Avg. miles hiked?

[Kenneth Gurney]

On multi-day Hikes how many miles a day do you hike on average?
The reason I ask is because some of you know I am Hiking the TRT in early summer and “Thought” that 12MPD was a good starting point to determine logistics… Backpacker magazine reports that the average daily hiking miles is 7.16… Did I make a mistake?
I will be attempting the TRT mid-July and I based my 12MPD on My own averages, roughly, on day hikes in the Sierra…
If you have hiked sections or the hole TRT, could you post your Averages, #days and/or any info. that may be heplful…
I was thinking that 12MPD 13-14days on the TRT was conservative:)

Thanks
Ken

[Anonymous]

I average about 7 miles per day. However, I like to stop and take photos, look at anything I find interesting, fish a little, etc. I think it would depend on your ‘style’ of hiking, what you like to do along the trail, etc.

[Ben Lyon]

This is obviously very personal based on your physical state, goals, and determination. On a recent 3 day trip, I hiked a total of 54 miles…average 18 miles a day. First day, 22 miles; second, 18; third, 13. I think 12-13 MPD for a thru hike of most any kind should be conservative if you are in good shape.

[Shawn Basil]

In conditions clear of snow, when I am staying mostly on trail, I rarely hike less than 15 miles a day. As my gear load gets lighter, I get bigger and bigger mileage.

I was doing 20+ miles a day consistently while through-hiking the Appalachian Trail 6 years ago with a pack almost twice as heavy as the one I now carry. If I could achieve that level of hiking conditioning again, I have no doubt my pack weight would allow me 25+ mile days consistently in the same terrain.

So unless you’re getting into snowpack, and unless the trail is in horrible condition, 12 miles a day seems quite reasonable (even with pretty significant elevation gain). Remember, the folks at Backpacker are many miles from embracing lightweight backpacking, and they steer their readers toward conservative estimates for a casual weekend backpacker.

[Anonymous]

I am 60 year old male. I always plan hours instead of miles, but always translate back to miles. I like to start early (first light), hike slow for 8 to 10 hours with few breaks. Last year this averaged 15 mpd on JMT.

[John Davis]

I don’t know the TRT, but 17 miles a day plus 4000 feet of ascent works for long trips.

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