Before starting an exercise program and walking 2 miles a day most people want to know how long does it take to walk 2 miles.
Of course, it’s also helpful information if you’re planning a walk with friends or for any other reason where you’re suddenly facing a 2-mile walk.
For some people, 2 miles isn’t a big deal but for others, it can seem like a long way. Walking times depend on your walking pace and average walking speed. If you walk at a pace of 4 miles per hour (mph) you’ll be faster than at a more moderate pace of 3 mph.
How fast you walk will depend on many factors such as age, sex, and of course fitness level. Regular walking comes with numerous health benefits from improved mental health to reduced risk of heart disease and lower blood pressure. Walking 2 miles a day helps you meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity.
This guide explores different times to walk 2 miles from an easy walk at a slow pace on the flat to walking uphill, walking briskly or on a treadmill.
How Far Is 2 Miles
2 miles is 3,520 yards or 3,219 meters – 3.2K.
How many steps in 2 miles?
Prefer to count distance in steps? The number of steps it takes to walk 2 miles depends on fitness levels, average step length (stride length), and pace.
Walking 2 miles is the same distance as approximately 4000 to 4800 steps.
How Long Does It Take To Walk 2 Miles
Your walking time over 2 miles depends on your walking speed. The average person walking for fitness will walk at a brisk pace of 3 to 4 miles per hour (mph).
A brisk pace is when your heart rate is elevated but you’re still able to walk and talk. You’ll need to make some effort to maintain your pace.
At a brisk pace of 3 to 4 mph, it will take 30 to 40 minutes to walk 2 miles.
Not everyone is walking for fitness. If you’re walking at a slower pace, your speed could be 2 to 2.5 mph and it will take 48 to 60 minutes to walk 2 miles. 2.5 mph is the typical speed when you’re taking a leisurely stroll.
Of course, not everyone is a fast walker. A brisk walking pace for one person might be a leisurely pace for another.
If you’re walking for fitness, it’s not important how fast you walk – it’s just important that you’re making an effort. Your speed will naturally improve as you get fitter and take regular walks.
Some people walk faster with trekking poles, and some people can power walk at paces up to 5 mph. This is fast – the same pace as jogging at 12 minutes per mile – and at this pace it takes just 24 minutes to walk 2 miles!
If you know your walking pace, you can find out how long it takes to walk 2 miles from the following chart:
| Walking Speed (mph) | Walking Pace (min/mile) | Time Taken To Walk 2 Miles (min: sec) |
| 2.0 | 30.0 | 60:00 |
| 2.25 | 26.7 | 53:24 |
| 2.5 | 24.0 | 48:00 |
| 2.75 | 21.8 | 43:36 |
| 3.0 | 20.0 | 40:00 |
| 3.25 | 18.5 | 37:00 |
| 3.5 | 17.1 | 34:12 |
| 3.75 | 16.0 | 32:00 |
| 4.0 | 15.0 | 30:00 |
| 4.25 | 14.1 | 28:12 |
| 4.5 | 13.3 | 26:36 |
| 4.75 | 12.6 | 25:12 |
| 5.0 | 12.0 | 24:00 |
If you want to walk further, find out how long does it take to walk 4 miles and how long does it take to walk 5 miles?
What Is The Average Walking Pace?
The average pace or average walking speed depends on several factors:
Fitness level
A fitter person will usually walk at a faster pace than someone less fit. Most people can walk at a fast pace over a short distance but it takes good aerobic capacity to maintain fast-paced walking over longer distances.
Age
As we get older, our walking pace naturally slows down due to physical changes in body composition and decreased muscle mass.
Sex
Men generally walk faster than women. Men typically have longer legs and stronger leg muscles – both help for walking faster.
Walking Route
Walking on flat ground or downhill is much easier than walking uphill. It’s also much easier to walk on good paths compared to rough terrain with uneven ground.
Height
Tall people naturally take longer strides. It takes fewer steps to walk a mile when you’re tall so you’ll naturally walk faster.
Walking Cadence
The number of steps you take per minute is called your walking cadence. A faster cadence can increase your speed.
Bodyweight
If you’re overweight it will take more effort to move your body weight at a fast pace. Aiming for a healthy weight is a good way of increasing your average speed – especially when walking uphills.
Find out more about the factors affecting average walking speeds and typical paces based on age and sex.
Studies by Schimpl, Moore, et al. have found that across all ages and genders from 20 to 69, the average walking speed has very little variation from just 17:39 minutes to walk a mile for a young man to 21:40 minutes for a woman in her sixties.
