The key to having a successful hike is being properly fueled, which is why having a rough idea of how many calories you’ll burn on a hike is important. This way, you know what to eat before you get started and how much food you’ll need to pack for your hike to keep you nourished and sustained. At Backroads, we love a mid-hike or mid-bike ride picnic to keep us energized! It’s also useful for anyone planning a detailed workout regimen and tracking their caloric intake and burn.
In general, the number of calories burned while hiking is dependent on your body weight. The more you weigh, the more calories your body is likely to burn on a hike. For example, a 160-pound person will burn somewhere between 430 and 440 calories per hour of hiking, while a 200-pound person will burn closer to 550 calories per hour of hiking.
Besides body weight, here are some other factors that affect one’s caloric burn rate:
1. Fitness Level
The fitter you are, the harder it is to burn calories simply by logging more hiking miles because the human body adapts to higher physical activity thresholds. If you’re thinking about piling on more miles to your hike for calorie count alone, keep this fact in mind.
2. Intensity
Hiking at a faster pace for at least 45 minutes can increase the number of calories you burn during and after your hike. The sustained vigorous pace helps to increase your metabolism, meaning your body continues to burn calories for an average of 14 hours after you finish your hike.
3. Pack Weight
The weight of your hiking pack influences the number of calories burned on a hike. A light daypack adds about 50 to 100 calories to your hourly calorie burn rate. A heavier load, like you might carry on a backpacking trip, can raise your calorie burn count by roughly 200 calories per hour.
4. Terrain
The more challenging the terrain, the more calories you’ll burn. Trails with uneven, rocky ground and steep, long uphill sections cause your muscles to work harder and you to burn more calories.
OutsideOnline.com has a backpacking calorie estimator that factors in your body weight, pack weight, hiking speed and the slope of the terrain you’ll be hiking. Find it here.
