This definitive guide to the best hiking shoes available provides information on the 10 best hiking shoes as well as tips on what to consider before you make your purchase. In it, we break down each model’s key features, such as support, material, weight and more.

More Great Hiking Shoes

    Why should you buy hiking shoes instead of hiking boots? Because if you aren’t traveling over seriously rugged terrain or carrying a heavily loaded pack, you might not need the full-size version. Hiking shoes are lighter and more nimble than boots, but they still come kitted out with features like Gore-Tex waterproofing, grippy rubber tread and supportive, durable uppers. As a bonus, many of them are sleek enough to pass as everyday footwear around town.

    Danner Trail 2650

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    Best Overall

    Danner’s most iconic hiking boot is the Mountain Light, which, despite what its name might have you believe, is notably not lightweight (it is rugged as hell though). The Trail 2650, however, actually is light. Danner says that they’re 24 ounces a pair, the shoe is its lightest piece of hiking footwear yet. To get there, Danner built its upper with a combination of leather and mesh and used a Vibram outsole for traction.

    The Trail 2650 certainly feels light on the feet, too. It fits much like a trail running shoe (the last that Danner used is based on them), but the construction includes a TPU shank and a heel counter, so they’re sturdy and supportive enough hiking long miles on dirt and clambering over boulders. They’re available with or without waterproofing (a waterproof liner can make hiking shoes hot and lead to sweating) and they’re comfortable enough to wear around town as an everyday shoe, too. For all these reasons, they’re the ideal hiking shoe for most people and uses — for more technical, specific hiking shoes, keep reading.

    Weight: 12 ounces
    Waterproofing: available with Gore-Tex
    Upper: Leather, synthetic
    Sole: Vibram 460

    Price: $150

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    Tecnica Plasma

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    Upgrade Pick

    A year after the release of the full-size Forge, Tecnica brought its custom heat molding to the hiking shoe category with the low-cut Plasma. The process is entirely the same: there are two rounds of heat molding, one for the insole and a second for the upper. It uses the same machine, which is available at retailers where the shoes are sold, and takes less than 30 minutes. (While the Plasma is not the most expensive shoe in this guide, the real step-up is this extra step involved in getting it.) As with the Forge, the result is a hiking shoe that fits immediately — no break-in period.

    The Plasma is on the more rugged end of the hiking shoe spectrum thanks to its stiff rubber outsole, but it’s still more flexible than many approach shoes and suitable to both long and short hikes, though maybe not walking around in a city all day. At first, I worried that the heat treatment wouldn’t be as effective in a shoe because there’s less material to mold, and I wondered if it would still create that tight, ski boot-reminiscent fit. These feelings were alleviated throughout an entire autumn hiking in the Northeast on trails of all types. I never experienced blisters (and I’m particularly prone to them), and my feet stayed comfortable on the longest days. Now my only problem is how to decide between these and the Forge before taking off on a hike.

    Weight: 19.3 ounces
    Waterproofing: Available in waterproof and non-waterproof versions
    Upper: Synthetic
    Sole: Vibram Plasma with Megagrip compound

    Price: $150

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    Merrell Chameleon 8 Stretch

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    Best Budget Hiking Shoe

    Merrell’s Chameleon hiking shoe has been a ranking member in its collection for years, but the brand recently modified it with this lightweight breathable option. It’s not waterproof, but that feature is honestly less important in hiking shoes (water can easily enter from the cuff anyway) than in taller boots. It’s a fair trade for extra breathability and makes it a good shoe for warm weather and dry conditions.

    The Chameleon 8 Stretch uses a speed-lacing system and an elastic bungee-like cord that makes getting them on and cinched very quick — no hooks to thread here. Once tightened, the plastic adjustment tab is fairly difficult and non-intuitive to loosen again, but these shoes can be put on and taken off without loosening the laces.

    It’s another tongueless hiking shoe, which means it’s super comfortable, perhaps even the most comfortable on this list (at least straight out of the box). The cuff is soft and stretchy and provides a close-to-ankle fit that’ll keep larger-sized debris from getting down inside the shoe. This trait is a huge plus for a hiking shoe because, without a tall cuff, gravel and dirt can easily sneak in and make trouble for your feet.

    Weight: 15 ounces
    Waterproofing: available with waterproofing
    Upper: Nubuck leather and synthetic mesh
    Sole: Vibram XS Trek Evo

    Price: $120

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    Salomon X Ultra 4 Gore-Tex

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    Quick-lace systems frequently come with a small yet painful downside: pressure points. Tightened over a thin tongue, those thin cable-laces are easily and woefully felt with ever flex of the foot. Salomon has used this type of lacing on its trail running and hiking footwear for years so it’s no wonder it knows how to avoid that issue, but it’s a pleasant surprise to see how it modified the system to create additional support by channeling it through an inch-long tube on the outside of the foot. The tube is held by an exterior wing-shaped panel — another innovation Salomon pulled from its ultra running shoes — so that the entire shoe grabs onto the foot when you pull the lace tight. The system, combined with Gore-Tex and a responsive midsole, makes for a hiking shoe that’s far more supportive than its minimal form seems like it should be.

