How Fast Does a Group Hike? Planning for the Slowest Walker
Organised group hikes, club walks and days out with friends all share one piece of arithmetic that is easy to forget: a group moves at the speed of its slowest member, and it stops more often than any one of its members would alone. A route that a fit walker does in three and a half hours can take a mixed group five or six. Planning with the wrong number is how groups end up rushing a descent in the last of the light.
This guide uses the Hiking Time Calculator and the Daylight Turnaround Calculator to plan a hypothetical group day, then covers the habits that keep a group together and on time.
One route, three paces
Take an out-and-back route of 14 km with 700 m of climb. The calculator's three pace settings give:
| Pace setting | Naismith estimate | Tobler cross-check |
|---|---|---|
| Brisk / fit (15% quicker) | 3h 22m | 2h 49m |
| Average | 3h 58m | 3h 19m |
| Leisurely / heavy pack (25% slower) | 4h 58m | 4h 08m |
The difference between the quickest and slowest setting on this one route is an hour and 36 minutes of moving time. If the group's organiser is a brisk walker and plans on their own pace, the plan is short by that much before a single stop is counted.
The rule for groups is simple: use the pace of the slowest person who is coming, and if you do not know everyone's pace, use "leisurely". It is far better to finish early than to discover at 15:00 that half the group needs another two hours.
Add the stops a group makes
Every figure above is moving time. Groups stop more than individuals: someone needs to adjust a boot, someone needs the toilet, the group waits at junctions, and a lunch stop for ten people takes longer than one for two. An hour of stops on a five-hour group day is not unusual. For this route, a realistic group plan is the leisurely estimate plus an hour, so a little under six hours on the trail.
The turnaround time for the group
Suppose the group meets and starts walking at 08:30, and sunset is at 17:45. With the calculator's default 60-minute buffer and the default allowance for a 25% slower return leg:
- Latest safe finish: 16:45.
- Turn back by: 12:10.
The turnaround depends only on the start, the sunset, the buffer and the return allowance, so it is the same whichever pace you choose. What changes is the projected finish and the margin:
| Plan based on | Projected finish | Daylight margin |
|---|---|---|
| Brisk moving time only | 12:18 | 267 min |
| Leisurely moving time only | 14:05 | 160 min |
| Leisurely plus an hour of stops | 15:13 | 92 min |
The honest plan, the last row, still finishes an hour and a half before the latest safe finish. That is a sensible margin for a group. But notice how different the brisk plan looks: it suggests the group will be back for a late lunch. An organiser working from that figure might happily add a detour, accept a late start, or let the lunch stop run long, and use up the real margin without noticing.
Also notice the turnaround: 12:10. If the group is not at its goal by then, it turns back. With a realistic plan that has the outward leg taking around two and a half to three hours, the group should reach the high point around 11:00 to 11:30, so the turnaround is a real safety net rather than a formality.
Running the day
Before the hike
- Describe the route honestly when inviting people: distance, total climb, expected time including stops, and the terrain. The Trail Difficulty Rating gives a single number you can quote; this route rates 199.9, at the very top of the strenuous band and a fraction below "very strenuous" (see what the rating means).
- Share the turnaround time in advance and agree that the clock decides.
- Leave the plan with someone who is not coming: the route, the start time, the expected finish and when to raise the alarm.
- Check that everyone has the basics: water and food, layers and a waterproof, a headlamp, sturdy footwear and a charged phone. At least one person should carry a first-aid kit and know how to use it, and at least one should carry a map and be able to navigate without a phone.
- Check the land manager's current conditions and any rules on group size for the area you are visiting.
On the trail
- Put the slowest walker near the front. The group then naturally moves at their pace, and they are not left struggling at the back, always arriving at a rest stop just as everyone else is ready to leave.
- Have a leader and a back marker. Nobody goes ahead of the leader or behind the back marker. The back marker should be experienced and carry the first-aid kit.
- Regroup at every junction. Count heads. Most "lost" group members are people who took a different fork while the group was spread out.
- Give slower walkers a real rest. If the group waits for them and then sets off the moment they arrive, they never rest at all and get slower as the day goes on.
- Check progress against the plan. If you are far behind the estimate at the first landmark, say so early and discuss a shorter objective.
- Turn around on time. Without discussion. The decision was made at home.
Watch for people struggling
In a group, people who are struggling often say nothing. Watch for anyone who has stopped talking, is stumbling, is unusually cold or unusually hot, is not eating or drinking, or keeps falling behind. Heat illness, dehydration, exhaustion and hypothermia all come on more easily in a person who is pushing to keep up. If someone is in trouble, the whole group slows down or turns around. Splitting a group so that the fast walkers can carry on is a decision that should only be made deliberately, with each smaller group able to look after itself.
What the numbers cannot tell you
The calculator gives an estimate for fit adults on a reasonable path in good conditions. It does not know about steep or loose descents, river crossings, mud, snow, heat, altitude, or the walker who turns out to be much slower than expected. A group plan needs more margin than a solo plan for exactly this reason: there are more people for something to happen to.
A good group day is one where everyone finishes tired but comfortable, in daylight, together. Plan for the slowest walker, add the stops, set the turnaround and keep to it, and the arithmetic will look after the rest.