Ready to hit the trails this summer? While there’s no bad time to head for the woods in search of twisty, flowing singletrack to run, escaping to a shaded trail system during the hotter months is a special treat. Of course, if you’re going to conquer technical terrain, it helps to have dedicated trail shoes that bite into dirt and cushion your feet against rocks. See at-a-glance reviews below of five of our top-rated trail options, or scroll down for full reviews of these trail shoes and more of our test team’s favorites, plus buying info.
Why Trail Running?
What trail running means to each of us is as varied and unique as the off-road terrain that we cover. To some, it’s a spiritual, transformative experience. But you don’t have to experience a transcendentalist mindset or nirvana to qualify as a trail runner. To lots of us, running a short trail adjacent to a local park is simply an easy way to add extra miles onto a regular neighborhood loop. These benefits are equally legitimate, and they’re what inspire ultrarunners and weekend warriors alike to spend more time outside.
What to Look for in a Trail Running Shoe
Whatever your preference or personal ideology, we think everyone can be a trail runner, especially with the help of a good pair of shoes. The two main things to consider before purchasing trail running shoes are what type your feet need (think stiff or pliable, neutral or stable, wide or narrow, high or low heel-to-toe drop) and what type of shoes the terrain you run demands. With the latter, try to think about whether the trails you encounter are technical or smooth, flat or steep, have loose or firm footing, and whether or not you cross water.
Rigid shoes with deep lugs (5mm+) are best on technical trails with poor footing, but they’ll also be far less forgiving, even uncomfortable, on road runs. These shoes will serve you better the more unforgiving the terrain and may work for day hiking as well.
Hybrid shoes have shorter lugs (2 to 4mm) and a softer on-road feel than their burly siblings, and are well-suited for soft singletrack and local wooded trails that don’t make you slow to a walk due to unsure footing.
How We Tested These Trail Shoes
Runner’s World has the most comprehensive shoe testing process in the industry. We work with more than 350 local runners of all abilities, ages, and sizes for real-world wear-testing on paved roads, dirt paths, and rocky singletrack trails. After a month of running more than 100 miles, our testers report back their findings on features like fit, comfort, performance, and ride. While our testers are putting miles on the shoes, the same models undergo a battery of mechanical tests in our shoe lab, to objectively measure the cushioning, flexibility, sole thickness, and weight of each. Our test editors combine their own experience in the shoe with data from the lab and feedback from our wear testers to create reliable, useful reviews of every shoe we test.
The following are trail shoes that we think deserve special recognition because they are worthy of our readers’ feet. These 15 shoes were tested by us, and at least one will likely offer the fit and function you need.
Hoka One One wins our informal “Don’t Mess It Up” award for using a deft hand when improving on the (mostly excellent) original EVO Mafate. The upper is now roomier and stays comfortable after your feet swell up. And its Kevlar construction also protects your foot from trail debris, while a soft and stretchy panel over the top allows the toe box to expand. The thick, rubberized foam midsole provides a soft landing with surprising energy return. Thick, angular Vibram outsole lugs bite into every trail surface, helping us dance across wet rock slabs and dig into mud.
If you’re a Hoka fan or the type of runner who can’t get enough cushion between your foot and the trail, you should check out the latest version of this hybrid. A longtime favorite among our testers for its comfort and versatility, the Caldera transitions well between trail and pavement, thanks to a thickly padded midsole and low, non-aggressive lugs. The 5 maintains and improves on those features, with a thick slab of BioMoGo DNA cushioning through the midsole, sticky TrailTack rubber outsole, and high level of energy return and bounce throughout. Brooks also brings in a new lacing system for a secure, locked-down fit. It’s a top all-around shoe that feels faster and lighter than it should. Whatever the trail throws at you—gnarled roots, sharp rocks, endless gravel, or a mudslide—the Caldera can keep you cruising.
The Sense Ride is a cult favorite that works for a lot of different runners, from beginners to longtime trail racers. That could be a byproduct of its two-layered cushioning system well-suited to all distances, or it could be related to a moderate heel-toe offset that feels familiar to those used to both standard and zero-drop shoes. Our testers praised those features, and also the soft cushion, confidence-building traction, and durable mesh upper on these rugged trail runners. Fans of earlier iterations of this shoe won’t be disappointed by the latest version, which deleted some of the fabric excess of the previous version’s upper, but all in all, didn’t mess up a good thing.
