Best Footwear on the Appalachian Trail: 2025 Thru-Hiker Survey

PThe third art of our AT Survey 2025 has arrived, and this time we’re taking a closer look at one of hikers’ most important gear choices: footwear. Each hiker’s foot is unique, making comfort a strictly personal journey. That said, analyzing data from the 279 members of this year’s AT class who participated in the survey can at least give you an idea of ​​the trends we’re currently seeing down the road.

In recent years there has been a back-and-forth between Altra and Topo for the leading footwear brand on the Appalachian Trail; Read on to see who reigns supreme this year.

If you’re using this as a resource to help plan your 2026 AT hike, be sure to sign up to take the survey yourself next year! Press the button below to be notified when the 2026 AT Thru-Hiker Survey opens for submissions so you can help the Class of 2027 in planning their trails.

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Shoe style

If we look back at our data from ten years ago, trail runners were already popular, but today they completely dominate the landscape. Hikers switching from stiff, waterproof boots to lightweight, breathable trail runners is an ongoing trend.

This applies to hikers before their hikes, as well as hikers already on the trail: 77% of respondents started the AT on trail runners this year, but 87% wore them for most of the hike. That tells us that a large portion of our respondents who started out in boots ended up switching to trail runners halfway through. On the other hand, 12% of this year’s participants started with boots, but that number fell to just 5% as the increase progressed.

Two intrepid hikers wore sandals throughout their hikes this year; both reported starting with them and staying with them all the way.

While trail runners have become more popular since we started collecting data in 2015, their popularity increased during Covid and has remained more or less stable since then. However, with 87% of hikers already using trail runners for the majority of their hikes, there probably isn’t much room for trail runners to continue growing in popularity.

This year, the percentage of hikers wearing boots remained constant, while the percentage of trail runners decreased by 4% compared to 2024. These 4% of hikers gravitated toward high-top trail runners: a lightweight, breathable and stable combination of a hiking boot and a trail runner.

It seems unlikely that traditional hiking boots will ever return to this trail, but it will be interesting to see if high-top hiking sandals and trail running shoes grow in popularity.

Satisfaction

Like last year, we asked hikers to rate their satisfaction with the footwear on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the least and 10 being the most satisfied. This is what we found:

Hikers who started trail running were very happy with their decision, with more than 50% rating their choice a 10/10 and less than 10% rating their footwear a 3 or less.

When looking at other shoes, it’s important to keep the smaller sample size in mind. For example, 50% of our sandal users this year rated them a 2/10 and the other 50% gave them a 9/10. However, with only two respondents walking around in sandals, this result is a little less significant.

Hiking boots had the most diverse distribution, with around 20% of users rating them a 10/10, but around 50% rating them a 6/10 or lower.

Changes in footwear style

For hikers who changed shoes during their hikes, we asked the reasons (outside the standard «my shoes finally wore out and I needed a replacement pair»). Responses were similar to what we’ve seen in previous years, with fit issues and blisters to the head, followed by swelling on hikers’ feet. Other popular reasons were a desire for lighter footwear, waterproof shoes, and more durable options.

Some hikers also mentioned that they tailored their footwear choices to specific sections of the trail. One NOBO hiker from February mentioned wearing boots until the weather warmed before switching to trail runners. Another hiker opted for sturdier hiking boots in Pennsylvania, but opted for trail runners for the rest of the trail.

Replacements

As with any long hike, most hikers replaced their shoes at least once (manufacturers recommend replacing trail runners, specifically, every 500 miles or so). About two-thirds of the hikers changed their shoes between three and five times over the course of the hike. The most common response from hikers was that they replaced their shoes four times, or approximately every 520 miles.

When it comes to planning a budget for a hike, it’s important to keep this in mind. Shoes can often cost upwards of $150 per pair, so be sure not to neglect the expected cost of shoe replacement over the course of your hike.

The number of hikers who changed their shoes three or five times was about equal, about 18 percent each. Interestingly, this split was consistent between trail runner users and hiking boot users. Since the boots’ overall reputation for greater durability is the main reason many hikers choose them, one might have expected boot users to need fewer replacements overall.

Every year, we have a handful of hikers on both ends of the spectrum who either report never needing to replace their shoes on the Appalachian Trail (impressive) or that they went through six or more pairs (it’s understandable if it takes you a while to find the style that works for you, but it’s hard on your wallet either way).

