
How Long Would It Take to Walk Across South Dakota? I Did the Math
It's been a long time since I walked a significant distance. I mean, I walk around Walmart. I walk from my car to a building, and if I park at the far end of the lot, that can be quite the 45-second trek. But walking long distances? That’s not something I do much anymore.
I was reminded of this the last time I visited my small Nebraska hometown. While boring my kids with childhood stories, I realized just how much walking I did before I could drive.
It wasn’t anything exciting—just going from one friend’s house to another and then to one of the various gas stations in town that served as social hubs. But still, it was a lot of walking.
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That got me thinking about something else. Many of the movies, shows, and books I enjoy take place after some kind of apocalypse. And in those stories, people are always walking, sometimes across entire states.
That made me wonder: how long would it take to walk across South Dakota?
Would it take me weeks or months to get from Sioux Falls to Rapid City? Could I realistically make it down to Omaha on foot?
How Far Can a Person Walk in a Day?
The first question I needed answered was: how far can a person walk in a day?
According to the Mayo Clinic, the average American walks one to two miles per day in everyday life. That seems like way more than I get working in an office.
Some super-walkers, like those who do walking marathons, can cover 20 to 30 miles in a day.
But based on everything I found, a realistic estimate for the average person is probably 10 to 15 miles per day if all goes well.
How Fast Does a Person Walk?
Google Maps seems to base its walking estimates on a pace of 3 to 4 miles per hour. Of course, your mileage may vary, especially if you get distracted by an old bridge and stop to take pictures. (Just me? Okay.)
Since we live in the age of computers (and Ultron), I asked my robot buddy, the internet, how long it would take to walk from Sioux Falls to a few different places:
How Long Would It Take To Walk From Sioux Falls?
Gallery Credit: Ben Kuhns
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