12 best women’s trail running shoes for all types of terrain
Running off-road gives you a healthy dose of nature, which has been shown to be great for mental health. Heading away from the pavement is also great for your proprioception (sense of where your body is in space) as you have to focus on where and how you land your feet and constantly shift your balance.
Why a trail shoe over a normal trainer? Because while regular running shoes offer a certain amount of traction, it’s nowhere near enough to deal with mud, rocks and looser or softer ground.
Trail shoes tend to have tackier outsoles for grip and lugs (cleats on the outsole) that help them bite into the ground. They’re also built to withstand the harder wear of trail running, with stronger, more supportive uppers for durability and sharper changes of direction; tighter mesh to stop debris sifting through into the shoe and protection around the toes and rearfoot against rocks and tree roots. Some will have rock plates built in to prevent sharp pieces of debris from hurting the sole of your foot and will also be waterproof or will drain very quickly when wet to stop your socks getting sodden.
If your runs are a mixture of road and not-too-technical, dryer trail, you’ll generally want something with less aggressive lugs so that you don’t clomp about on the tarmac but have enough purchase on hardpacked soil.
For more technical trails, it depends on the terrain, but generally you’ll want deeper lugs for biting into thicker mud or softer ground, and hardier toe protection from rocks and roots. It also depends on how much ascent or descent you do – more cushioning will help absorb the shock and lessen leg fatigue on steeper downhills.
We tested the shoes on hill runs and through forests, seeking out the muddiest routes we could find, to see how well they kept us comfortable, supported, protected from rocks and roots and upright. We were also looking for how sensitive they felt to the ground – a matter of personal preference.
You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.
Read More
10 best women’s winter running jackets that are weatherproof and breathable
9 best running backpacks for racing, commuting, trails and marathons
10 best running armbands: Carry your phone while you jog
Saucony peregrine 10
A neutral shoe with a low profile that doesn’t look far off a regular running shoe. But its appearance belies its performance. The 5mm lugs grip like Spiderman in the mud, but still managed some road sections without feeling too clumpy, and there’s enough cushioning for comfort but without losing too much ground feel. The 4mm heel to toe drop makes them feel quite racy and they’re nicely responsive. There’s a small lace strap across the tongue for tucking your laces into and a small ring at the base of the laces for attaching gaiters if you want to – both nice touches. They’re slightly on the narrower side, so if you have wide feet and you may want to go half a size up.
Buy now £110.00, Saucony
Asics gel-fujitrabuco sky
A neat little package of a neutral trail shoe – super-light and speedy with a 4mm drop, and a springy, responsive ride. Go up at least half a size as it comes up small and narrow. There’s a plate under the forefoot to protect from rough ground, but it’s sensitive underfoot – you’ll like it if you like a good ground feel. Reasonable toe and rearfoot protection but the tongue could do with being integrated a little further up to prevent debris getting in. Small holes in the sock line and sole help water drain out. The position of the lugs has been well thought out and feels secure on moderately muddy trails and downhills. It would be a great shoe for cross-country.
Buy now £135.00, ASICS
Hoka One One speedgoat 4
Speed is the order of the day, as well as plenty of cushioning in the heel and forefoot, which leaves your legs feeling fine after putting in the miles. If you like a sensitive ground feel, these are for you. The standard fit is narrow in the toe box but it’s available in wide. The heel cup isn’t very deep to support the Achilles, but if you’re already a Hoka fan, these won’t disappoint. A slight rocker motion feels great both on the flat and hills, while the sole and decent lugs provide great traction. The durable upper holds the foot firmly and the laces come high to secure it to the foot.
Buy now £125.00, Hoka One One
Salomon wildcross w
A serious trail shoe that delivers. Salomon’s signature quicklace system allows you to simply pull a tab to tighten the shoe, which is convenient for putting on and taking off (especially when your hands are cold). We also like the way it secures near the top of the tongue, which really brings the shoe around the foot to keep debris out. The well-defined lugs do a brilliant job, biting hard into the ground, and they’re widely spaced so no small bits of rock get wedged. The grippy rubber sole holds well on slippy terrain. You’d clunk about when on road sections in these, though, so for trails only. The upper is durable and water repellent. The toe protection isn’t as solid as some trail shoes but good enough. It’s not the most responsive shoe we tested but does the job for technical trail running and it rolls nicely from heel to forefoot. The shoe is roomy in the forefoot and true to size.
Buy now £120.00, Salomon
New Balance fresh foam hierro v5
If you’ve run in the regular fresh foam trainers, you’ll know the trademark bounce, which you’ll get here too. The cushioning is great if you run on paths with sharp rocks, although it loses some sensitivity underfoot. A good band of toe protection helps you feel secure against banging your toes into rocks or roots. The shrouded upper keeps smaller bits of debris out and an extension flap on the heel makes for a nice landing on steeper downhills. The sticky outsole holds well in the wet, but it didn’t give quite as much traction on a muddy path with a camber as those with deeper lugs. It has a nice heel cup for Achilles support and comes up true to size.
