• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Champagne Tastes®
  • About
  • Travel
    • Food Travel
    • Outdoor Adventure
  • Recipes
    • Garden To Table
    • Seafood
    • Camping Recipes
    • Ferment
    • Backyard Foraging + Wild Game
    • Cooking Basics
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Garden To Table
  • Seafood
  • Ferment
  • Foraging + Wild Game
  • Cooking Basics
  • Camping Recipes
  • Outdoor Adventure
  • Food Travel
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Travel » Outdoor Adventure » Gear Guides

    Best Women’s Hiking Shoes + Boots

    Published: Dec 14, 2019 · Modified: Sep 5, 2022 · Leave a Comment

    Love the outdoors, but need new shoes to tackle the trails? Here are my top picks for the best women's hiking shoes and boots.
    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Love the outdoors, but need new shoes to tackle the trails? Here are my top picks for the best women’s hiking shoes and boots.

    Endless Wall Trail Overlook
    Endless Wall Trail – Diamond Point Overlook

    Love to hike?

    Me too!

    And over the years, I’ve found that one thing can make or break a hiking trip.

    Your shoes.

    Bad shoes can make your hike painful. They can even ruin your trip.

    Sadly, if you don’t live near a major outdoors store (like REI), women’s hiking boots can be tricky to find in stores, and shopping online without recommendations can be frustrating.

    This collection of my favorite women’s hiking shoes and boots will give you a place to start when you’re ready to shop.

    This isn’t just a collection of reviews from other sites– I’ve worn all of these shoes!

    Want more gear ideas? Check out my favorite camping gear for women!

    Devil's Garden Trail
    Hiking the Devil’s Garden Trail

    What Makes the Best Women’s Hiking Shoe?

    Keep in mind that everyone’s feet are different, so my favorite shoes and boots might not work perfectly for you.

    Here are a few things to keep in mind as you shop.

    • Look for a wide toe box, especially if you’ll be hiking downhill often. If your shoes touch your toes, it can cause rubbing or blistering when you hike downhill.
    • If you tend to twist your ankle (or have badly sprained an ankle in the past), look for a mid-rise boot for extra ankle support.
    • Flexible shoes are great (and they’re my preference), but if you’re carrying a heavy backpacking pack a rigid-bottom shoe will provide more support for your legs and back.
    • If you’re hiking over rocky terrain or rock scrambling, make sure to buy a shoe with excellent traction so that you don’t slide around on the trail.
    • If you’re planning on hiking on ice and snow, you might want to invest in a pair of crampons. For the best fit, crampons should be worn with mountaineering boots, not standard hiking boots.

    Best Women’s Hiking Sandal

    I take these Keen Clearwater CNX sandals with me on almost every hiking or camping trip.

    Why?

    They’re comfortable, have excellent grip, and fit easily inside a hiking day pack.

    They’re my favorite campground shoes, are perfect for giving your feet a break from hiking boots at the end of a long backpacking day, and (even though they aren’t quick-drying) I use them as water shoes when hiking through streams.

    Plus, these Keen sandals are well-made. I’ve been using mine for several years and they’re still in great shape!

    Best Women’s Trail Runner

    If you love barefoot-style shoes, you’ll love these Merrell Vapor Glove trail runners, a minimalist, zero-drop trail running shoe.

    I have two pairs of these quirky sneakers, and wear mine running in the park (and on a treadmill) and they’re perfect for hiking over easy terrain.

    These Merrell Vapor Glove shoes double as a casual shoe, and are perfect if you go out for dinner after a hike!

    Keep in mind that these are warm weather shoes. When the ground is cold you’ll feel it straight through the shoe!

    Best Hiking Boots for Short Hikes

    Are you looking for a hiking boot that’s less clunky and can double as a sneaker?

    I own the Keen Terradora, and like that it’s less clunky than a more heavy-duty hiking boot. I also like that it comes in a leather finish for under $150 (that’s rare!).

    Keep in mind that these boots have a somewhat narrower toe-box than other Keens I own.

    These boots are also quite flexible, so they fit more like a hightop sneaker than a hiking boot.

    I recommend these boots for shorter hikes, but found them to be a little uncomfortable with long, multi-day hikes or with heavy packs.

    Best Minimalist-Style Hiking Boot

    Are you a fan of zero-drop, minimalist shoes? If so, you might prefer a more minimalist-style hiking boot like the Merrell Altalight.

    These boots are sturdier than a barefoot shoe (they aren’t zero-drop, but they’re much closer than a standard boot), so they’ll protect your foot more than the Merrell Vapor Glove.

    At the same time, they’re lightweight, have exceptional grip, and a wide toe-box.

    Keep in mind that, as with barefoot shoes, you’ll be able to feel the ground beneath your feet. That can be a good thing if you’re used to it, but it can make your feet tired at first.

    Best Leather Women’s Hiking Boot

    Want an all-leather boot that both looks great, is comfortable for long hikes and has fantastic traction?

    Try my current favorite boot, the Keen Pyrenees.

    The only reason it’s not my number one hiking boot is that the price point is a little bit higher than Keen’s classic women’s boot, the Keen Women’s Targhee.

    But the Keen Pyrenees is what I’m currently wearing on most hikes.

    Best Overall Women’s Hiking Boot

    The Keen Women’s Targhee is a classic hiking boot with a wide toe-box and excellent tread.

    Just like the other Keen boots on this list, these shoes are comfortable, well-made, and have a relatively low built-in arch support.

    These boots are sturdier than the Terradora boot with a more rigid shoe-bottom, and they work well even with a moderately heavy backpack. Since they’re made with both leather and other fabric, they’re also slightly cheaper than the all-leather Keen Pyrenees.

    My husband wears the men’s version of these shoes, and they’ve been a reliable boot for all kinds of different terrain. In fact, they made the list for our favorite outdoor gear for men.

    « Grand Canyon Trails
    Hiking Half Dome »

    About Sarah Trenalone

    Sarah is the primary creator at Champagne Tastes. She's a photographer, food writer and traveler, and is certified in Backcountry Kitchen and Backcountry Navigation from the Colorado Outward Bound School and Identifying Wild Plants from Backpacker.

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Comment: Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    bio

    Hi, I'm Sarah! I'm a traveler who loves to eat.   Follow along to join me on my next adventure-- in food or on the road.

    Learn More →

    Currently Trending

    • A Canned Sardine Recipe: Mini Fish Cakes
    • Pan-Seared Rockfish
    • Pan-Seared Red Snapper
    • Crab Butter Sauce

    Footer

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Supplemental Privacy Notice For California Residents
    • Supplemental Privacy Notice For Nevada Residents

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Recipe and Photo Reuse Terms + FAQ

    Copyright ©2015-2023 Champagne Tastes
    All Rights Reserved.