7 Best Trail Running Shoes in 2026

How we test trail running shoes

To save you time, we spend hours scrutinising every single shoe release. As an independent shoe testing lab, we purchase all trail shoes with our own money to stay unbiased.

• We cut shoes into pieces so we can observe and test the shoes and their components in a more in-depth manner
• We take these shoes on trails, gravel roads, single tracks, mud, rocks and slippery slopes while covering numerous uphills and downhills 
• We measure over 30 different parameters far beyond weight and stack height, such as traction, flexibility, and shock absorption

Instead of “durable” or “comfortable,” we give you concrete data that puts each trail shoe up against hundreds of others. The best trail shoes make it here.

How to choose trail running shoes

There is no one BEST trail running shoe for everybody. To find the one that’s fine-tuned to your specific needs, you should consider:

• how rugged/technical your typical running terrain is?
• how light, stable, or protective do you want your trail shoe to feel?
• what type of cushioning do you need?
• do you need waterproofing?

We will help you answer these and more questions in this detailed guide on trail running shoes.

Traction for different surfaces [lab data]

Trail shoes vary in protection, cushioning, and grip depending on the type of terrain they are meant for. In this chapter, we'll focus on the grip. 

Imagine the terrain you plan to run on most of the time. What does it look like?

• mostly hard-packed and includes pavements
• moderately rugged with some rocks and roots
• highly technical (rocky/rooty), hilly, or soft (muddy) terrain

Now you can narrow down your footwear options based on the type of terrain:

*You can actually use some road shoes for running on hard-packed and well-maintained trails, as long as they have a thick and durable outsole and a stable, wide platform (avoid race shoes with tall and soft platforms!).

When running on trails, good traction is everything. Traction is more important in trail running than in road running, because of the varying terrain, both in terms of the surface type and inclination (uphills and downhills). Fortunately, we perform a traction test in our lab. 

We press a shoe with a 500N force against the wet surface and do so at a 7-degree angle to replicate the real-life conditions. The result we get is a dynamic coefficient of traction and, the higher it is, the better! Anything above 0.45 is considered great, and 0.25-0.45 is moderate traction. 

We explained how big of a role the thickness of the lugs plays when it comes to traction but it's also important to know how long those lugs will last. Deep lugs are often made of softer rubber because it's stickier and grips better. That also means less durability. To test this, we introduce our Dremel to every shoe that goes through our lab. 

The deeper the hole in the outsole, the less durable it is. And, premature wear on trail running shoes means basically ending up with flat outsoles in the most important areas, instead of lug-packed ones. 

Cushioning in trail shoes: minimalist or max-cushioned

The amount of foam underfoot varies greatly in trail running shoes. The heel stack height can be anywhere from 16 mm to 40 mm, averaging 32 mm. Trail shoes with less cushioning offer better ground contact, while more cushioning means better impact protection and more comfortable running.

It's also not just about how thick a slab of foam is below your feet, but how protective (shock absorbing) and lively (responsive) it is. 

I want to feel barefoot!

Heel stack: <25 mm

Minimalist and barefoot trail shoes offer the most sensitive ground feel, but you must be careful on rugged terrain, as there is very little foot protection. These shoes are also the lightest, but require an adaptation period.

Enough cushion to feel comfortable and protected

Heel stack: 25 - 35 mm

Shoes in this range are considered the best for beginners and most trail runners. Even if there is no rock plate inside, thicker midsoles will protect your feet from impact just fine. Depending on your preference, you can choose between softer and firmer types of foams (read more on that in a section below).

See our full catalogue of cushioned trail shoes here.

Tonnes of foam underfoot!

Heel stack: >35 mm

These trail shoes offer the best impact protection out there but can feel clunky on the foot. When there's extra chunk at the heel, the shoes are not agile enough for quick work on technical terrain. Many trail runners enjoy a super comfortable shoe for easy miles, recovery runs, and ultra distances.

Shock absorption and softness of trail running shoes

Soft cushioning is usually the first thing that runners think of when discussing comfort. However, softness on its own has performance pros and cons. While it may feel more comfortable, it may also mean less stability and protection.

