Intro to the Best Running Shoes of 2023
We’ve made it through another year of running without wanting to quit or getting fully lost on a trail, which means it’s time for our annual Best in Gear Awards. Here at Believe in the Run, we accumulate thousands of miles across many models, trying almost every running shoe out there. Of course, most of those miles come on the roads courtesy of our team in Baltimore, but we’re spread much wider than that. We’ve already published our top road running picks, so now it’s time for the best trail running shoes of the year.
Here’s the thing though — trail running shoes, like their road-based counterparts, have gotten so good over the last few years that it’s hard to keep shoes off this list. Foams continue to get bouncier, Vibram keeps cooking up better and better traction, and carbon fiber plates are becoming commonplace among the trees and trails.
However, there are still trainers that stand out above the rest. We’ve tried every shoe on this list and a ton that aren’t on here, and there were some tough decisions we had to make. Like a parent with kids, it’s hard to pick a favorite when they’re all pretty amazing. The good news is that we can still give trophies based on their individual talents and participation ribbons for the runner-ups.
So that’s what we did here, breaking them up into their own individual categories. Keep in mind that these are shoes that came out this year, which means that some old favorites won’t make the cut. Sure, we’re still running in shoes from 2022, but we can’t choose them for a second year in a row, which means that the Topo Athletic Pursuit and Hoka Speedgoat 5 will just have to hold onto their place in our hearts.
Not to worry, though, there are plenty of other excellent trail shoes to carry you over the miles, whether you’re out for a short hike or a multi-day fastpack through the mountains. Let’s lace up.
Before we get to the fun categories and the individual honors, there’s one trail shoe that stood out above all others this year: The Saucony Endorphin Rift. Perhaps the easiest way to think of the Rift is to look at it as a plateless version of the Endorphin Edge. Don’t worry, ditching the plate didn’t cut out any of the enjoyment — in fact, it probably enhanced it.
For starters, the Rift doesn’t feel nearly as dangerous as its Edge-y cousin. The lack of a plate means that the PWRRUN PB midsole isn’t trying to bounce you off into the brush as you bomb down mountains. There is, however, still a small rock plate to protect you from the inevitable stones and roots that love to stab into the bottom of your feet. Protecting that slab of PWRRUN PB and rock plate is a hearty covering of PWRTRAC rubber wth big ol’ claws for grip on all surfaces.
Ultimately, our trail crew deemed the third time as the charm with the Endorphin Rift, setting out to offer a proper trail racer for Saucony and checking all the boxes. It also just looks darn good, white upper and all.
HONORABLE MENTION
Topo Athletic MTN Racer 3
$150
Second place ain’t a bad spot to be, especially when the Topo Athletic MTN Racer 3 will appear again later on this list. It’s a technical yet speedy trail shoe with a little more ZipFoam underfoot to cushion you as the 6 mm Vibram MegaGrip lugs tear up the terrain. Our trail team was particularly pleased by the padding placement around the heel as well as the convenient gaiter attachments.
We just got done touting Topo’s technical prowess with our runner-up shoe of the year, but it nabs the top technical crown, too. Even better, it does so with a different shoe. Topo Athletic doesn’t mess around, people. Whether you go for the OG Terraventure 4 or the all-conditions Terraventure 4 WP, you’re getting a lean, mean trail shoe with the traction to go the distance.
Part of what earns the Terraventure 4 a special place in our hearts (outside of the excellent grip, of course) is its build quality. There isn’t a single detail that Topo hasn’t considered, with a stout toe bumper in case you kick rocks and reliable gaiter attachments for when the weather doesn’t cooperate. Our trail team put their typical ton of miles on the Terraventure 4, yet they were unable to find any signs of wear and tear on either the upper or the ZipFoam midsole. We probably don’t need to mention the durability of the Vibram MegaGrip outsole — it’s Vibram, for Pete’s sake.
