There's an 80% Chance You're Wearing the Wrong Shoes for Hiking

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(Image credit: @outdoorvoices)

If you’re at all an outdoor person—and this may be especially true if you live in a place like L.A.)—you’ve gone on your fair share of hikes. But there's a big difference between going for a casual walk through your local park and climbing over boulders to reach a mountain’s crest boils—not all hikes are made equally, and the same is true of the shoes you pick out for such an activity.

The common idea for hiking is that sneakers work best, and seeing as we wear sneakers for all other forms of exercise, why wouldn’t they be ideal for hiking as well? Actually, according to Stacy Taniguchi, Ph.D., a professor of recreation management at Brigham Young University, wearing sneakers on a hike may be putting you in unnecessary danger. Extreme conditions like dry, dusty trails, or muddy grounds make it that much more likely that you’ll slip and fall, especially along inclines. The fact is sneakers just provide enough traction.

The best shoes you really should be wearing on a hike? Heavy-duty, high-top hiking boots. Some details to look out for when purchasing the correct shoes are thick soles, heavy treads, ample support, and waterproof material, depending on which type of terrain you’ll be exploring.

Go on to shop the hiking boots that are tough enough for any terrain, and keep reading to shop our selection of luxury "hiking-inspired" bootsbecause we know you're a fashion girl at heart.

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Editor

Anna is an editor on the fashion team at Who What Wear and has been at the company for over five years, having begun her career in the Los Angeles office before relocating to New York, where she's currently based. Having always been passionate about pursuing a career in fashion, she built up her experience interning at the likes of Michael Kors, A.L.C., and College Fashionista before joining the team as a post-graduate assistant editor. Anna has penned a number of interviews with Who What Wear's cover stars over the years, including A-listers Megan Fox, Issa Rae, and Emma Chamberlain. She's earned a reputation for scouting new and emerging brands from across the globe and championing them to our audience of millions. While fashion is her main wheelhouse, Anna led the launch of WWW Travels last year, a new lifestyle vertical that highlights all things travel through a fashion-person lens. She is passionate about shopping vintage, whether it be at a favorite local outpost or an on-the-road discovery, and has amassed a wardrobe full of unique finds. When she's not writing, you can find her shooting street imagery on her film camera, attempting to learn a fourth or fifth language, or planning her next trip across the globe.