OUTRAIL
Hike farther, plan smarter — free calculators for hiking time, calories, pack weight, water, trail difficulty, and daylight, plus trail guides and a museum of great trails, parks, and peaks.
From estimating time on trail and calories burned to dialling in pack weight, water, and a safe turnaround before dark, OutRail pairs free hands-on hiking calculators with plain-English trail guides and an illustrated museum of great trails, parks, and peaks. Plan the day, hike it well, and get home in the light.
Hiking Tools & Calculators
Free tools for the numbers behind a hike — time on trail, calories burned, pack weight, water to carry, trail difficulty, and a safe daylight turnaround.
Hiking Time Calculator
Turn distance and elevation gain into a realistic time on trail with Naismith's rule and a Tobler cross-check, scaled for your pace
Hiking Calorie Burn Calculator
Estimate the energy a hike costs from your weight, pack, speed, grade, and terrain using the Pandolf load-carriage equation
Backpack Weight Calculator
Split your load into base weight and consumables, see it as a share of body weight, and check where your kit lands from ultralight to traditional
Hiking Water Needs Calculator
Work out how much water to carry from the hours out, the temperature, and your effort — with a nudge on when to add electrolytes
Trail Difficulty Rating Calculator
Fold distance and climb into one Shenandoah difficulty number, plus Petzoldt energy miles as a second read on the effort
Daylight Turnaround Calculator
Find the hour you must turn back from your start time, sunset, and hike time, so a slow ascent never leaves you finishing after dark
Trails & Peaks Museum
Step into an illustrated museum of the outdoors — the great long-distance trails, the national and state parks that protect them, the world’s high peaks and the mountaineers who climbed them, and the gear and craft of walking wild country, each in its own gallery. Get to know the places and people behind the miles you hike.
Tour the museum →From the Trail Journal
Fresh guides on trail planning, backpacking and gear, hiking fitness and nutrition, and the national and state parks worth the drive, plus plain-language tips for hiking farther and safer.
Advanced Camping Recipes Techniques and Methods
The Art of Wildlife Watching: A Journey Through Nature’s Living Tapestry
The Art of Wilderness Survival: Mastering Nature’s Unforgiving Classroom
The Ultimate Journey Through Nature’s Pathways: Exploring Hiking Trails Around the Globe
Mastering Adventure Gear Essentials: A Comprehensive Outrail Survival Manual
The Art of Trail Maintenance: Preserving Nature’s Pathways for Generations
Keep Learning
Plain-language explainers on day hiking and backpacking, trail navigation and safety, the national and state parks, and the high peaks and mountaineering — everything you need to plan a bigger day on the trail with confidence.
Visit the Learn hub →