Winter Day Hikes: Short Daylight, Turnaround Times and Cold
A winter hike is a good way to start a year, and the first weeks of January are popular for it. The trails are quiet, the air is clear, and a few hours out in the cold feel earned. But winter changes the arithmetic of a day hike in three ways at once: there are far fewer hours of daylight, the ground is often slower, and the cost of being caught out after dark is higher because it is cold.
This guide plans a hypothetical winter route with the Daylight Turnaround Calculator and the Hiking Time Calculator, shows what snow and a late start do to the plan, and covers water, layers and the signs of hypothermia.
The route and the light
Take an out-and-back route of 10 km with 400 m of climb. In summer it is a relaxed half day. The Hiking Time Calculator gives 2h 40m of moving time at average pace by Naismith's rule (2 hours for the distance, 40 minutes for the climb), with a Tobler cross-check of 2h 17m.
Now put it in winter. Suppose sunset is at 16:30 on the day you plan to go; look up the real time for your date and place, because it varies a great deal with latitude. You plan to start at 09:00, and you keep the calculator's default 60-minute buffer before sunset and the default 25% allowance for a slower return.
- Latest safe finish: 15:30.
- Usable window: 09:00 to 15:30, 390 minutes.
- Turn back by: 11:53.
- Projected finish on the dry-trail estimate: 12:01, with a margin of 209 minutes.
On a clear, dry trail this is a comfortable plan. The point to notice is the turnaround: before noon. In midsummer, with the same start and a sunset several hours later, the turnaround for the same route would be well into the afternoon. In winter the whole day is compressed, and a long lunch at the top can be the difference between finishing in the light and finishing by headlamp.
What snow does to the plan
Snow, ice, slush and mud all slow you down, and Naismith's rule assumes none of them. A reasonable adjustment is to use the "leisurely / heavy pack" setting, which adds 25%, and to add generous time for stops: putting on and taking off layers, fitting traction devices, and simply moving more carefully. With the leisurely setting the route becomes 3h 20m of moving time. Add an hour for stops and the plan is 4h 20m.
| Plan | Start | Turn back by | Projected finish | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry trail, average pace, no stops | 09:00 | 11:53 | 12:01 | 209 min |
| Snow: leisurely pace plus an hour of stops | 09:00 | 11:53 | 13:53 | 97 min |
| Dry trail, but starting at 10:15 | 10:15 | 12:35 | 13:16 | 134 min |
| Snow, and starting at 10:15 | 10:15 | 12:35 | 15:08 | 22 min |
The bottom row is the one that catches people out. Neither the snow nor the late start looks serious on its own, but together they cut a three-and-a-half-hour margin down to 22 minutes. The calculator still calls that plan safe because the margin is not negative, but 22 minutes is nothing on an icy descent in winter, and it is common for winter light to fade earlier than sunset under cloud or in a valley. If your plan looks like the bottom row, start earlier or choose a shorter route.
Snow also hides the path. Trails that are obvious in summer can be invisible under fresh snow, and navigation takes longer. If you are not confident navigating in snow, choose a route you know well, or one that is popular enough to have a packed track, and check the land manager's current conditions before you go: some trails close in winter, and avalanche terrain needs knowledge and equipment that are beyond the scope of this guide.
Water in the cold
People drink less in winter because they feel less thirsty, but you still lose water through breathing in cold, dry air and through sweat under layers. The Water Needs Calculator takes the time on trail, the temperature and the effort level. For four hours at 2°C (about 36°F) at moderate effort, it gives 0.4 litres per hour, 1.6 litres in total; the cold-weather factor of 0.8 reduces the baseline. For a five-hour snowy day at strenuous effort at the same temperature, it gives 0.52 litres per hour and 2.6 litres.
Those are planning figures, not prescriptions. Practical points for winter:
- Keep water from freezing. Carry bottles inside the pack, close to your back, or in an insulated sleeve. Hydration tube hoses freeze first. Store bottles upside down so ice forms at the bottom, not in the lid.
- A warm drink helps. An insulated flask of something warm is welcome at a cold lunch stop and encourages you to drink.
- Treat any water from natural sources. Streams in winter are just as likely to carry contamination. Filters can be damaged by freezing, so follow the maker's instructions in cold weather, or carry a chemical treatment as a backup.
Layers and cold
Winter hiking is a constant adjustment between too hot on the climb and too cold at the top. The usual approach is layers you can add and remove:
- A base layer that moves sweat away from your skin (wool or synthetic, not cotton).
- An insulating layer for walking, and a warmer one for stops.
- A windproof and waterproof shell.
- Hat, gloves (and spare gloves), and a buff or scarf.
Put a layer on as soon as you stop, before you feel cold. Take one off before you start to sweat hard on a climb, because wet clothing loses much of its insulation.
Know the signs of hypothermia
Hypothermia is a drop in core body temperature, and it does not need freezing weather: wind, rain and tiredness can cause it at temperatures well above zero. Early signs include persistent shivering, clumsy hands, stumbling, slurred speech, confusion and poor decisions; a person with hypothermia often does not realise it. If someone shows these signs, stop, get them out of the wind, add dry layers and a hat, give them something warm and sweet to drink if they can swallow safely, and share body heat if needed. If shivering stops while the person is still cold, or they become drowsy or confused, that is serious: call the local emergency number. Frostbite on fingers, toes, ears and face is a separate risk in deep cold and wind.
A winter checklist
- Check the sunset time and the forecast, including wind chill, and the land manager's current conditions and closures.
- Run the turnaround calculator with a realistic winter pace and stops, and start early.
- Carry a headlamp, spare batteries kept warm, extra layers, a map and navigation, food, water in insulated bottles, a first-aid kit, an emergency shelter and a charged phone. Cold drains phone batteries quickly; keep the phone in an inside pocket.
- Consider traction devices for icy paths.
- Tell someone your route and the time you expect to be back, and know the local emergency number.
- Turn back at the turnaround time, or earlier if the weather worsens or anyone in the group is getting cold.
Winter hikes are short by necessity. Plan them around the light, not the summit, and they are some of the best days of the year. For the general method, see how to set a turnaround time, and for what cold does to energy use, read cold-weather hiking: water and calories.