The Best Trail-Running Shoes

I’ve tested several generations of the Peregrine and it’s always been one of the best all-rounders for those who spend a lot of time on soft ground, with its outsole gripping well even in deep mud while still being comfortable on hard trails. That all remains true of the Peregrine 14, which is similar to the 13—so looking for a deal on the older shoe may deliver better value.

The Peregrine 14 is an excellent shoe though, with enough cushioning and a rock plate to protect the legs and feet on longish runs—though those heading to ultra-marathon distances may prefer a more cushioned option. The Peregrine 14 is quite light too, and works well for faster trail runs. It also comes in a Gore-Tex version for those who want a waterproof trail-running shoe.

Read more in our Saucony Peregrine 14 review

The Voyage Nitro 3’s outsole has gripped brilliantly for me across a range of winter terrain in the UK, including mud, slick paved surfaces and steep, grassy and icy hills. The Nitro foam midsole delivers versatility too, in the form of a ride that’s comfortable for slow and long plods but also has some bounce and firmness when you want to run fast. 

I found the Voyage Nitro 3 a great winter all-rounder in particular, and the Gore-Tex version of the shoe that costs $30/£20 more would be even better for cold and wet climates. The shoe is not the most flexible and doesn’t have a rock plate, so it may not be so comfortable or perform so impressively on rocky ground.

Read more in my Puma Voyage Nitro 3 review

As with the Speedgoat 5, the Inov-8 Trailfly G 270 V2 is one of the most versatile trail-running shoes, but takes a different approach from that Hoka shoe with a lower midsole stack and a more natural feel to its ride. As a result the Trailfly is less comfortable than the Speedgoat on long stretches on hard ground, but I found it more nimble on tricky trails and fast descents, and the outsole provides outstanding grip in anything but deep mud.

Inov-8’s changes to the second version of the shoe are all found in the upper, which is now more comfortable and durable. Durability is a feature of the Trailfly G 280 V2 in general, and that offsets its somewhat high price—you’ll get a lot of running in the toughest conditions out of this shoe.

Read more in my Inov-8 Trailfly G 270 V2 review

The Trail Runner is the first off-road shoe from Allbirds, a brand that uses natural, sustainable materials to make all of its products. The materials used in its shoes include Merino wool, tree yarns and foams made from sugar, which offers a welcome alternative for runners who worry about the environmental impact of their footwear and gear.

Performance-wise, the Trail Runner is not as impressive as other options on this list. It’s a pretty heavy and firm shoe, lacking the comfort and bounce you’ll find elsewhere. However, it is still a solid trail-running shoe, and I enjoyed lacing it up for easy plods through my local forest, tackling a variety of terrains including roads, hard-packed trails, grass and boggy ground. When it got really muddy the 4mm lugs did struggle to find grip, but on all other surfaces the shoe was fine. 

If you like to hit the trails for easy runs and would rather do so knowing that the shoe you’re running in has caused as little damage as possible to the environment you’re enjoying, the Allbirds Trail Runner SWT will suit you just fine.

The giant 8mm studs on the bottom of this shoe mean that you’ll have a fighting chance on the muddiest trails and the steepest fells. It also makes the Mudclaw a great pick for obstacle course races (which are never short of boggy ground), especially since the shoe uses Inov-8’s lightweight and extremely durable graphene-enhanced rubber on the outsole of the shoe, so you can rely on good grip for years to come.

While the outsole remains unchanged from the original Mudclaw G 260, Inov-8 has toughened up the front part of the upper for the second version, to ensure that said upper can last as long as the graphene-enhanced studs underfoot. While I find the Mudclaw a little bulky for faster runs it’s a durable training shoe for those who stick to soft ground.

If you divide your running between roads and light trails and want a comfortable shoe to cruise around in, the Pegasus Trail 4 is your best bet. The latest version of the shoe is lighter and offers better grip in the wet than the Pegasus Trail 3, but its signature feature remains how comfortable it is on roads and harder trails. 

The Pegasus Trail 4 still isn’t the shoe you want on tricky terrain, especially when powering down treacherous downhills, but keep it mostly on the road or well-groomed trails and it will serve you well. It’s also one of the better-looking trail-running shoes I’ve come across, which only increases its versatility—I found it ideal for a vacation since it can handle most terrain as well as being comfortable and stylish enough for sightseeing.

Read more in my Nike Pegasus Trail 4 review

The fact that it is cheaper than many trail-running shoes is no reflection of the quality of the Fast-Trac Nitro. It’s lighter and speedier than most other all-terrain options thanks to the nitrogen-infused midsole, which provides a responsive ride when you up the pace.

While the Fast-Trac Nitro is positioned as a road-to-trail shoe, it provides grip even in quite deep mud, and also kept me upright on frozen pavements and snowy slopes during testing. It’s not as comfortable as other road-to-trail shoes for longer stretches on the road, but it still works well on the asphalt, and it’s a great option for shorter races with road and trail sections because of the lightweight design.

Read more in my Puma Fast-Trac Nitro review

Despite having a high and wide stack of midsole cushioning, the Challenger 7 is a lightweight road-to-trail shoe that is surprisingly versatile, performing well on fast and slow runs alike. It is comfortable over long distances, even if you stick exclusively to the road, and it gripped well for me on a variety of light trails and in mud and snow.

On trickier trails, such as frozen, rutted mud, the size of the shoe did count against it in that it didn’t feel very agile, while the grip isn’t quite reliable enough to use on steep, grassy descents with confidence. Keep the Challenger on lighter trails or the road, though, and it can handle pretty much any kind of run. 