    Weight: 13.7 ounces
    Waterproofing: Gore-Tex
    Upper: synthetic
    Sole: Contagrip MA

    Price: $150

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    Hoka One One Kaha Low GTX

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    If you’re familiar with Hoka’s running shoes, then you won’t be surprised by the thick wedge of foam that supports the Kaha Low. But Hoka runners will quickly learn that the Kaha Low’s sole is less bounce and more support (and durability), as a hiking shoe should be. The company actually used its full-sized Kaha as a template, changing as little as possible — the nubuck leather upper, Gore-Tex liner and Vibram outsole are all the same — while making it lighter for faster and shorter hikes. The end result is decidedly sneaker-like too, which makes it easy to get away with around town and at work.

    Weight: 15.8 ounces
    Waterproofing: Gore-Tex
    Upper: Nubuck leather
    Sole: Vibram Megagrip

    Price: $200

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    Salewa Dropline

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    Salewa occupies the technical end of the mountain footwear spectrum. Many of its hiking shoes take rugged inspiration from and feel more like approach shoes, but the Dropline aims for speed first. It’s a more-technical mountain shoe that has a close fit and uses a grippy Pomoca rubber outsole that has a lug pattern suitable for regular hiking. As something of a mix between an approach shoe and a trail running shoe, it’s also slightly lighter and more flexible, which makes it ideal for hikers who like to move fast over technical terrain. We’ve found it handles mud and snow just fine in addition to dry ground, even on steep descents.

    Weight: 12.9 ounces
    Waterproofing: available with Gore-Tex
    Upper: synthetic mesh
    Sole: Pomoca rubber

    Price: $140

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    La Sportiva TX4

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    Technically, La Sportiva’s TX4 is an approach shoe. Approach shoes, lightweight mountain footwear that rock climbers use to reach the base of a wall, typically feature a sticky rubber outsole to provide excellent grip, and the TX4 is no exception there. Its lug pattern and leather upper make it a great choice for full-time trail use, too, even if you have no intention of roping up and going vertical. Our tester praises its construction as “ideal for wet, muddy and loose rocky conditions,” which other approach shoes might not handle as well. Its low profile makes it ideal for use around town if you embrace the outdoorsy look. (And, if you do climb, this might be your new do-everything shoe.)

    Weight: 13 ounces
    Waterproofing: no
    Upper: leather
    Sole: Vibram Megagrip Traverse with Impact Brake System

    Price: $140

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    Arc’teryx Konseal FL

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    Arc’teryx isn’t as well-known for its footwear as it is for its technical apparel, but the Konseal FL lives up to the brand’s high standards for quality. And like its clothing, the shoe packs lots of functionality into a clean and minimalist profile. Colors are coordinated and subtle, and the different materials that are present blend into one another almost invisibly; even the laces are fully integrated into the design, using loops of webbing instead of eyelets.

    The lacing system might be the best part about the Konseal FL. It extends all the way down to the toe so that the fit can be adjusted and fine-tuned as much as possible, which in turn contributes to a better overall hiking experience, especially in technical terrain. The integrated system adjusts smoothly, too, so there’s less tugging and pulling to get the comfortable fit you need.

    The Konseal FL is minimalist in appearance but also somewhat in use. As an approach shoe, it provides plenty of protection with toe and heel caps and a raised midsole sidewall, which is ideal for use in rocky terrain. The shoes don’t have as much cushioning as others on this list though, so fast-hikers and fans of lightweight minimalism will find the most use here.

    Weight: 10.6 ounces
    Waterproofing: No
    Upper: Synthetic
    Sole: Vibram Megagrip

    Price: $155

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    Naglev Unico Kevlar Hiker

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    The Unico comes from the birthplace of outdoor footwear (the Alps), and it’s a shoe designed to be a crossover between a hiking boot and a trail running shoe. Regardless of what it aims to be, it is an impressive piece of footwear, with an upper made of one single piece of Kevlar fabric. That durable exterior is lined with a sock-like wool liner that’s connected at the bottom of the shoe only so that it can “float” inside and better export moisture. The footbed is made of a blend of leather and coconut fibers.

    The Unico is among the burliest hiking shoes to make our list, and that’s thanks to the materials that Naglev so carefully selected in its construction. The rubber outsole is stiff, and the Kevlar is borderline abrasive, but the Unico mitigates these factors with its interior wool liner and leather insole, both of which make the shoe far more comfortable than it looks. Unlike some of the lighter hiking shoes, it does require some break-in — if you’re looking for a more forgiving hiking shoe, check out some of our other picks — but the result is worth the process.

    Weight: N/A
    Waterproofing: Yes
    Upper: Kevlar, TPU, wool liner
    Sole: Natural rubber

    Price: $230

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    Lowa Locarno GTX Lo

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    Take a pair of early 2000s Etnies or Vans, beef it up with more tread and support and you’d arrive at the Locarno GTX Lo. Of the hiking shoes on this list, the Locarno is by far the most casual in appearance, but it’s still reliably apt for trail use. It’s an interesting choice for Lowa, which has a long history as a core hiking brand that dates back to 1923.

    The Locarno is designed as a multi-sport shoe, so it’ll be best for those who use it that way. It has a durable nubuck leather upper and a supportive midsole with ample traction underneath. It’s also equipped with Gore-Tex, which will keep your feet dry through mud and puddles. It’s the type of shoe that won’t excel at any one thing but is great at accomplishing many. If you’re the type of person who only wants to own one pair of shoes or is looking for a solid travel shoe that can be used for many tasks, this is it.

    Weight: 14.5 ounces
    Waterproofing: Gore-Tex S
    Upper: Nubuck leather and fabric
    Sole: Lowa Hybrid Trac

    Price: $210

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