HONORABLE MENTION
Salomon Thundercross
$140
The Thundercross might not have the same name recognition as some of Salomon’s giants (it’s a new shoe, after all), but that’s probably going to change. It’s comfortable, yet aggressive, and has the claws to tackle tough trails. Salomon’s 5 mm Contagrip lugs are deep and durable, and they complement the bouncy Energy Foam midsole nicely. Perhaps the best part of the Thundercross equation is that it packs just 31 mm of foam in the heel with a 4 mm drop — no max cushion crusher here.
From fearsome to featherlight, it’s time to talk about the best trail running shoes that barely tipped the scales. After all, the last thing some people want is a hefty trail shoe when they’re going for an FKT. With that in mind, we landed on the Hoka Zinal 2 as our best lightweight trail running shoe of the year. Brands don’t always rebuild a shoe from the ground up for version two, but in Hoka’s case, it seems to have worked out.
Don’t get us wrong — lightweight shoes aren’t usually your best bet if you’re heading into rocky, rooty terrain. There’s not much of a toe guard on the Zinal 2, which means you probably should avoid kicking rocks given the chance. That said, the new sock-like upper is a nice change when it comes to keeping dirt and debris away from your foot. Hoka’s knit material is much softer than some other sock-like uppers we tried over the past year, too, which is always welcome.
Somewhat surprisingly, Hoka actually stepped back from its ProFly midsole on the Zinal 2 in favor of classic EVA. I know, it sounds like that would make for a rather boring shoe, but Hoka’s formulation of EVA is one of the best. It’s soft yet durable, and the 30 mm stack lends a nimble feeling as you roll along.
HONORABLE MENTION
Craft Pure Trail
$170
Craft left a pretty big impact on our team this year with the Pure Trail — you’ll see it again later on the list — but it doesn’t leave much impact on the scales. It has a full slab of supercritical Cr Foam underfoot with a lightweight, almost transparent upper to save a little extra weight. Craft’s padding sits in all the right places, while there’s just enough of a toe bumper to offer some peace of mind.
It’s true — max cushion shoes sound like a recipe for disaster on the trails. After all, you don’t always know what terrain you’re heading into, and the last thing you want is to roll an ankle. Thankfully, our trail team tends to agree, so we opted for a slightly lower-stack max cushion shoe, the Salomon Glide Max TR, with 36 mm of foam in the heel. As you might have guessed, the TR means that this is actually a trail-ready version of the original Glide Max, which was a road shoe.
We declared the Energy Surge midsole to be the Goldilocks of this fairy tale, offering just the right durometer and just enough of a rocker to keep us floating comfortably along the trails. Salomon also paired its beefy trail runner with 3.5 mm Contagrip lugs across the outsole, which offer a nice, aggressive alternative to the smaller lugs of the Nike Pegasus Trail 4. All of this tech makes the Salomon Glide Max TR sound like it would be a heavy shoe, but it comes in just below 10 oz. for a US M9 — lighter than some classics like the Speedgoat 5 and Brooks Caldera 6.
HONORABLE MENTION
Speedland GS:PGH
$275 (Plus $35 for the Carbitex plate)
Our review of the original Speedland GS:TAM came out at the very start of 2023, but it felt more appropriate to pick the GS:PGH. Sure, they’re functionally identical, with just a new colorway to set them apart, but who’s counting? The only difference is a slightly updated tooling to meet the needs of ultrarunner Cam Hanes, as well as his personal branding on the lateral heel. You still get key comfort features like the drop-in Pebax midsole, removable Carbitex plate, and easily adjustable BOA closure.
It takes a special effort to claim the title of best race day trail shoe twice in a row, but that’s the Hoka Tecton X for you. More specifically, the Tecton X 2. Hoka’s second carbon-plated trail racer doesn’t fall too far from the tree in terms of design, it’s just a bit more refined and ready for action.
