New Balance - Fresh Foam X Hierro V7

[The best Trail Shoe](https://amzn.to/4hZsDcz) .. in my humble opinion .. great toe box, great water resistance, super comfy, and wildly durable

[NB HIERRO - Best Shoe](https://amzn.to/4hZsDcz) .. in my humble opinion .. great toe box, great water resistance, super comfy, and wildly durable

I usually use any hiking shoe. Currently rocking a pair of New Balance fresh foam X Hierro v7. Way more comfortable than my last pair of Adidas. So I'll probably go back to them once these are worn out. I've also used Solomon's and Oboz in the past. Sometimes you can get the NB on big discounts on eBay or other places and that makes them the best of the bunch imo. After that Solomon.

New Balance Hierro V6 or V7. You don’t need clunky hiking boots.

My Hierro v7 were pretty great (V8 has ruined them). Now onto nnormal tomir which for me is excellent.

V7 were peak for the hierro. So sad :(

I swear by the: New Balance Men's Fresh Foam X Hierro V7 Specifically the gortex ones.

Fellow Pennsylvanian here... and this struggle is real! I'm somewhat in the same boat as you as I've been trying to find shoes that are protective against the rocks and roots of our region while also being durable enough to get your money's worth out of the shoes. Here's my progression of footwear over the past 5-7 years or so along with some insights you can take as suggestions. None of these options are zero drop though except the Merrell trail gloves. Adidas Terrex - Pros: good coushion, plenty of padding and protection against rocks. Cons: not wide enough for my feet and they changed the cut of the heel stabilizer to be too high. Merrell Trail Glove - Pros: out of box comfort and very light. Cons: not at all good on rocks. Asics Gel Venture - Pros: out of box comfort and good tread. Cons: not durable, not wide enought, bad quality control. Merrell Moab Speed 1 - Pros: great durability of shoe body, available in wide sizes, and sufficient protection against rocks. Cons: tread is not durable. However, this is probably my favorite trail runner and I wish it was still in production. Its a 500 mile shoe with 300 mile tread. Brooks Cascadia 13 and 15 - Pros: quality tread and good rock protection. Cons - not as wide as I'd like in their 2E size and the heel lock fabric deteriorated quickly causing blisters on my heel. New Balance Hierro V7 - Pros: good coushion and heel support. Cons - that damn flappy thing on the heel, lack of padding in the tongue, durability. Brooks Cascadia 16 - Pros: great rock plate, awesome tread, and wider toebox in 2E size. Cons - shit quality. Regardless, I went through 3 pairs and just dropped the 3rd in the trash after hiking up Old Rag in Shennandoah a week ago. 500 mile tread on a 250 mile shoe body that is not worth the cost. Merrell Moab Speed 2 - Pros - lightweight and PA approved rock plate. Cons - durability and the redesign in general. Wore these on a 260 mile section hike and they messed up my feet and gave me blisters on top of my toes. Was fully refunded though. Merrell Nova 4 - arrives in the mail today in advance of a 120 mile AT section in central Va in a couple of weeks. Might move onto Topo Terraventures or Ultraventures next.

Shoes are very individual so you just have to check around and see what works for your particular foot shape. For example I can’t do Hokas, Topos were too narrow in the toe box, and brooks Cascadias were just too narrow period for me. Ended up going Lone Peak -> Olympus -> New Balance Heiros. Currently trying the North Face Alta Mesa 300s which seem promising as well.

After hitting durability issues with Lone Peaks / Olympus I’ve had a bit better luck with the New Balance Heiros though I still wish they lasted longer. Currently testing the North Face Alta Mesa 300s because of a recommendation the foam takes longer to collapse. For context I’m a thru hiker with really wide feet

Really comfortable but at least in the size 14s I wear the sides blow out. Same issue with the Olympus. I've switched to New Balance Heiros which are a similar shape but at least they hold together until the bottoms are too thin to protect my feet. https://preview.redd.it/5cuixhpub69f1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=68150112f77175278b621fe7116f1721c057e8ea

New Balace Hierro V7 and V8 (I think) come in wide fit, I’ve had a few pairs and they’re great. ON running also do trail shoes and generally have a wide toe box. i have wide feet and really rate their road shoes

**Absolutely!** I’ve got wide/voluminous feet too and know the struggle. A few trail shoes that have worked really well for me (or others in the same boat): * **Altra Lone Peak** – Foot-shaped toe box, zero drop, super roomy. Great for comfort and natural splay. * **Topo Athletic Ultraventure or Terraventure** – Similar to Altra with a wide fit, but with a slight drop and more structure. * **HOKA Speedgoat (Wide version)** – Surprisingly comfy once broken in. The wide version gives more volume than you’d expect from HOKA. * **New Balance Hierro v7 (2E width)** – Cushioned, roomy, and solid grip for trails. * **Brooks Cascadia (Wide)** – Good all-rounder with trail stability and comes in wide sizes. Make sure to try them on if you can—volume fit can vary a lot even among “wide” shoes. Good luck out there! 👟🌲

I have a few different trail shoes that work in the mud: - Salomon speedcross (I think the 4): best I’ve tried but horrible on the road - new balance summit unknow v4: surprisingly good on mud, drain water well and can run ok on road. Sizing is a bit weird but if you can get the right fit I think they are a really good compromise for lots of terrains. Not super cushioned though Others: Nb hierro v7, asics trabucco max 2, North Face Enduris 4 (love these shoes by the way for everything other than deep mud) are ok on light mud but when it get really deep and thick don’t have the right lugs. All that being said, there is muddy trail and muddy trail - what are you really dealing with ?