So how long does it take to walk 6 miles? It takes most people 2 hours. If you’re walking every day for fitness, 6 miles a day is a serious commitment. But it will get you fit. A two-hour daily brisk walk is a great way to lose weight.
Average walking speed depends on many factors such as age, gender, effort level, and the weather. But often the biggest difference in your walking time will be caused by challenging terrain or walking uphill.
If you’re planning a hike, find out as much information as you can about the route before you set off. Getting benighted on a hike because the route took too long can be dangerous.
Read on to find out the time to complete 6 miles at different walking speeds from brisk pace to moderate walking or up a hill.
How Far Is 6 Miles?
6 miles is 10,560 yards or 9,656 meters or approximately 10K. 10K = 6.2 miles.
How many steps is walking 6 miles?
If you prefer to use a fitness tracker and count your steps, the number of steps it takes to complete 6 miles depends on fitness levels, average step length (stride length), and pace.
Walking 6 miles is the same distance as approximately 12000 to 14400 steps.
How Long Does It Take To Walk 6 Miles?
The time it takes to walk 6 miles mainly depends on your walking speed. If you’re a fast walker, it’s going to take less time than if you walk slowly.
The average person walks at a pace between 3 to 4 mph and takes approximately 90 to 120 minutes to walk 6 miles.
For slow walkers, 6 miles can take up to 3 hours of walking at a pace of 2 mph. This is slower than a typical easy pace of 2.5 mph.
If you can power walk – times of up to 5 mph are possible. That’s fast! It’s equivalent to the average jogging pace. At this speed, it takes just 72 minutes to walk 6 miles.
If you know your walking pace, you can find out how long it takes to walk 6 miles from the following chart:
| Walking Speed (mph) | Walking Pace (min/mile) | Time Taken To Walk 6 Miles (min: sec) |
| 2.0 | 30.0 | 180:00 |
| 2.25 | 26.7 | 160:12 |
| 2.5 | 24.0 | 144:00 |
| 2.75 | 21.8 | 130:48 |
| 3.0 | 20.0 | 120:00 |
| 3.25 | 18.5 | 111:00 |
| 3.5 | 17.1 | 102:36 |
| 3.75 | 16.0 | 96:00 |
| 4.0 | 15.0 | 90:00 |
| 4.25 | 14.1 | 84:36 |
| 4.5 | 13.3 | 79:48 |
| 4.75 | 12.6 | 75:36 |
| 5.0 | 12.0 | 72:00 |
What Is The Average Walking Speed?
Average walking time decreases with age but not as much as you might think.
This study by Schimpl, Moore et al found that the difference is just 1.2 minutes when walking a distance of 1 km aged 20 compared to 60 years.
That’s as little as a 10% difference over 6 miles and a lot less than the decline in running speeds as people age.
The same study found that differences in walking speed based on gender or BMI were insignificant.
Sex, height, muscle mass, stride length, and body weight can impact your speed but the greatest differences come from your fitness level.
The fitter you are, the faster you can walk. An older person who’s stayed fit and healthy all their life will walk much faster than the average speed.
Find out more about average walking speed.
How does distance affect your average walking pace?
In general, most people have a similar walking speed over short distances; age and gender don’t make much difference. But when it comes to 6 miles, your fitness level will have an impact.
Keeping up a good pace over the two hours it takes to complete 6 miles means you need to be reasonably fit.
Otherwise, the further you walk will affect walking time and average pace. Have you seen people walking slowly and dragging their feet at the end of long walks? A good pace can deteriorate to a crawl when you’re trying to walk too far.
That’s why it’s always important to build up your mileage slowly. If you’re not used to walking, start with a distance that’s in your comfort zone. It could be 2 miles or 3 miles or 5 miles. Or take rest stops to let your legs recover.
Can You Walk 6 Miles In 2 Hours?
Depending on your fitness level and how used you are to exercise, most people can cover 6 miles in 2 hours.
For most people, this speed of 3 miles per hour equates to a moderate walking pace. For brisk walkers, if your fitness is good, you should manage 6 miles at a pace of 3.5 mph. That’s 17.1 minutes per mile and 6 miles will take 1 hour 50 minutes.
Walking Uphill
Walking 6 miles uphill will be slower than on the flat. Expect to take an extra 30 minutes for every 1000 feet of climbing. A 6-mile walk with 2000 feet of elevation gain can take 3 hours.
Find out more about hiking times and how to allow for elevation. If you’re walking on terrain where the paths are poor walking times will increase significantly.
How Many Pounds Can You Lose Walking 6 Miles A Day?
Find out how many calories you burn walking using our Calories Burned Walking Calculator. The total calories burned will depend on your weight and walking pace. The calculator provides an accurate estimate based on the metabolic equivalent of task (MET) values.
In general, people burn between 480 and 600 calories walking 6 miles. If you’re walking this distance every day calorie burn quickly adds up. Combined with healthy eating habits you can expect to lose 5 to 8 pounds a month.
Thoughts From Love Life Be Fit
Walking 6 miles a day can be hugely beneficial for your physical and mental health: burn calories, lose weight, improve your cardiovascular fitness, and feel better about yourself.
If you’re walking for fitness, instead of walking at the same pace every time, try walking intervals or follow our daily walking workout schedule.
It’s always best to build up to 6 miles a day instead of jumping right in. New to walking? Follow our Fat Buster Walking Challenge.