The main changes from version one to version two lie in the upper, with the Tecton X 2 picking up a new Matryx upper that’s designed to maximize weight savings. It’s a bit more comfortable than the original Tecton X upper, too, offering a little more stretch through the toebox and a more traditional lacing setup (it doesn’t come as far down the foot). The lacing was one of very few issues we had with the original Tecton X, so it’s a welcome tweak, to be sure.
Underfoot, the Tecton X 2 still has the same wild magic we loved from the original. It takes a little while to get used to the parallel carbon fiber plates, but once you do, they’ll keep you smiling through the trails. Just be careful how you land — the plates sometimes want to launch you off to one side or the other. They’re still sandwiched inside Hoka’s ProFlyX midsole, which has plenty of pop and bounce, while the Vibram Megagrip outsole uses the same lugs as the original, which are at home on either trails or roads.
Honorable Mention
Topo Athletic MTN Racer 3
$180
That’s right, it’s back. The Topo Athletic MTN Racer 3 might keep showing up as a bridesmaid rather than a bride, but there’s no denying that it’s a winner, especially on technical terrain. Its combination of relatively low-stack ZipFoam and aggressive lugs makes it a great trail racer that keeps the weight in check.
It seemed like it was a century between the time we first saw this shoe and the day it came out (in reality, it was a year), and we probably had way too much time to let our expectations run. A ZoomX midsole, carbon plate, and Vibram outsole? That’s a marriage of our three favorite things in running. Of course, realities are usually a bit more grounded than fantasies, and so it was with the Ultrafly.
The midsole proved to be as incredible as we expected, in certain conditions. Meaning, this shoe feels incredible on roads or West Coast trails. Almost like it was made for Western States, where it secured a second-place finish on the feet of Tyler Green this past year. Nike did an incredible job of corralling the instability of ZoomX within the cordura wrap, but on technical terrain it still gets a bit squirrelly.
In a very unlike-Nike turn of events, the upper is quite roomy, to the extent that it was hard to get a good lockdown on uneven terrain. And while the Vibram outsole is the best outsole to date, it could use a little more traction and stickiness underfoot. But then again, that’s why this isn’t the best technical shoe, it’s the best road to trail shoe. It’s a solid first effort in bringing ZoomX to trails, and we have every reason to believe that the next version will take it to the next level.
Also, it may be the most beautiful trail shoe we’ve seen in ages, even if it’s impossible to clean.
HONORABLE MENTION
Craft Nordlite Ultra
$159
There may be nobody who does road to trail as well as Craft. That’s probably because a few of their shoes are hybrid/gravel models, meaning that’s exactly what they’re designed for. The supercritical midsole in the Nordlite Ultra is soft and lightweight, but not unstable, providing a great ride on both road and trail. The lugged outsole is fairly minimal, but offers enough grip and traction for handling light trails with no problem. It’s just a really solid and versatile shoe that can work for the majority of your running on both road and trail.
Let’s face it, this sport that we love to call cheap and affordable really isn’t. Once you buy trail running shoes, you’ll get stuck on a slippery slope of apparel, accessories, and exotic races. Don’t blame us, we don’t make the rules. With that in mind, it’s important to show some love to the shoes that don’t bust our budget and therefore allow us to do more races and buy more gear. The Merrell Agility Peak 5 is one of those shoes.
Granted, at $140, it’s not quite as affordable as some of our road-based value picks, but it’s all about what you get for your money. The Agility Peak 5 is reasonably lightweight, with a middle-of-the-road stack underfoot and great grip on the trails. It has a great set of Vibram MegaGrip lugs across the entire outsole, with unique butterfly shapes that chew into the trails on all four sides. The Agility Peak 5 also incorporates 360-degree overlays, meaning that you can trek through thorns and stomp on roots without a care in the world.
We’re also big fans of the FloatPro midsole foam, which lands just on the softer side of medium. It’s kind of our happy place when it comes to trail-based midsoles, as it’s soft enough for comfort yet tough enough to put up with the wear and tear.