Buy now £125.00, New Balance
Brooks catamount
A light, neutral shoe that’s built for speed but felt stable even on an overpronator. Incredibly comfortable with great arch support, the generous toe box has reassuring reinforcement around the toes and all the way around the base of the upper. A thin, flexible, integrated tongue and perfect lacing work to pull the shoe firmly to your foot. It gives a very responsive ride, reliable traction on moderately muddy trails (the shallow lugs don’t bite hard in deeper mud) and on dryer, hard-packed terrain. The rock shield prevents sharper rocks from pushing through and hurting your feet. If you need to access a trail over tarmac, it feels good on the road. White is an interesting choice for a trail shoe, but we like how they look like you’ve done a marathon after your first 5k in them.
Buy now £125.00, Brooks
Inov-8 terraultra G 270
Designed for long distances, this is another zero-drop shoe, so take care if you’re new to that. The rubber on the outsole provides outstanding traction, the lugs bite effectively and the cushioning feels luxurious without deadening your stride. The upper is smooth and flexible but with good support around the midfoot. The toe protection is softer than some trail shoes and you wouldn’t want to hit a rock hard, but it does provide protection. A small niggle is that the top of the tongue is quite stiff and could do with being softer against the front of the ankle (this may not be the case for everyone, depending on your anatomy). It’s generous in the toe box and true to size.
Buy now £145.00, Inov-8
Merrell rubato
An interesting shoe because it’s got a 0mm drop between heel and toe combined with some serious cushioning – this can take getting used to if you’re accustomed to a measure of heel drop, we’d advise not running too far in it to start with. It’s quite a chunky shoe, but it remains relatively light with a springy midsole, helping it to feel quite speedy despite the cushioning that takes the load off your legs on a longer run. It has sublime arch support, good toe protection and good traction from the 4mm lugs and sticky outsole. A small gripe would be that the laces could be more stretchy for pulling tight.
Buy now £125.00, Merrell
Columbia women's F.K.T attempt trail running shoe
A lower budget shoe, which makes a refreshing change in an expensive market. It’s extremely comfortable and light, and a plate in the midsole protects from jagged rocks so that you can run over rougher ground with confidence. The mesh on top of the upper has relatively large holes – a few smaller bits of debris crept through after running on looser, dustier ground. It would work best on surfaces such as soft forest floors or a mixture of tarmac and moderately muddy paths.
Buy now £90.00, Columbia
Adidas terrex agravic TR Gore-Tex women’s trail running shoes
A chunky, durable shoe that comes up high on the ankle and Achilles. The traction is excellent and the Gore-Tex waterproofing works – a bonus if your runs are on the boggier side – but still felt breathable. The toe box is well protected on the upper and roomy inside; the rear of the foot is well protected too, and the shoe is true to size. Not quite enough cushioning for steep downhill descents but it’s a fairly responsive shoe, given its size.
Buy now £85.00, Adidas
Helly Hansen varde trail
A lightweight, low profile, less expensive offering from this outdoor brand. It’s a roomy shoe, which is fine in the toe box but possibly a bit too roomy around the midfoot unless you have wide, deep feet. The mesh on the upper is effective at keeping debris out and the lugs held well on a harder packed trail. The outsole and midsole are fairly minimal, meaning that you can feel the ground beneath you, but wouldn’t feel great on sharper terrain and they’re not very springy. They did stay dry on a drizzly run.
Buy now £75.00, Helly Hansen
Under Armour women’s UA hovr velociti trail running shoes
A comfortable neutral shoe that delivers a nice energy return thanks to the brand’s signature foam. It connects to the MapMyRun app to give you stats on your running. The shallow lugs held their own on a trail that was firm underfoot and the toe protection was enough to see off assaults from tree roots. You can feel the cushioning in the heel in particular (nice for downhills) and the lack of bulk makes it an agile choice that’s not too much of a departure from a regular running shoe.
Buy now £115.00, Under Armour
The verdict: Women’s trail running shoes
The Saucony peregrine takes the prize for being a jack of almost all trades. It’s comfortable, durable, performs well on most terrains, yet it still remains a fairly low profile and responsive. For a shoe that transitions perfectly from pavement to moderate trail, the Brooks catamount is a great choice and for a more aggressive trail shoe, the Salomon wildcross won’t let you down.
If you’re looking for an everyday pair of trainers for jogging, read our review of the best women’s running shoes
Voucher codes
For offers on fitness equipment and sportswear, try our discount code pages:
