Hiking Calorie Calculator

Climbing against gravity requires your muscles to do mechanical work lifting your body weight upward with every step, which is metabolically far more expensive per unit of trail distance than covering the same distance on flat ground. Rather than adding a second, separate intensity boost on top of the terrain MET (which would double-count that work), this calculator applies Naismith's Rule — adding one hour of hiking time for every 2,000 feet of elevation gained — so a hilly route takes meaningfully longer at the same baseline burn rate, and that extra time on trail is what drives the higher total calorie estimate.

The calculator scales the pack-weight adjustment relative to your own body weight, because carrying 20 pounds represents a much larger relative load increase for a 130-pound hiker than for a 220-pound hiker, and the physiological cost of carrying extra weight scales with that relative burden, not the raw pounds alone. A loaded backpacking trip with a 30+ pound pack can meaningfully increase total calories burned compared to the same hike unloaded, which is one reason backpackers typically eat noticeably more on trail than day hikers covering similar mileage.

MET-based calorie estimates are population averages, not individually calibrated numbers — your actual fitness level, hiking efficiency, ambient temperature, altitude, and even how much you rest during breaks all shift real energy expenditure away from the average this calculator assumes. Hot weather and high altitude in particular both increase real-world calorie burn and water needs beyond what a terrain-and-weight-based MET model captures, so treat this as a sensible ballpark figure rather than a precise measurement.

The water estimate scales with estimated hiking time and exercise intensity, but it does not add a separate adjustment for high ambient temperature or altitude, both of which substantially increase real sweat and hydration needs beyond a temperate-weather baseline. In hot conditions or at elevation, experienced hikers commonly plan for meaningfully more water than a moderate-climate estimate like this one suggests — treat this figure as a floor for planning, not a ceiling, when conditions are hot or dry.