Love hiking but don’t love chunky hiking boots? Me too. I prefer to find a good stable pair of women’s trail running shoes for hiking around local trails, especially if I only have a lightweight (or no) pack to carry.
Which women’s trail running shoes are best for hiking?
There are lots of great women’s trail running shoes which will work equally well for hiking. We prefer robust, stable trail running shoes, either with or without ankle support depending on the trails and personal preference.
Depending on the trails you are hiking and running, you may want to consider a waterproof trail running shoe to help keep your feet dry. These Arc’teryx trail running shoes look neat and have waterproof features.
Amazon.com 
moosejaw.com 
backcountry.com | Price history for Arc'teryx Norvan LD GTX Trail Running Shoe - Women's Black/Purple Reign, US 8.5/UK 7.0 | |
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The Under Armour Horizon 50 hiking shoes are designed for hiking but look like a trail running shoe. I am a big fan of the stretchy ankle ‘cuff’, which acts as a gaiter to stop stones and debris getting into your shoe.
| Price history for Under Armour Women's Horizon 50 Ankle Boot, Anthracite (101)/Desert Sky, 6 | |
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Women’s trail running shoes with ankle support
If you have a history of ankle injuries or weaknesses, you may find it beneficial to wear trail running shoes with ankle support for hiking (and trail running). I appreciate wearing shoes with ankle support for hiking since spraining the same ankle multiple times on the trails, although prefer smaller shoes for running.
These Altra Women’s Mid Mesh trail running shoes are great for hiking with their spacious foot-shaped toe box, zero drop profile, and ankle support.
| Price history for Altra Women's Lone Peak 3.5 Running Shoe, Black, 9 B US | |
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Zero drop shoes for hiking
The Xero Terraflex is a ‘barefoot style’ trail running shoe that can benefit your running technique in a multitude of ways. It’s a lightweight, minimal and flexible shoe that should help your body develop a natural and efficient running technique. Because these shoes are low to the group and offer good grip, they’re good for technical hiking trails, especially when it’s softer underfoot.
My personal favorite trail running shoe for hiking
I’m living in my Inov-8 Trailroc 285s. These are great all-round trail shoes.
INOV-8 | Price history for Inov 8 Trailroc 285 Trail Running Shoe - Women's | |
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For more women’s trail running shoes…
Ultimately, any good trail running shoe will make a good hiking shoe for light hiking, backpacking and fastpacking, so if you are planning to do some running, too, then I recommend you get yourself the trail running shoe you like the best and will use the most, whether running or hiking.
If you’re still not sure which trail running shoe to buy for hiking, follow the link below to see our full listing of women’s trail running shoes, and use the filters and tags to shop shoes by waterproof features, ankle support and colors:
While you’re looking for shoes, have a browse on our site to check out our curated range of dedicated women’s running clothing, shoes and accessories across hundreds of running brands – we’ve summarized reviews and compared the best prices across multiple retailers to help you shop for the best deal.
