best hiking shoes for men and women: 2024 picks

Are you overwhelmed by all the hiking shoes on the market? I can help you narrow down your choices to the best hiking shoes for men and women. Since I've hiked more than 15,000 miles, I've personally worn most of the best-selling hiking shoes on the market. Plus, I fit hundreds of women hikers when I worked footwear at Appalachian Outdoors. With all that first-hand experience wearing and selling hiking footwear, I know how most hiking shoes fit, which hiking shoes match specific hiking styles, and how they compare with each other. This top ten list highlights the best hiking shoes for men and women. 

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best hiking shoes

In 2024, the top ten hiking shoes are the Salomon X Ultra 4, Scarpa Rush 2, Oboz Sawtooth X, HOKA Anacapa Low, Danner Trail 2650, Merrell Moab 3, KEEN Targhee 4, Altra Olympus 5 HIKE, La Sportiva Spire, and Salewa Mountain Trainer Lite. My picks are based on 15,000+ miles of first-hand hiking experience and my professional experience running footwear at a hiking and backpacking shop. Scroll down to learn more about the "best fit" and "best match" for each of the best hiking shoes for men and women. 

Salomon X Ultra 4 GTX

Top Pick

The Salomon X Ultra 4 is the rare hiking shoe that's both light and supportive, making it a good, all-around hiking shoe for both average hikers and serious hikers. Salomon's best-selling hiking shoe has a moderately stiff feel with moderate cushioning and moderate flex at the foot's natural flex-point—a great balance between stability and agility. It's also stacked with a waterproof-breathable GORE-TEX membrane (optional) and aggressive traction that excels on steeper trails with loose footing. I've personally hiked more than 500 miles in this shoe and have sold more Salomon X Ultras over the years than any other hiking shoe. 

Scarpa Rush 2 GTX 

Runner Up

The Scarpa Rush 2 GTX runs neck and neck with the X Ultra for the unofficial title of best overall hiking shoe. It's stiff and supportive—what you want for tougher trails—while weighing several ounces less than the average hiking shoe. As you might expect from a brand known for its climbing shoes, the Rush 2's outsoles have great grip on rock while adding a GORE-TEX membrane for durable and breathable waterproofing. I personally tested and reviewed the Rush 2 in 2023 and have worn it as my primary hiking shoe in 2024. With great stability and agility, this premium hiking shoe can handle serious alpine hikes as well as more moderate trails, too. 

Oboz Sawtooth X

Best Value Hiking Shoe

For ten years, the Sawtooth has been Oboz's best-selling hiking shoe. The Sawtooth X is the 10th ("X") anniversary update to this sturdy, durable, and comfortable hiking shoe. It's easy on your feet, thanks to Oboz's sturdy outsoles, cushy EVA foam midsoles, and expensive O-fit insoles, which add extra cushioning and support where other brands skimp. My older Sawtooths lasted forever— twice as long as most hiking shoes I've owned—and my pair of Xs is going strong, too. It's heavier than most hiking shoes. But the Oboz Sawtooth X is the rare hiking shoe that's strong enough for harder hikes yet comfortable enough to wear all day, too. It's one of the best hiking shoes for day hikers who value comfort and durability more than weight savings. 

Hoka Anacapa Low

Best Max Cushion Hiking Shoe

Most lightweight hiking shoes cut cushioning to cut weight—not the HOKA Anacapa. Hoka’s first hiking shoe is lightweight with maximum cushion for more comfort on the trail. The Anacapa also feautures a waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX membrane and premium Vibram outsoles. Their tread is soft enough for good grip on solid rock but also feature some aggressive, V-shaped climbing and braking lugs that can dig into soft or loose surfaces. Hoka's first hiking shoe is a winner, especially if you're looking for a lightweight hiking shoe with more float than feel underfoot.

Danner Trail 2650

Best Lightweight Hiking Shoe

The Trail 2650 is Danner's best-selling hiking shoe and a lightweight option for men and women who don't need a ton of support. With a light build and roomier fit, the Trail 2650 may be great match for fast hikers and hikers who mostly stick to well maintained trails. It's not cheap. However, these lightweight hiking shoes feature third-party upgrades, such as optional GORE-TEX waterproofing and premium Vibram outsoles. Like most Danners, the Trail 2650 has crossover appeal for people who want a trail-to-town shoe that they can wear for hiking, work, and casual use. I mostly wear my pair casually as trail-to-town shoes.

