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Gone are the days when you have to outfit yourself in a clunky above-the-ankle leather boot if you want to hit the trails. The best hiking sandals combine support, breathability, and protection, and today, many hikers and backpackers are reaching for them regularly.
Don’t get us wrong, hiking boots for men and women still have their place, particularly for long distances, cold weather, rough terrain, or backpacking with heavy loads. The same is true with trail running shoes in certain conditions.
But as a professional outdoor journalist and gear tester, sandals are my go-to footwear for day hikes in the summer and warm climates. Plenty of my colleagues prefer them for more serious endeavors, too. A friend of mine backpacked the entire Pinhoti Trail (335 miles) alone, entirely in Bedrock sandals. A few years later, when we climbed one of Colorado’s loosest, most technical 14,000-foot peaks, North Maroon (14,014 feet), he wore the same sandals.
Hiking sandals are an excellent footwear choice when traveling abroad, too, due to their compact, portable nature. They’re easy to hang from a backpack or stow in a duffel. Outdoor sandals are also terrific as camping shoes, easy to slip on and off, and they make hiking socks purely optional. In addition, they make great footwear options when hiking in wet climates, while fishing, or on trips where river crossings may be common.
“The versatility of a sandal makes them a great pair of backup footwear from the mountains to the jungle and everywhere in between,” says Argentinian mountaineer, outdoor guide, and adventure filmmaker Damian Benegas. “They’re perfect for traveling. A good pair of sturdy outdoor sandals, like a Chaco, is like having a Swiss Army Knife—one pair does everything.”
Ahead, the best hiking sandals for any trek you take this year.
This is the most common question asked about hiking sandals. The simple answer is yes, depending on who you are and where you’re hiking.
Sandals will never offer the same level of protection as a closed-toe shoe, so you’re going to be more prone to injury. Hiking up a rocky scree slope in sandals, for example, is less safe than doing so in closed-toe shoes. However, sandals are almost always more lightweight and breathable than closed-toe shoes, so it’s a trade-off.
“For me, support and toe protection are the biggest factors when choosing a hiking sandal, especially toe protection,” says Stegen. “We all get weary; we all kick rocks or roots at some point on a long hike, and if you don’t have that toe covered, you could end up with a broken toe, which is a game-ender.”
When thinking about the viability of hiking in sandals, your foot type should also factor into play. Wide-footed individuals will benefit from the open nature of hiking sandals, which offer much more space, but folks with high arches or who suffer from plantar fasciitis are going to find few comfortable sandals with arch support.
That’s because more often than not, hiking sandals (similar to many cute summer sandals) offer little to no cushion under the arch. If you’re flat-footed, however, then even the most minimalist sandals may work well. “For pretty much every foot shape and type, there’s a brand that’s willing to design a sandal that can work,” Stegen says, “but in general, people with flatter, wider feet will probably be more comfortable hiking in sandals.”
And since recovery is also an important factor to consider when embarking on a hike, coupling sandals with therapy tools is a great idea. Devices like the Roll Recovery R8 Plus and R3 Orthopedic foot roller pay massive dividends if you’re hiking long distances in sandals, offsetting any lack of support with therapeutic massage and preventing injury. The compact, lightweight nature of the R3 foot roller, in particular, makes it a stellar choice for multi-day trips wearing sandals. It’s easy to stow this foot roller in your pack and work out your plantar fascia every day, both pre- and post-hike.
For more than 75 years, Footwear News has been the shoe authority. Our coverage spans top industry news, retail trends, head-to-toe fashion, athletic and outdoor analysis and more. Footwear News’ global network of editors has carefully curated all product selections featured using our expansive brand knowledge and thorough research to find quality, long-lasting items.
Between the author’s experience, our experts, extensive research, and customer reviews, we’ve selected 15 of the best hiking sandals on offer in 2023. The author tested the majority of the shoes in this listing personally (with a few exceptions). These shoes have been put through the wringer over the last year in a variety of terrain, from tropical jungle hikes in Costa Rica to hill walks in Ireland to alpine scrambles in the Argentine Andes. Each sandal was worn based on its intended purpose, and each for a minimum of 10 miles, some (such as the Bedrocks) for far longer, as indicated. Learn more about us here.
Damian Benegas is a veteran alpinist, adventure filmmaker (producer of ESPN Adventure), and one of the world’s leading high-altitude mountain guides. In addition to dozens of major summits, new routes, and hard climbs around the world, he has summited Mount Everest six times.
Kevin Stegen is a long-distance runner and team leader at Fleet Feet, specializing in providing customers with the perfect shoe for their hiking and running needs, both on the trail and road.
Dr. Jacqueline Sutera is a surgically trained doctor of podiatric medicine, practicing at City Podiatry in Midtown Manhattan, New York. Dr. Sutera is also a member of the Vionic Innovation Lab, where she helps the brand develop supportive footwear technology designed to enhance foot health.
Dr. Mike Rushton is is a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM) and the co-founder and medical director of Forward Motion Orthotics in Utah.
Dr. Anne Sharkey is a double board certified podiatrist based in Austin, Texas. Dr. Sharkey enjoys educating on conditions affecting the foot and ankle. Providing not only a diagnosis and treatment plan but also the education behind each condition is a top priority for each patient visit. Her greatest joy is to see her patients pain free, thriving and living their best and fullest lives.
Dr. Bruce Pinker is a foot and ankle surgeon who is board certified by the American Board of Podiatric Medicine. He is a graduate of the New York College of Podiatric Medicine (NYCPM) in New York City. Dr. Pinker is a professional foot and ankle health and wellness speaker who delivers many original seminars annually, such as “Diabetes & Your Feet: The Winning Combination,” “Exercise Safe to Lose Weight” and “Keep On Running.” Dr. Pinker is an expert in corporate health and wellness and continues to work with many corporations throughout the tri-state area.
Owen Clarke is an action sports journalist with 15+ years of experience in the outdoors. His work appears in 50+ international magazines, including Outside Online, Climbing, Backpacker, SKI, Trail Runner, Yoga Journal, Travel+Leisure, and NPR, and he is The Outdoor Journal’s editor-at-large. Clarke holds particular expertise in climbing, backpacking, and hiking, which he applied to write this story on the best hiking sandals. Clarke wrote the original version of this shopping guide in 2022 and updated it with new product testing notes and information on the latest hiking sandal releases for 2023.
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