nano-specific guides — problem-first answers for real bodies, real problems, and real budgets.