Planning on going for a hike? Yes!! we all love to hike and rejuvenate both body and soul. For a successful hike, we have to make adequate and thorough preparations to ensure it’s a time well spent in the wild, embraced by nature, outside the comfort of our homes and probably cut off from reach. That feeling is in every bit exhilarating when we think about what to eat, needs, supplies, where to go while hiking, etc. However, we are probably not yet set until we pick the right set of hiking shoes for our journey to the high tops. While many hiking shoes can be found specifically meant for either men, women or both sexes, the best hiking shoes for women are those experienced hikers choose and recommend repeatedly for the brave-hearted hikers.
Here, I bring you a review of the top hiking shoes for women. To come up with this list of top recommendations, I made absolute consideration for comfort, simplicity of design, lightness and agility for easy scrambling, substantial support for rugged and extra rugged terrains, stable and sturdy for multi-day trips, minimal ankle support, semi-aggressive thread patterns, rubber soles (Vibram or others), and rubber toe-cap for your toe protection. Based on these important considerations, Ahnu Women’s Sugarpine Waterproof Hiking Shoe and Merrell Women’s Moab Ventilator Hiking Shoe are my top picks of hiking shoes for women. Other hiking shoes that are worth spending your money on include: KEEN Women’s Voyageur Hiking Shoe, KEEN Women’s Targhee II Hiking Shoe, Oboz Women’s Sawtooth Low BDry Hiking Shoe, Merrell Women’s Siren Edge Hiker and Salomon Women’s Ellipse GTX Hiking Shoe.
The Top Hiking Shoes For Women
KEEN Voyageur Women’s Hiking Shoe
Pros:
- Excellent traction
- Adjustable toe box
- Removal inner soles
- Rugged and Durable
- Perfect for everyday use
- Available in 6 attractive colours
- Comes with a protective toe-cap
Cons:
- Might be too wide for a narrow foot
Verdict:
The Keen brand is a very popular name when questions about manufacturers of the best hiking shoes for women are asked. Moreso, the KEEN Women’s Voyageur Hiking Shoe is a big contributor to the success of the Keen brand. The Voyagers will readily serve as your everyday shoe other than your hiking interests. They are thoroughly comfortable and will offer an awesome support for you heel arch. No matter your colour penchant, the KEEN Women’s Voyageur Hiking Shoe as one of my recommended best hiking shoes for women has your preference ready to be delivered.
Salomon Ellipse GTX Women’s Hiking Shoe
Lightweight, breathable on extremely hot sunny days, steady and tough for light scrambling, magically never gets wet inside when stepped through water pools, streams and trekked through downpours. Its unique waterproof membrane keeps your feet dry throughout your hike. The Salomon Women’s Ellipse GTX Hiking Shoe perfectly slugs through mud and slushy snow and will in every sense assure you it’s an ideal shoe for the avid female hiker.
The striking feature of this shoe is its breathability in warmer days despite being a waterproof hiking shoe. This is a rear feature in women hiking shoes. They also offer great support while carrying a lot of weight in your backpack. If your hike trail transverses streams, creeks and lots of moist ground, don’t go hiking without the Salomon Women’s Ellipse GTX Hiking Shoe as my pick for you as one of the best available hiking shoes for women.
Pros:
- Toe protection
- It’s waterproof
- Great arch support
- Perfect for everyday use
- Abrasive resistant lining for quick drying
- Asymmetrical Sensiflex for comfortable fit
Cons:
- Might have a tight midsection
Verdict:
Provided you clean thoroughly and dry out this shoe after each prolonged use in a moist environment, these shoes are great and will last long enough you might even forget how much you bought them.
Ahnu Women’s Sugarpine Waterproof Hiking Shoe
Ahnu Women’s Sugarpine Waterproof Hiking Shoe was designed in an eye-catching style for the athletic-inspired waterproof hiker. The Vibram offers superior traction in a dry and wet environment, while its Numentum Technology; a neutral positioning system was engineered to encourage your foot’s natural biomechanics. It’s non marking Vibram/sole comes in a slip-resistant design that provides grip and traction on varied surfaces, This will keep you safe no matter the terrain of your hike.