Best Footwear on the Appalachian Trail: Brands and Models

From 2018 to 2023, Altra was the top footwear brand on the Appalachian Trail. However, in 2024, relative newcomer Topo Athletic dethroned Altra, and we wondered if they would repeat that this year.

However, Altra has regained its lead in 2025, with Topo Athletic coming in a close second. With 93 participants wearing Altras and 85 wearing Topos, these two brands alone accounted for almost two-thirds of the footwear in this year’s survey. Hoka follows in a distant third place with 27 users.

Other popular shoe brands include Brooks, Salomon and Merrell, and no other brand got more than 10 responses.

Top footwear by brand

Upper footwear by model

As we see year after year, the lonely peak It remains by far the most popular model of any brand. However, for Altra, the Olympus increased in popularity this year while also earning a slightly higher satisfaction rating.

He timps it had the highest satisfaction rating among Altra models, with a near-perfect 9.8 out of 10 (but note that the sample size for Timp users was much smaller than for Lone Peaks and Olympus). He Superior model was reported by only one respondent, who did not rate his satisfaction.

Unlike Altra, where we see one model a lot more than others on the road, Topo Athletic has several models that share similar levels of popularity. The most used and best valued shoe was the Cross model, which Topo Athletic markets as a shoe for hikers.

However, we also saw many responses from hikers who used the Look for, Terraventuraand ultraventure models. All three earned equally high satisfaction ratings, with the Terraventure just barely edging out the Ultraventure as the most used model.

Hoka users this year overwhelmingly preferred the fast goat and gave it a high satisfaction rate. Each of the other models was only used by one respondent each, so the satisfaction ratings come from an unimpressive sample size of one; Keep this in mind when looking at these results.

However, from the models seen, our Anacapa The user gave that shoe a perfect satisfaction rating of 10/10. He Mafate Speed got a slightly lower 8/10, and the stinson a lackluster 3/10.

1) Others (93)

2. Topo Atlético (85)

3. Server (26)

4. Brooks (16)

5. Solomon (13)

6. Merrell (10)

Socks

Damn hard continues to dominate the hiking sock market, probably in large part thanks to its famous lifetime warranty. If a pair wears out, the company will replace it, no strings attached. For hikers on the trail, this is even easier, as many local outfitters allow immediate changes in the store (as long as the socks have been washed first). While other brands appear on the list every year, they are far behind.

About 37% of hikers surveyed choose to wear socks. In this category, the engine is the undisputed winner; nearly all hikers who wore liners chose their toe cap socks, and other brands received negligible mentions.

2025 Appalachian Trail Footwear Overview

1. Trail runners have stabilized as the dominant footwear choice, worn by 87% of hikers for the majority of their hike.
2. The data shows a massive migration from the boots during the hike. While 12% of hikers started with boots, only 5% kept them. On the contrary, 77% started as trail runners, but 87% ended up in them
3. Hikers wearing trail running shoes reported the greatest satisfaction: more than 50% gave their shoes a perfect 10/10.
4. The hiking boots had the most mixed reviews. While 20% of boot wearers gave them a 10/10, about half gave them a 6/10 or less, indicating a high «regret rating» for boot wearers.
5. The average hiker burns four pairs of shoes (about one pair every 520 miles)
6. After losing the number one spot to Topo Athletic in 2024, Altra has regained the title as the most popular footwear brand in AT.
7. The Lone Peak remains the most popular model overall. However, the Olympus is gaining popularity, and in fact, the Timp received the highest satisfaction ratings within the brand.
8. For Topo Athletic, the hiker-specific Traverse model was the most popular, with the remaining models (Pursuit, Terraventure, and Ultraventure) split fairly evenly.
9. Speedgoat model overwhelmingly dominates HOKA numbers

Thank you!

Congratulations to all of the Appalachian Trail hikers this year and many thanks to everyone who took the time to complete the survey. Future posts will detail backpacks, shelter systems, sleeping bags, and stoves/filters for AT hikers.

To stay up to date on the latest survey posts, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter. If you found this data helpful in planning your 2026 AT hike, sign up now to take the survey next year!

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Cover image: Graphic design by Chris Helm.