This gives a range for average walking time for 2 miles from 35 to 43 minutes for different ages and sex. It’s only over the age of 70 that times vary significantly. Ill health and poor mobility can affect more people as they get older, rapidly slowing their walking times.
Can You Walk 2 Miles In An Hour?
Just about everyone can walk 2 miles in an hour – even young children. You do need to factor in the terrain and weather conditions, but for most people, two miles in an hour is an easy walk at a comfortable pace.
Can You Walk 2 Miles In 40 Minutes?
Most people can walk 2 miles in 40 minutes but for some people, this will be a brisk walking pace.
The average time to walk 2 miles depends a lot on your fitness level. If you’ve just started a walking routine and you have physical limitations such as excess weight, it may take longer to walk 2 miles.
Walking Speed On A Treadmill
On a treadmill, you can set the speed setting to the pace you want to walk at. So if you set the speed to 3 mph, it will take you 20 minutes to walk a mile and 40 minutes to walk 2 miles.
At a speed of 4 mph, it will take 30 minutes to walk 2 miles.
Most people find they can walk slightly faster on a treadmill than they can outside. There’s no weather to contend with, such as wind or rain, or uneven pavements.
It can be a good idea to set the treadmill incline to 1 or 2 percent to better replicate walking outside where it’s rarely completely flat. This way you’ll give your leg muscles a better workout.
Walking Uphill
If you want to burn calories, lots of calories, walk uphill. It makes walking so much harder.
Find out how many calories using our Calories Burned Walking Calculator. On a steep hill, you can burn almost twice as many calories compared with walking on a flat surface.
It also takes longer to walk hills – even if you’re fit.
Naismith’s rule dating from 1892, named after the Scottish mountaineer William Naismith, continues to be an accurate guide for the time taken to walk uphill.
How long does it take to walk 2 miles uphill?
Based on Naismith’s rule, a 2-mile walk in hilly terrain with 1000 feet of elevation gain will take 1 hour and 10 minutes. Add an extra 30 minutes for every extra 1000 feet of climbing.
Find out more about how many calories do you burn walking uphill?
Is Walking 2 Miles A Day Enough To Lose Weight?
Start walking and you’re making a big step towards a healthy lifestyle. If you walk 2 miles a day at a brisk pace you’ll burn approximately 160 to 200 calories.
Over a month, you can expect to lose one to two pounds provided you don’t replace the calories you burn by eating more. The more calories you eat to excess, the less effective walking will be at burning body fat.
Find out more about how to lose weight by walking 2 miles a day. Or try walking 3 miles a day.
Walking for weight loss works best when it’s combined with eating a healthy diet. On its own, walking 2 miles a day only makes a small impact on your weight. But stack other healthy habits on top of your daily walk and you’ll start to see some big changes in your body.
When it comes to diet and exercise, both are important. What you eat has the biggest impact on your weight but if you don’t exercise it’s almost impossible to make lasting changes and stop the weight rebounding at the end of your diet.
By combining exercise with better eating you’re keeping your muscles strong so that your weight loss is mainly from body fat and not muscle mass. Just try and make good choices about what you eat.
After walking 2 miles, fill up on lean protein, whole grains, vegetables, some fruit, and a small amount of healthy fats. Find out more about what to eat after walking for weight loss.
Is Walking 2 Miles A Day Enough Exercise?
Yes! For some people, it’s quite a small amount of exercise but it meets the recommended minimum targets from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for moderate-intensity aerobic activity of 150 minutes a week.
CDC also recommends completing two muscle-strengthening activities per week. Add strength training sessions to your fitness schedule such as these bodyweight exercises or yoga classes. The strength training sessions don’t need to be long – just 10 to 15 minutes twice a week will help to maintain mobility in later life.
Of course, if you enjoy walking and want to challenge yourself to walk further, walking 3 miles a day, walking 4 miles a day, or even walking 5 miles a day, will make a big change to your fitness.
Our Fat Buster Walking Challenge gradually increases walking distance to 5 miles a day. Most people lose 10 pounds over the 9-week program.
Thoughts From Love Life Be Fit
Walking 2 miles a day is an excellent way to improve your overall health and fitness. Combined with eating a healthy diet it’s a great way to lose weight.
When you regularly walk every day you enjoy so many health benefits from improved cardiovascular health to protection against lifestyle diseases. A short walk in the fresh air helps with mental health – it’s a good way to improve mood and reduce stress. Enjoy stronger leg and abdominal muscles, feel full of energy, and maintain a healthy weight.
Find out more about how to start a walking program. Just make sure you check in with your doctor first if you haven’t exercised for a long time, you’re carrying a lot of excess weight or you have any existing health conditions.