However, you won t cover as much ground because trail-walking is more difficult. The typical street pace is about three miles per hour. So when you start backpacking, you ll only cover about half the mileage you did on your dayhikes. Of course, this guideline does not take into account the difficulty of the trail, your hiking style, and other factors. Individuals vary so greatly that your experience will answer this question much better than any guidelines we might give.
Hikers never think in terms of miles alone, but always in terms of miles plus elevation gain.
You walk uphill much more slowly than you do on the flat, and it s much more tiring. A trail that gains 500 feet per mile is a steady climb. A trail that gains 1,000 feet per mile is extremely steep. Steep descents may slow you down, but it rarely turns out to be as much as a steep ascent. Another important consideration is the quality of the trail surface.