The Math of Hiking: Some Common Conversions and Terms to Know

Learn to calculate distances.

For many people, the experience of hiking is almost wholly an aesthetic one. The sight of an orange-red sunset or the sound of birds chirping in the morning air make the trip worthwhile, and it’s not worth getting caught up with maps and GPS if you’re just going out for an experience.

But for other people, the fun is in the math of hiking. And if you really want to become a great hiker, it can’t hurt to know some common units of measurement, conversions, and terms that will help you better understand the science behind the fun.

One of the first conversions that will help you better understand terrain – wherever you go – is knowing how to convert traditional U.S. distance measurements with the metric system. One common one is the “miles to kilometers” conversion. Put simply, one mile is equivalent to approximately 1.6 kilometers, but what if I were to ask you how many miles seven kilometers are?

If you have a calculator handy, this equation is simpler to figure it out, but when you’re hiking, you don’t always have that luxury. If you’re hiking in a European area, for example, you’ll want to know how to do the distance conversion on the fly.

One handy equation many people use (which is also common in converting kilometers per hour to miles per hour – essentially the same thing) is to multiply your kilometers by six and dividing the result by ten. So if you have seven kilometers, you multiply by six to get forty-two, and divide by ten to get 4.2 miles. This isn’t an exact number, but it’s a great approximation. Remember: your answer should be about two-thirds of your original kilometer amount.

What are some other terms and conversions to know?

If you’re out on the hiking trail, you’ll want to know some basic ones, including feet and miles (one mile = 5,280 feet). But it will also help to know two other units of measurement, the yard and the meter.

The yard is simple, because it is simply a representation of three feet. The meter, close to a yard, is not exactly the same thing. A meter is longer than a yard (one yard = .9144 meters), for starters. Over the short range – say, several meters or so – the difference isn’t much to notice. But a hundred yards is three hundred feet, while a hundred meters is approximately 328 feet.

Keeping some of these terms and differences in length in mind, you’ll have a better idea of length and distance when hiking – even if you’re not hiking close to home.

For a quick conversion calculator, visit this page.

Photo Credits: Storm Crypt

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