HONORABLE MENTION
Nike Wildhorse 8
$130
This ain’t your grandma’s Nike trail shoe. The Swoosh has finally begun to take life on the trails seriously, revamping the Wildhorse with a more traditional design and a slimmed-down profile. It now has a slab of React foam underfoot with an all-new midsole that actually grips uneven terrain. Mix in the fact that the Wildhorse might be the most affordable of our trail running picks at $130, and it’s an easy winner.
The obvious pick for the most surprising trail shoe of 2023 is a brand we’d never heard of — Tarkine. Their Trail Devil arrived as something of a mystery to our team, but we’re big fans of the unknown. After all, Tarkine burst out of the gate, picking up wins at backyard-style ultras to put the Trail Devil on the scene.
Perhaps the most surprising part of the Tarkine Trail Devil is the fact that its upper changes colors. Our crew was sent the black/green colorway, which actually morphs into a dark maroon in the sunlight. When it changes colors, the Trail Devil also has some hidden easter eggs to offer up in the mesh. Mentioning the upper, it’s a perfectly comfortable material that’s snug on the foot but not restricting. The lightweight upper also keeps the Trail Devil nimble at just under 10 oz.
Laying the base for the Trail Devil, Tarkine has its own proprietary Zenfoam that our team thoroughly enjoyed. It’s a comfortable, medium-density foam that we immediately put to the test in a 100-miler. Tarkine also has its own outsole rubber, which it calls Claw. We’ll admit that it’s not quite up to Vibram’s Megagrip with its 3.5 mm lugs, but it’s certainly a good start.
Honorable Mention
Craft Pure Trail
$170
As promised, we have another repeat. However, the Craft Pure Trail is more of a surprise because it feels like Craft is turning a corner. The Pure Trail is a step in the right direction for the brand, making improvements to the midsole formulation and the comfort of the upper. Craft’s trail running shoes have always looked good, and now they have the performance to match.
Best Trail Running Pack
Outdoor Vitals Skyline 30 Fastpack
$198
If you’re headed out for an all-day hike or trail run, you’re gonna want a pack or vest to carry your gear. You’ll need some nutrition (or snacks), maybe a jacket, and a set of poles — and there’s no way you’ll have enough pockets for all of that. That’s why we like Outdoor Vitals’ Skyline 30 Fastpack. It has just enough space for the essentials while staying light enough for running.
Best Winter Trail Running Shoe
Norda 001 G+ Spike
$355
Are you really surprised that Norda claims the spot for the most expensive product on our list? The 001 G+ Spike is almost identical to the original 001, but it has an outsole dotted with carbide spikes to punch through layers of ice while you trek through the frozen wastes. Norda’s winter warrior also has a Dyneema-infused upper and rugged Vibram outsole, so there’s no shortage of premium tech underfoot.
Best Trail Running Jacket
Ultimate Direction AeroLight Jacket
$169
If we could reliably predict the weather each time we stepped out for a run, we’d find a way to monetize our ability. We’d happily tell you exactly what layers to wear for a long day on the trails if only we could. Instead, it’s much easier to recommend that you pick up a reliable wind-resistant jacket that easily packs away when it’s not needed. Ultimate Direction’s AeroLight Jacket is a perfect mix of weight and wind protection, and we can’t be mad at the light pink colorway.
Best Trail Running Shorts
Patagonia Strider Pro
$79-85
Patagonia’s Strider Pro shorts offer just about everything you’d want for life on the trails. They’re ultralight and fast-drying, which means you can rock ’em from spring through fall, whether wet or dry. Patagonia’s shorts also have four envelope pockets for ample storage and a built-in liner for comfort, whether you go for the 3.5-inch, 5-inch, or 7-inch inseam. The final detail in the Strider Pro’s design is a reflective logo for extra visibility when the light gets low.