Pros:
- Waterproof mesh
- Self-cleaning lugs
- Leather and suede upper
- Available in 5 attractive colours
- Moisture-wicking and breathable
Cons:
- No Toe protection
- Looks a bit old-fashioned
Verdict:
If you plan to purchase a hiking shoe that doesn’t look too fashionable but does the needed job of giving you a comfortable feeling while hiking, keeps you safe in not too rocky terrain, waterproof and dry foot assurance. The Ahnu Women Sugarpine Waterproof Hiking Shoe is an affordable recommendation of the best hiking shoe for women.
Women’s Oboz Sawtooth Low BDry Hiking Shoe
I love every bit of this shoe for its rugged look. This is a brand that has hiked on many mountains and is an ideal accoutrement for your next hiking adventure. I would gladly wear this shoe all day long just for the love of its comfortable feeling. Oboz Women’s Sawtooth Low BDry Hiking Shoe is made with Nubuck leather combined with an abrasion resistant textile for regular and rugged use. It is waterproof and comes breathable to keep your feet dry always like every of my recommended hiking shoes for women.
Pros:
- Waterproof
- Easy to break in
- Extremely durable
- Comfortable feel all day long
- Nylon shanks for torsional stability
- Mud shedding sidewall lugs for firm grip on all terrains
Cons:
- Limited colour variety
- Might feel too wide for some
Verdict:
Oboz Women’s Sawtooth Low BDry Hiking Shoe fit better than any low women hiking shoe. Its shank is sturdier than others, with the tread offering more grip no matter the terrain. With Oboz you will conquer every terrain with little effort and still ask for more.
Merrell Siren Edge Hiker for Women
The Merrell Women’s Siren Edge Hiker comes in 3 varied beautiful colours. It has a simple design yet gives the protection and comfort most other sophisticated looking women hiking shoes have. The overlays of this shoe feature a seamless upper overlay with colour-pop webbing and ghillie laces. It automatically keeps out debris with its bellow tongues while the M-select Fit.ECO contoured footbed has organic odour control to prevent this shoe from making a mess of the air when you pull out your legs.
Pros:
- Odour Control
- 3 varied colours
- Breathable mesh
- Comfortable arch support
- Shock-absorbing air cushion heel
Cons:
- Not suitable for people with flat feet
- The rubber sole easily peels after few hard use
Verdict:
With a simple yet attractive design, the Merrell Women’s Siren Edge Hiker as one of my recommended hiking shoes for women is one shoe that you can still put to everyday basic use in addition to your routine hiking schedules. It comes at a price convincingly affordable for its true worth meaning you don’t have to break the bank to purchase this beautiful hiking shoe.
Women’s KEEN Targhee II Hiking Shoe
Comfort, support, resilience, dry feet and protection from rough-and-tough hiking terrains is exactly what you will get from purchasing the KEEN Women’s Targhee II Hiking Shoe. It combines an S3 heel structure with a dual-density, compression-moulded EVA midsole and a Keen Metatomical EVA footbed. The Targhee II doesn’t come short of beauty as it is available in 7 varied beautiful colours and can be readily put to any use. The usefulness of the KEEN Women’s Targhee II Hiking Shoe as one of my top picks on the merit list of best hiking shoes for women is absolutely listless.
Pros:
- Patented toe protection
- Rugged fashionable style
- Waterproof Nubuck Upper
- Breathable moisture protection
- Multi-directional lugs for greater traction
- Shock, suspension and stability (S3) protection
Cons:
- A bit expensive
Verdict:
Money is said to be a measure of value, and the KEEN Women’s Targhee II Hiking Shoe was manufactured to lay credence to this popular saying.
Merrell Moab Ventilator Women’s Hiking Shoe
- Odour control
- Toe protection
- Insole support
- Spacious toe box
- Sturdy yet comfortable
- Comes in 5 varied colours
- Excellent traction in every terrain
- Expensive
Verdict:
You will fall in love with this very shoe on your first purchase. Think of comfort, think of safety, think of beauty yet rugged, the Merrell Women’s Moab Ventilator Hiking Shoe for women as a popular hiking women shoe got you covered no matter the terrain or purpose you choose to put it to regularly.
Conclusion
While you might have been confused hitherto on the best hiking shoes for women, I have recommended the best options in terms of quality, comfort, durability, affordability and all-purpose use categories for you to make an informed decision. The best shoes for this purpose don’t go beyond this list as the products I reviewed here were chosen based on personal use, manufacturers technical specifications and sampled popular opinion. Where some lack aesthetic appeal, they make up for the shortfall in durability, ruggedness, excellent all-terrain firm traction and comfortable wear for an extended period of time.
