The Best Hiking Boots for Women. The Winner?

Updated: April 2024

Making your way through the stages of necessary footwear for hiking takes time. And can be expensive. What footwear is necessary? Do you need the expensive boots? Are they really worth it?

Stay tuned for my experience with hiking boots for women and how I settled on the Columbia Women’s Facet 75 Mid Outdry Hiking Shoe.

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8 Powerful Benefits of Hiking

Hiking Boots for Women: Stage 1- Sneakers

When I first started hiking, the trails were somewhat flat and short. The standard sneaker did the job just fine. There was not a necessity to upgrade to a pair of shoes specifically for hiking.

I had plenty of sneakers left over from my running days, and so they were repurposed for hiking.

As the hiking progressed to longer and steeper trails, and climbing was added in, I began to see the need for a different type of shoe.

While hiking a trail I had looked forward to for some time, I noticed that on occasion I would graze or kick rocks (especially as I fatigued).

The sneakers also felt thin-soled, allowing me to feel more of the terrain beneath my feet. And so I began my search for “hiking boots for women”.

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“You need special shoes for hiking-and a bit of a special soul as well.”

TERRI GUILLEMETS

Hiking Boots for Women: Stage 2- First Hiking Boots

The amount of options for hiking boots for women is incredible and overwhelming.

I am not a fan of the aesthetic of hiking boots for women. To put it bluntly, I think they are ugly. I couldn’t find a boot that I thought was “cute” online. So I read through reviews, which didn’t help much.

Every boot has people who love them, and people who love another brand.

Based on looks, reviews, and price, I was leaning toward Columbia brand hiking boots for women.

Since I wanted to try the boots on to see how they looked and felt before purchasing, I waited until I was able to get to a store to try them on in person.

Once I finally made it to the store, I tried on a handful of boots before deciding on the Columbia Women’s Newton Ridge Plus Waterproof Amped Hiking Boot.

I’m typically a size 8-8.5 in women’s shoes. Should I size up to allow room for thick socks?? If so, HOW much should I size up?

And then I saw a size 9.5 pair of the exact boots I had decided to purchase sitting on the sale rack at 40% off and decided that is the perfect size.

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.”

JOHN MUIR

I don’t wear that size in any other shoe but would make due for the price since I still wasn’t 100% sure about hiking boots. These would be my test pair.

As it turns out, I LOVE the wear of these hiking boots. Although I don’t like the “bulky” overall aesthetic, these boots are great.

They have amazing ankle stability and sole support, they don’t feel heavy and they’re waterproof. They were one of the lighter pair I picked up while shopping in the store.

Hiking in these boots feels amazing…and I can kick rocks and not notice a thing. These boots have a grip that I hadn’t realized I was missing until I wore them while scaling up some boulders.

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Hiking Boots for Women: Stage 3- Experimenting

I happily wore these boots for a year while hiking various terrains. But I still wanted “cuter” boots.

And I had started noticing a small annoyance with the boots. After hiking on inclines/declines or climbing boulders, the ankles seemed to loosen and allow in small bits of debris.

It wasn’t terrible, but enough that I started to scan through hiking boots again to see if anything cuter had hit the market.

After seeing the prices of hiking boots for women on the market, I thought to myself- do I even need “hiking” boots? Will any boots do? So for my next (shorter) hike or 2, while on a tour of Arkansas State Parks, I experimented with another pair of boots I already owned and loved.

These boots are comfortable for walking, and fit securely, but how will they hold up to climbing and hiking?

As it turns out, hiking boots are called hiking boots for a reason. They can hold up through the terrain.

“I found more answers in the woods than I ever did in the city.”

MARY DAVIS

My UnionBay boots did not fare well, and after just 2 hikes the boots were starting to tear and separating from the sole. And they slid more on rock and wet ground. So, back to the drawing board.

I decided to stick with my current Columbia boots for hiking until I found something I LOVED that is in my price range.

Hiking Boots for Women: Stage 4- Hiking Boot Upgrade

Months later I came across an ad for the Columbia Women’s Facet 75 Mid Outdry Hiking Shoe and I immediately wanted them.

They are the first hiking boots for women that I have ever looked at and thought “Those are really cute!” After a quick price check ($140), I decided I should wait. No impulse purchases here!

Over the next couple of months, I occasionally thought of the hiking boots and then talked myself out of buying them…again.

My current boots were just fine with a minor annoyance or 2. I didn’t REALLY need to spend that much money on a new pair of boots just because they are cuter.

And what if they had the same annoyances as the boots I already have? Ideally, I should find them in a store to try on before I buy them anyway.

@brandi_youre.a.fine.girl

SOOOO excited 😍✌️ #hiking #hike #hikingadventures #hikingshoe #columbia #columbiaboots #arkansas #sunrises2sunsets #newsoul #unboxing #womenwhohike

♬ New Soul (Tik Tok Remix) – Yael Naim

Purchasing the Facet 75 Mid-Outdry

3 months after first seeing the boots, I was in the middle of planning a road trip to Acadia National Park, with a couple of amazing hikes on the itinerary.

An amazing hike requires an amazing hiking boot…right? So I decided to take another look at my dream boots to see if I could justify the purchase.

“Wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit.”

EDWARD ABBEY

To my surprise, they were on SALE!!! The price had lowered to $100. I took this as my sign and immediately purchased them so they would arrive before I left for the road trip in 1 week.

I rolled the dice and decided on a size 9 and crossed my fingers they would arrive as promised (one day before leaving for vacation).

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Arrival of the Facet 75 Mid Outdry

Again, luck was on my side and the boots came in just 3 days later. I was a little nervous about opening the box. I had drooled over these boots for 3 months and the anticipation had mounted.

I opened the box and LOVED how the boots looked.

The next test was the fit. I slipped my feet in, laced up the boots, and… PERFECT! After getting them both on and walking around the house for a couple of hours, I didn’t anticipate any issues with hiking.

Testing the Facet 75 Mid Outdry

I didn’t put the boots on again until I was at the Ocean Path Trailhead in Acadia National Park.

I wanted their first time on dirt to be somewhere cool. This trail was fairly flat and easy, with occasional hiking out on rocks for overlooks.

The hiking boots for women did amazingly well, had good grip, and were incredibly comfortable. No issues!

The next morning was more of a test at the Beehive Loop Trail, which would require much more climbing.

I was thrilled at how well the boots moved with my ankles without loosening the ankle support or causing the laces to loosen.

They have great support and elasticity at the same time. The grip was perfect and never let me slip while climbing some pretty dicey areas. And the comfort: 10/10.

Hiking Boots for Women: Stage 5- LOVE

I can’t imagine encountering more variation in terrain than I did while hiking around Acadia National Park, so I feel these hiking boots for women will hold up well with all of my future hikes.

Overall, I am extremely happy with the money spent on these CUTE hiking boots! I realize there are many many recommended brands out there that I have yet to try, but I’ll be sticking with the Columbia Women’s Facet 75 Mid Outdry for a while!!

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