Firmer trail shoes are better at providing stability on technical terrain. They also do a better job protecting the foot from rocks, roots, and other sharp debris.

However, cushioning can't be explained by softness only, which is why we test shock absorption in our lab. To do this, we follow the golden standard: ASTM F1976 13. This test tells us which shoes are better at reducing the load on the body.

Midsoles with high shock absorption (they score 130 SA or more at the heel on our lab test) are great at dampening the impact at every landing, which is why we call them protective midsoles. It's not about sharp rocks, debris, or snow; it is protection from impact forces that inevitably stress the body, which results in (premature) foot and leg fatigue.

As you can see, we test shock absorption both at the heel and the forefoot. This allows you to find the best shock absorption for you, exactly where you need it (depending on your foot strike). Shock absorption at the forefoot is always lower than at the heel, which makes sense given that impact forces at the forefoot are lower than at the heel.

If your feet often feel beaten up after the trail run, it may be because the lugs are too deep for the (hard) surface. This often happens when using aggressive lugs on longer road patches. Or, there's not enough cushioning, or even if the shoe is cushioned, its shock absorption is too low for your needs. We recommend learning more about shock absorption here Shock absorption in running shoes. 

Energy return in trail running shoes

While energy return is not directly related to shock absorption, we have to talk about these 2 features at the same time. First, we use the same test to measure both. Second, some shoes can be very protective but not that propulsive. And moderate ranges are OK for shorter and slower distances. The moment you decide to start building up the mileage (which also means a lot of recovery runs) or doing races, you may want to look for higher shock absorption and energy return.

These are so-called leg-saving features. If you're a beginner, no need to overinvest in running shoes before figuring out what your legs really need and which goals you are working (running) towards. Energy return is most often a priority in road race shoes, but if you're also keen on learning more about responsiveness, we recommend moving to: Energy return in running shoes explained. 

Heel-to-toe drop is important to consider

Drop is the difference in height between the heel and forefoot stack. In trail shoes, it can range from 0 to 15 mm, averaging at 8 mm.

Here are some general recommendations on choosing the right drop for you:

• beginner runners should choose between 6 and 10 mm
• heel strikers (about 90% of runners) should get at least 8 mm of drop
• forefoot/midfoot strikers are better off with 4 to 8 mm
• more advanced forefoot/midfoot strikers prefer 0 to 4 mm for the extra muscle activation and more natural running gait.

Avoid drastic changes (4 mm or more) in your running shoes’ drop as your feet and body need some time to adjust. To learn more about the effects of different drops on running performance, see our in-depth research.

We take our own stack measurements that comply with the rules set by World Athletics

Stability in trail shoes

Runners with flat feet and pronation issues must never ignore this aspect of trail shoes. Not only does it feel uncomfortable when your feet spill over the edge of the shoe but it is also dangerous and is fraught in injury. 

Let’s compare two shoes. Can you see the difference in stability between them?

These are extreme cases of stability level in trail shoes.

Unlike road shoes, trail footwear has no categorization based on arch support (neutral or stability). But there are a few parameters that can help determine a trail shoe’s stability level:

1. torsional rigidity (how stiff the shoe is when you try to twist it)
2. heel counter stiffness (how firm the shoe’s heel hold is)
3. midsole (platform) width (how broad the widest areas of the shoe’s midsole are).

In our lab, we measure each of these parameters for every trail shoe. Our measurements and conclusions are all listed in the Stability section of the lab reviews. For both torsional rigidity and heel counter stiffness, we assign a 1-5 rating, where 5/5 is the stiffest. 

As a rule, more stable shoes have higher scores for torsional and heel counter stiffness as well as wider platform widths.

Not sure if you need this kind of stability in trail running shoes? Check our guide on pronation.

Lightweight trail running shoes: pros and cons

The average weight of trail running shoes comes in at 10.4 oz (295g). And over 70% of trail shoes tip the scale at 10 oz (282g) or more. 

