Get Both Support and Mobility With the Best Hiking Shoes (2024)

How We Selected

To recommend the best hiking shoes, I considered different styles of hiking, hiker preferences, and the distances and terrain people might encounter on trails around the country. There’s a shoe here that’s suitable for whatever terrain you might be faced with, be it steep, rugged, and rocky or flat and sandy.

Some models below are best for long days in the mountains, and others are fast-and-light shoes meant for quick jaunts around your local hills. What they all have in common is out-of-the-box comfort.

Altra’s reputation for providing comfort during extended hikes has cemented the brand as one of the most popular in the hiking community. Designed to encourage a more natural stride from its zero-drop construction and wide toe box, the Lone Peak features a plush 25-millimeter stack height that doesn’t feel excessive but still provides plenty of protection.

It’s nice to see the newest model is more durable than previous versions, which saw some upper blowouts in the forefoot.

Key Specs

Now in its 16th iteration, the Brooks Cascadia is one of the enduring classic hiking and trail shoes. Falling right in the middle of the road with eight millimeters of drop from heel to toe, this shoe fits the bill for just about anyone.

It is quite standard for fit as well—just wide enough to feel non-constricting without being so wide it feels unstable. The rock plate offers plenty of ground protection, and the EVA foam-based midsole feels springy, responsive, and keeps things flexible.

The lug pattern is less aggressive than other hiking shoes, though, so these don’t have the best grip on slick rocks or in mud.

Key Specs

Hoka is known for its maximum-cushion shoes, and with a stack height of 32 millimeters in the heel and 28 millimeters in the toe, the Speedgoat is no exception. It’s an excellent shoe for technical terrain.

A rugged Vibram outsole featuring five-millimeter lugs and strategic zonal rubber placement for additional grip and support lends some of the best traction—in both wet and dry conditions—on the market.

The Speedgoat fits snugly around the toe box and heel cup for stability, but this means it might feel narrower than other models, despite a recent update to widen the toe box.

Keep in mind that some people have trouble getting used to such a maximalist shoe, and it can feel unsteady at first due to the cushioning.

Key Specs

Unlike most of the shoes on this list, the Merrell Moab is a true hiking shoe, not a trail runner. This burly shoe is durable without being clunky and has excellent support, especially in the arch, for a low-rise model.

The Vibram outsole provides good traction on trails of varying terrain, and while the 11-millimeter drop is high for a trail running shoe, it’s more standard for a hiking shoe. The leather-and-suede upper resists abrasions very well but takes longer to dry than the mesh found on lighter, more flexible trail runners.

If you often feel like hiking boots are too snug around your ankles, these are an excellent pick for you.

Key Specs

The Saucony Peregrine is a sleek trail shoe that offers excellent out-of-the-box comfort. In the latest iteration, Saucony updated the heel cup for a more secure fit, especially around narrower ankles, and simplified the upper by eliminating some of the plastic overlays.

The shoe feels stable on a variety of terrain, and the outsole and midsole construction falls so much into the middle ground between a road and trail shoe that I’m comfortable wearing these almost anywhere. I like the rock-plate protection, but I did lose some ground feel given the midsole and rock-plate layering.

Key Specs

The Kaha low gives excellent cushioning on the inside and durable, waterproof protection on the outside. Its abrasion-resistant toe and heel caps make it especially good for rocky trails and metal hardware on the lacing system gives you a secure fit.

The ankle height gives you support without hindering mobility and the five-millimeter lugs on its MegaGrip Vibram sole give you sure footing on smooth rock and slick surfaces. These run true to size, so take your normal sneaker size.

Key Specs

Merrell’s Trail Glove offers a close-to-the-ground feel in a more minimalist design. This style provides close contact and helps mimic a barefoot stride, making each footfall more natural and helping strengthen the muscles in your feet.

Even so, the affordable shoe offers a good amount of protection from the rock plate and EVA midsole that account for part of the 14-millimeter stack height.

Key Specs

The Wildcat is optimized for steep, rugged terrain and even side-hilling, with a no-slip fit through the upper and the tacky rubber on the outsoles. The dual-density midsole provides ample protection without sacrificing sensitivity and flexibility, and the mesh upper is breathable, though hikers who overpronate might experience blowouts in the forefoot.

La Sportiva makes its trail shoes with a wider toe box to allow your foot to spread out, while keeping the heel fit more secure for stability on variable terrain.

Key Specs

The Olympus is Altra’s answer to maximum-cushion shoes, but it’s still built with the brand’s hallmark wide toe box and zero drop. With an even 33-millimeter stack height, this shoe keeps you off the ground with a springy, responsive midsole.

A rounded heel cup keeps your foot secure. Altra recently updated the upper with a more breathable mesh, and the Vibram rubber is molded with multidirectional lugs for stellar wet and dry traction.

Key Specs

PM: When do you prefer to wear hiking shoes instead of boots?

M.S.: I almost always wear hiking shoes—specifically trail-running shoes—instead of boots. In this piece, the majority of hiking shoes are also trail-running shoes. This style of trail shoe has as much (or more) traction and stability as true hiking shoes but are often lighter, more flexible, and require less break-in out of the box. I only wear hiking boots if I’m tackling steep scree, off-trail scrambles, or if I’m hiking in the snow and need extra insulation and protection.

PM: When is it time to upgrade from a pair of regular sneakers to shoes designed specifically for the trail?

M.S.: Regular sneakers are definitely okay to hike in. Even lightweight road-running shoes will still have enough traction and protection for the occasional hike.

Keep in mind you might not have the same level of cushion in the midsole or traction in the outsole that you’ll find in a trail-running sneaker or hiking shoe. I recommend switching to a trail shoe once you start hiking trails with steeper terrain, slippery rocks, roots, mud, or rough sections that can fatigue your feet or cause bruising from long miles on rocky or uneven tread.

PM: Do you prefer your hiking shoes to have a waterproof membrane or not? Why?

M.S.: I usually steer clear of waterproof hiking shoes, unless I’m hiking in snow or slush. I’ve found most hiking shoes dry super quickly after getting wet, and the non-waterproof options are more breathable than models with a waterproof membrane.

Plus, if I’m crossing streams on my hikes, chances are the shoes will get wet from being fully submerged anyway, and then I’ll be stuck trying to dry out waterproof shoes and dealing with soggy socks.