Best Value Trail Runner, Rugged, Beastly

As the name implies, Brooks Cascadia 16 has long been a player when considering which trail runners to hike in. And yet it is also a great buy! At $130, the 16 is the least expensive trail running shoes for hiking on our list. Plus, it’s the lightest weight pair of Cascadias to-date.

• Price: $130
• M’s Weight: 10.5 oz | W’s Weight: 8.9 oz
• Heel-Forefoot-Drop: M’s 20-12-8 | W’s 20-12-8
• Lugs: 5 mm | Rockplate: Yes
• Width: Slightly narrow | Overall Fit: True
• Wide Sizes Available: Yes
• On Trail/Off trail? Both
• Pros: Favorable price. Great traction. Rockplate. Durable. Rugged.
• Cons: Light on cushion. Stiff. Requires break in.

Features

Architecturally, this is a burly shoe. It has great traction with 5mm lugs that work on everything, a rock shield, and thick, stiff midsoles that help compensate for the minimal cushioning. To conjure an equivalent, we think it is fairly similar to the Altra Lone Peak style of shoe, only with an 8mm drop and less wide of a toe box.

This is a great pair of hiking shoes to try next if you like Lone Peak, but disliked zero drop or found it to be too wide.

Adding to the beastliness is its TPU coated mesh siding and the protective toe box. This adds durability and prevents snags, scrapes, and scratches, but reduces breathability and comfort. Cascadia is actually more like a lite-duty hiking shoe than a trail runner in that way.

Despite the protective midsole, we ding Cascadia for under-utilizing cushion. The heel stack is only at 20 mm to the forefoot’ 12 mm. That gives it a fairly typical 8mm drop, though users report it feels like less drop than it reads.

While that might matter more for stability, security, and ground feel when running, for the purposes of hiking, that’s just a bit minimal given contemporary cushion preferences for trail running shoes.

Verdict

In totality, this is a rugged pair of hiking shoes, and a very durable model with great traction, stability, and a true legacy on the trail runner scene.

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Read about more great trail runners for hiking in our guide to the best hiking shoes of the year.