Calculate elevation gain, elevation loss, net elevation change, trail grade, climb rate, hiking effort, added hiking time, and elevation-adjusted distance. Use this elevation gain calculator for hiking, backpacking, trail running, biking, mountain trails, route planning, and outdoor fitness estimates.
Start and end elevation:
The calculator compares starting, ending, high, and low elevations to estimate net change and possible climb range.
Elevation from segments:
Enter the number of climbs and average gain per climb to estimate total ascent and descent.
Elevation from grade:
Enter trail distance and grade percentage to calculate elevation gain from slope.
Hiking effort:
The calculator estimates added hiking time, effort distance, climb rate, and calories from gain, distance, terrain, speed, and weight.
An elevation gain calculator helps estimate how much climbing a trail includes and how that climb affects difficulty, hiking time, and effort.
It can be useful for hiking, backpacking, trail running, biking, mountain routes, hill workouts, route comparisons, trip planning, and deciding whether a trail fits your fitness level.
Your result shows estimated elevation gain, elevation loss, net elevation change, average grade, climb rate, elevation-adjusted distance, added hiking time, total effort estimate, calories, and route difficulty category.
Elevation gain is the total amount of uphill climbing along a route. It adds every climb together, not just the difference between the start and end elevation.
Divide elevation gain by horizontal distance, then multiply by 100. For example, 500 feet of gain over 1 mile is about a 9.5% grade.
No. Altitude is your height above sea level at a point. Elevation gain is how much climbing you do along the route.
A common planning estimate is to add about 1 hour for every 2,000 feet of elevation gain, then adjust for terrain, fitness, pack weight, and trail conditions.