The hard question is which 2650 should you buy? There's a bewildering number of choices, including the desert-focused Campo with a sock-like fit, the mesh version, the standard nubuck leather, or the special full-grain leather style — each of which is available in non-waterproof or GORE-TEX and standard or wide fit. Confusing. But the affiliate links below will let you sift through your options at Backcountry, which usually has the best online selection of hiking shoes. 

Merrell Moab 3 

Best Budget Hiking Shoe

The Merrell Moab hiking shoe is a popular pick for budget-oriented hikers, casual hikers, and beginners who prefer the Moab's "out of the box comfort" to more supportive, performance-oriented hiking shoes. It's not the best choice for serious hikers and tough terrain. However, the Moab is good enough for the average day hiker, and the Merrell Moab 3—updated in summer 2022—seems to be more supportive than its predecessors. See my first-hand review. If you're more focused on price than performance, the Moab stands out as one of the best budget hiking shoes.

KEEN Targhee Low

Best Hiking Shoe for Wide Feet

The popular KEEN Targhee is one of the best hiking shoes for hikers with wide feet, thanks to its wide toe box. That adds wiggle room for your toes with a protective toe bumper designed to protect toes and toe nails from rocks and roots. Targhees also boast plenty of cushioning, protective leather uppers, and moderate support for good, all-day comfort. Tough terrain and heavy packs may expose this shoe's limitations. However, the KEEN Targhee is one of the best hiking shoes for the average day hiker and fans of roomy toe boxes. It's one of my go-to recs for men and women with wide feet. 

Altra Olympus 5 Hike

Best Hiking Shoe with Zero Drop

Altra has never made a true hiking shoe—until releasing the Olympus 5 "Hike" late in 2022. The Olympus 5 HIKE GTX is a max cushion hiking shoe that adds some hiking features on top of that thick cushioning. That includes sturdier uppers that mix synthetic mesh with leather for added durability, a waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX membrane for weather protection, and grippy Vibram Megagrip outsoles with hiking (not running) traction. It's a pricey hiking shoe, for sure. But it's packed with performance and more cushioning than most hiking shoes. Altra's first real "hiking shoe" looks promising—I liked the Olympus 5 Hike more than I expected when I personally tested and reviewed it last year.

La Sportiva Spire GTX

Premium Hiking Shoe for Mountain Trails

Like Salomon's X Ultra 4 above, La Sportiva's Spire GTX offers premium performance in a lightweight package. With its mix of EVA cushioning and sturdy TPU inserts, the Spire is both soft underfoot and stable on uneven ground. It's not cheap. But that's because it's packed with premium features for tackling alpine terrrain, including Vibram outsoles and GORE-TEX Surround —the most breathable GORE-TEX system in hiking shoes. La Sportivas run narrow. But if the Spire fits you, it's one of the best hiking shoes for men and women who want premium quality and lightweight performance for mountain hikes.

Salewa Mountain Trainer Lite

Best Alpine Hiking Shoe

Made for the hiking the Alps in mild weather, the Salewa Mountain Trainer Lite is a sturdy hiking shoe for serious hikes. It’s a hybrid that mixes the support of a hiking shoe and climb-oriented features of an approach shoe, so it excels on technical trails with some rock scrambling. I've hiked some tough mountains in the U.S. and Europe in the Mountain Trainer Lite. In spite of its name, the Mountain Trainer Lite GTX is not a lightweight hiking shoe; it’s a burly shoe with stiff and sturdy soles for excellent stability and support on uneven ground. The stiffest, most supportive hiking shoe on this list, the Mountain Trainer Lite has plenty of chops for hard mountain hikes.

choosing the best hiking shoes for YOU

Life's too short to settle for crappy hiking shoes. So this post has highlighted the best hiking shoes for men and women— based on my extensive hiking experience and outdoor industry training. My hope is that this post has helped you find one or two pairs that will fit your feet, your budget, and your hikes.

If you're still on the fence, Hiking Feet reviewed of several of these hiking shoes. Click here for my in depth reviews of the Danner Trail 2650, Altra Olympus 5 Hike, Salomon X Ultra 4 Low, Obox Sawtooth X Low, Salewa Mountain Trainer Lite, and Scarpa Rush 2. You can also learn more about these brands (and others) with Hiking Feet's brand reviews. 

If you have found your next pair of hiking shoes, please consider buying them through the affiliate links above. Hiking Feet may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) from the retailer. Those commissions fund this site (and compensate me for the hundreds of unpaid hours I spent creating free content to help you choose the hiking shoes that make the most sense for you). If this site hooked you up, please consider hooking me up, too. Thanks, I appreciate it!