Activity calories · 2024 Compendium METs

Calories burned hiking

Quick answer

A 70 kg (154 lb) person burns about 210 kcal in 30 minutes of hiking (Cross country), and about 420 kcal in an hour. That is 6 METs.

30 minutes: 210kcal; 70 kg (154 lb)
1 hour: 420kcal; 70 kg (154 lb)
1 hour: 360kcal; 60 kg (132 lb)
1 hour: 480kcal; 80 kg (176 lb)

Hiking covers uneven ground, slopes and sometimes a pack, so it is rated higher than walking on a flat path. The Compendium separates an easy amble from a normal pace, and lists climbing by grade, which is the biggest single factor on a real trail.

Calculate calories burned hiking

Starts at 70 kg (154 lb) for 30 minutes of hiking at 6 METs; enter your own weight and time.

Calories burned hiking by weight and time

Kilocalories for hiking at 6 METs (Cross country), by body weight and minutes. Read across from your weight; the pace table below shows the other rows.

Calories burned hiking at 6 METs, by body weight and duration
Body weight	15 min	30 min	45 min	1 hour	1.5 hours	2 hours
50 kg (110 lb)	75	150	225	300	450	600
60 kg (132 lb)	90	180	270	360	540	720
70 kg (154 lb)	105	210	315	420	630	840
80 kg (176 lb)	120	240	360	480	720	960
90 kg (198 lb)	135	270	405	540	810	1,080
100 kg (220 lb)	150	300	450	600	900	1,200
110 kg (243 lb)	165	330	495	660	990	1,320

Hiking: calories by pace or effort

The Compendium rates hiking on 7 lines, from 3.8 METs (Slowly or ambling, no load) up to 8.8 METs (Uphill 11 to 20% grade, slow to moderate). Each row below is one of those codes with the calories it works out to.

Calories burned hiking by pace or effort
Pace or effort	Compendium code	METs	30 min, 60 kg (132 lb)	30 min, 70 kg (154 lb)	30 min, 80 kg (176 lb)	1 hour, 70 kg (154 lb)
Slowly or ambling, no load	17081	3.8	114	133	152	266
Uphill 1 to 5% grade, brisk	17034	5.3	159	186	212	371
Normal pace, no load	17082	5.3	159	186	212	371
Cross country	17080	6	180	210	240	420
Uphill 6 to 10% grade, brisk	17035	7	210	245	280	490
With a daypack	17012	7.8	234	273	312	546
Uphill 11 to 20% grade, slow to moderate	17036	8.8	264	308	352	616

The Compendium’s own wording for each code: 17081, “Hiking slowly or ambling through fields and hillsides, no load”; 17034, “Climbing hills, no load, 1 to 5% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace”; 17082, “Hiking or walking at a normal pace through fields and hillsides, no load”; 17080, “Hiking, cross country”; 17035, “Climbing hills, no load, 6 to 10% grade, moderate-to-brisk pace”; 17012, “Backpacking, hiking with a daypack, organized walking with daypack”; 17036, “Climbing hills, no load, 11 to 20% grade, slow-to-moderate pace”.

What changes the number for hiking

Pace is the biggest lever. The hardest listed way of hiking (Uphill 11 to 20% grade, slow to moderate) is rated at 8.8 METs, 2.3 times the 3.8 METs of the gentlest (Slowly or ambling, no load). For a 70 kg (154 lb) person that is 616 kcal an hour against 266 kcal.

Body weight is the second: the same 6 METs of hiking for 30 minutes comes to 150 kcal at 50 kg (110 lb) and 330 kcal at 110 kg (243 lb). To reach 100 kcal at 70 kg (154 lb) takes about 14 minutes at the starting pace.

Laid out in half-hour terms for 70 kg (154 lb): slowly or ambling, no load is 133 kcal; uphill 1 to 5% grade, brisk is 186 kcal; normal pace, no load is 186 kcal; cross country is 210 kcal; uphill 6 to 10% grade, brisk is 245 kcal; with a daypack is 273 kcal; uphill 11 to 20% grade, slow to moderate is 308 kcal.

How the calories are worked out

The formula is calories = MET × body weight in kg × hours. A MET compares an activity with sitting quietly, which is 1 MET and is taken as roughly 1 kcal per kilogram per hour. That equivalence is an approximation, which is why every figure is rounded and called about.

For hiking at 6 METs, a 70 kg (154 lb) person for 30 minutes: 6 × 70 × 0.5 = 210 kcal. This is a gross figure: it includes the energy your body would spend at rest in the same time.

The MET values are those of the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities (Herrmann SD, Willis EA, Ainsworth BE, et al., J Sport Health Sci 2024), read from its activity list on 2026-10-23 and copied with their codes. They are averages for adults; see how we calculate.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories does a 70 kg person burn hiking in 30 minutes?

About 210 kcal at 6 METs (Cross country). The whole range for hiking on this page runs from 133 kcal (Slowly or ambling, no load) to 308 kcal (Uphill 11 to 20% grade, slow to moderate) in the same half hour.

How many calories does hiking burn in an hour?

At 6 METs, about 360 kcal for a 60 kg (132 lb) person, 420 kcal at 70 kg (154 lb) and 480 kcal at 80 kg (176 lb). Heavier people burn more because they move more mass.

How long does hiking take to burn 100 calories?

For a 70 kg (154 lb) person, about 14 minutes at 6 METs (Cross country). At the gentlest listed pace (Slowly or ambling, no load, 3.8 METs) it takes 23 minutes, and at the hardest (Uphill 11 to 20% grade, slow to moderate, 8.8 METs) about 10.

Does the number for hiking include the calories I would burn anyway?

Yes. Of the 6 METs, 1 is the resting cost, about 17% of the total here, so the activity itself adds about 175 of the 210 kcal in 30 minutes at 70 kg (154 lb).

Why would my watch show a different number for hiking?

A watch uses its own model, often with heart rate, age and sex, while this page uses the Compendium’s average. For hiking that average already spans 7 entries from 3.8 to 8.8 METs, a 2.3-fold range, so a gap between the two is normal.

Which line in the table should I choose for hiking?

Pick the row that best describes how you did it: this page starts from “Cross country”, about 44% of the way up the 3.8 to 8.8 MET range. The rows are separate Compendium entries (17081, 17034, 17082, 17080, 17035, 17012, 17036).

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These are estimates for healthy adults from average MET values. How much you actually burn varies with your fitness, body composition, technique, terrain and conditions, so use the figures as a guide, not a measurement. This is not medical advice.