Read more in my Hoka Challenger 7 review

Saucony’s Endorphin road shoes, particularly the Speed 3 and Pro 3, are among the best in the business, and the Endorphin Edge brings a similar level of performance to the trails thanks to the carbon plate and PEBA-based PWRRUN PB foam in its midsole. 

The Edge’s plate is made from Carbitex carbon fiber, which is better suited to the trails because it’s more flexible than the material used on the Pro 3 road shoes. The Edge isn’t too stiff on uneven ground, though I did find it still feels a little clumsy on rutted terrain at times.

When you hit flatter trails, though, the Edge has a smooth and efficient ride. The outsole has gripped well for me across a range of terrains—you can tackle races in the shoe without fear of slipping at the first sign of mud.

Read more in my Saucony Endorphin Edge review

The Nike Ultrafly isn’t designed to deliver the same springy ride as the Nike Vaporfly, despite having the same ZoomX foam in the midsole and a carbon plate. Instead, it excels at helping you plod at slower paces for immense distances, being more stable and comfortable than its road-racing counterparts. 

As a shoe focused on ultra-marathons, it lacks the speed you get from other carbon plate trail shoes for shorter events, though it makes up for that by being comfortable. I did a 30-mile solo run in the Ultrafly during my testing and it protected my legs and feet well. The rockered midsole and plate combine to help you tick along even when tired, and the shoe is stable on uneven ground and steep descents.

The Vibram outsole is a major upgrade on Nike’s in-house rubber and provides reliable grip on tamer and harder trails, although the lugs are too short for extended spells on muddy ground. The upper is lightweight for a trail shoe however, and doesn’t offer much protection from roots and rocks.

Read more in my Nike Ultrafly review

The Hoka Tecton X2 is similar to the original Tecton X, though the new fast-drying Matryx upper on the second version of Hoka’s carbon racer creates a more secure fit. However, if you spy a great deal on the older shoe it’s worth grabbing.

Underneath that new upper you have the same dual-density midsole with twin carbon plates running in parallel down the length of the shoe. This creates a fast ride that’s still stable and flexible on uneven ground, and the Tecton X2 is also comfortable enough for your longest runs but light enough for short, fast ones as well. 

The outsole is designed for hard ground, and the Tecton X2 is smooth and comfortable when running on roads too. Although it is not a shoe to take into deep mud, I found the grip good on dry grass and loose gravel, as well as hard-packed tracks.

Read more in my Hoka Tecton X2 review

The New Balance FuelCell SC Trail shares its key characteristics with New Balance’s road racer, the SC Elite v3, in the form of a FuelCell foam midsole that has a carbon plate running through it. New Balance has tweaked the shoe to be more trail-suitable, with the carbon plate forked to add flexibility under the forefoot and the dual-density midsole having a firmer, more stable layer of FuelCell on the bottom.

It’s still bouncy and undeniably fast, and the 10mm drop delivers a snappier ride than most trail shoes, which usually have lower drops or rockers. The SC Trail is also nimble thanks to its narrow design, though this leads to problems with the fit, which I found uncomfortably tight in the toe box. I’d size up for sure, but even then it may be too snug, especially for ultra-marathon distance events.

Read more in my New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Trail review

The grip on Inov-8 shoes has always been excellent and, true to form, the Trailfly G 280 is as reliable as any shoe at finding purchase when off-road. The grooves in the midsole also create a flexible feel for a shoe with a high stack that makes it feel more nimble when flying down hills in particular, and the nitrogen-infused Flyspeed midsole provides a comfortable ride over long distances.

I did have some dicey moments in the Trailfly G280 when using it on the road, though, and fell over on slippery pavements coming back from the trails on one run, so it’s not one for road-to-trail cruising. On any kind of trail, however, it grips like a champ.

Read more in my Inov-8 Trailfly Ultra G 280 review

The most exciting feature of the Zegama is that it uses the soft and springy ZoomX foam found in Nike’s top road racing shoes, the Vaporfly and Alphafly, as well as the bouncy Invincible 2 training shoe. However, the Zegama’s midsole is not just ZoomX, which would be too soft on the trails if used by itself, there’s also an EVA foam called SR-02 to help stabilize and protect the ZoomX foam.

As a result the Zegama has a firmer ride than I expected, but it’s still up there with the most comfortable trail shoes for long-distance runs, and the upper is well designed to protect the foot and stop debris from getting inside. The main drawback here is the outsole, which does not grip well on wet trails – a common problem with Nike’s trail shoes. Keep it on dry tracks, however, and the Zegama is a solid new trail option for those seeking comfort.

Read more in my Nike ZoomX Zegama review

The Brooks Catamount 2 is a good-looking shoe, which is always a plus, and it backs up its smart design with impressive performance thanks largely to the DNA Flash midsole. This nitrogen-infused EVA foam is lightweight and responsive and makes the Catamount a top option for fast runs on firm ground.

You’ll have to stick to firm ground, though, because the small lugs on the outsole provide minimal grip on soft surfaces. The other disappointment I had was that the SkyVault plate in the forefoot didn’t deliver much in the way of propulsion on the run—it’s more of a rock plate for protection rather than a performance-booster. That doesn’t stop the Catamount 2 from being a great speed shoe for the trails, but it doesn’t deliver the same punch as a plated trail shoe like the Saucony Endorphin Edge.

Read more in my Brooks Catamount 2