Lighter shoes help you feel more nimble on the trail and more manoeuvrable with your steps. They also don’t hold you back from picking up the pace. Here is the list of top-rated lightweight trail shoes as of today:

But lighter doesn’t always mean better. These shoes save weight by cutting corners on some other important aspects. They could be less wear-resistant, offer less underfoot protection, or feel less stable.

As you can see, the shoe on the left sacrificed upper durability to save weight. However, this is not necessarily the case for all lightweight trail shoes.

Waterproofing in trail shoes

In most cases, waterproofing is NOT necessary in trail running shoes. You should only consider it if you run in rainy, snowy, and soggy conditions regularly. Otherwise, it is going to feel like overkill.

And that’s because a waterproofing membrane makes shoes:

• less airy or not breathable at all
• overly warm and stuffy
• a bit heavier than average
• wet inside! (if the water gets inside)

If you feel like a waterproof membrane would be right up your alley, look at the top-rated shoes below: 

Trail running shoes for summer

If, on the other hand, you mostly run in warm temperatures, you will appreciate a highly breathable running shoe. After doing the smoke test, we also perform the light test, where we look at the upper against a flash light, and we analzye the upper under the microscope. 

This light test allows us to see where the upper is made of double layers and where exactly they overlap. 

Microscope shots are where the magic happens! We love seeing how tight the knit is, how big the ventilation holes are (and whether they are real or fake), whether some threads are loose, what makes mesh uppers more or less breathable design-wise, etc. 

Winter trail running shoes (warm)

If you need trail running shoes for cold weather, you may want to check out our guide on winter running shoes. Winter running shoes meet most or all of the following criteria:

• warm upper: lowest score on our smoke-pumping breathability test (1 out of 5)
• waterproofing membrane (most of the time, it’s Gore-Tex)
• deep lugs (at least 4 mm) and excellent grip on slick and wet terrain
• they don’t get too firm in low temperatures. 

To learn about how they behave in cold weather, or how much their midsoles firm up, we freeze the shoes and repeat the test. 

Finding the best fit and sizing in trail shoes

A poor-fitting shoe is not only painful but it can even lead to foot deformities like bunions, calluses, and more. But luckily, there is a wide range of toebox shapes and widths to choose from.

To provide more accurate dimensions of a shoe’s width, we create a gel mould of the shoe's interiors and then measure its overall width (where the shoe is the widest) and its toebox width (at the big toe). 

Knowing your feet' shape and where you need more/less room, whether where the shoe is the widest or at the big toe, you can look for trail running shoes that fit your criteria:

A wide toebox is good if you have wide feet, bunions, or if your feet tend to swell a lot. Altra shoes, for example, are known for their very accommodating toeboxes.

But a toebox that's too wide isn't good either. An extra-wide fit will cause slipping and/or sliding within the shoe if you're running on steep terrain. A snug fit is better for races and fartlek runs.

Here are a few tips to help you get the right fit in trail shoes:

• Make sure your toes are not cramped. Your feet swell as you run. Make sure to have enough space to prevent blisters or black toenails. 
• Sock thickness can affect shoe fit; try the trail shoes with the socks you plan to wear.
• Foot size may change over time, so it is recommended to measure your feet when you shop for new shoes.
• Your regular shoe size in one brand may not be the same in another. Do check with size charts before ordering.

Extra tip: to avoid black toenails that happen due to a very low toebox, look for trail running shoes with enough vertical clearance. 

We, of course, measure this in the lab, so you can look for trail shoes with the highest toeboxes. The average toebox height of trail shoes (at the moment of writing this guide) sits at 26.9 mm.

Price

The average price of trail running shoes hovers around £140. Not a cheap buy!

But here are a few tips that could help you save money:

• no need to be loyal to an expensive brand just because it’s “cool”
• no need to get a waterproof (GTX) shoe if you don’t run in wet conditions regularly
• check out the shoe’s previous versions (sometimes changes are minor)
• check current deals and discounts on RunRepeat

Below, we list the cheapest trail running shoes based on their MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price). MSRP is the cost of the shoe when it's released, no discounts applied.