Recommended footwear for deserts and canyons

Footwear is consistently the most discussed topic among the clients on our guided trips in southern Utah during the planning phases. It comes up in our online discussion board, during gear list reviews, and on our virtual group calls. Why? I think it’s due to:

1. This region’s unique conditions, and
2. The outsized repercussions of wearing inappropriate footwear on these trips.

This post should be helpful for any reader who is planning a backpacking trip in a desert, including but not limited to southern Utah and northern Arizona. For years I’ve been wanting to write it; going forward, I’ll keep it updated as existing models change and as new models are introduced.

TLTR

My list of recommended footwear is very intentional. But if you don’t care to read my reasonings, start shopping based on this list:

The La Sportiva Mutant (men’s, women’s) is my overall pick for backpacking and light canyoneering, and my personal favorite. Katie Gerber, the co-director of my guiding program, prefers the Astral Loop (women’s only) for the same applications.

For more technical trips, consider the more robust La Sportiva TX3 (men’s, women’s) or TX4 (men’s, women’s).

The Altra Lone Peak (generations 4-8; not 1-3) and Salomon Speedcross (men’s, women’s) are okay for backpacking trips with light technical terrain only. If you can still find them, the Topo Ultraventure Pro (men’s) is probably a better choice. Also consider the La Sportiva Wildcat and possibly the Ultra Raptor (which is closely related but about which I don’t have a recent first-hand report).

La Sportiva is the most prominently featured brand on this page, because they make excellent outdoor footwear. I have no affiliation with them.

Expected conditions

Decisions about clothing, footwear, and equipment should account for the conditions that will likely be encountered. In the desert, footwear selection is most driven by these three to five conditions:

• Warm to hot daytime temperatures, low humidity, and abundant sunshine
• Extensive bare rock, like slickrock
• Pokey and scratchy vegetation

Fine-grained blow sand is a hallmark of trips on the Colorado Plateau (e.g. Grand Canyon, Moab, Escalante). Its significance is most acute when off-trail; on established trails, the sand becomes somewhat compacted by the traffic. In deserts with different geological origins (e.g. Anza-Borrego in southern California, which has more metamorphic rocks), sand may not be a concern.

Periodic water crossings and wading is the final consideration, with the frequency and depth depending on the route, time of year, and recent weather events. In Escalante, our groups are in water on most days, ranging from ankle-deep creeks that can almost be hopped across to full-on swims in deep canyons.

Characteristics of good desert shoes

For desert locations it’s critical that shoes are:

1. Breathable. Problems arise when feet are wet and/or hot for extended periods. Versus “waterproof” shoes, breathable models dry out more quickly and trap less heat.

2. Durable. The desert is hard on shoes, particularly the uppers. They come into contact with scratchy sage, prickly cacti, and sandpaper-like sandstone; and they are regularly getting wet and drying out. Durability is model-specific; universal rules about various classes of materials (e.g. meshes, leathers, rubbers, adhesives) do not exist. My best advice is to use models from brands that have a good track record, at least based on online reviews; better yet, stick with brands with which you have a good track record.

Depending on the location and your activity, it could also be critical that your shoes are:

3. Sand-resistant. Sand-filled shoes are uncomfortable; they lead to blisters; and they necessitate regular time-consuming stops in order to dump them out. To determine if shoes are sand-resistant, it’s best to field-test them (or have someone else field-test them). If you can’t do that, start with the tongue. Gusseted tongues, which connect to the upper on both sides, will keep out more sand. Then perform the “flashlight test” on the upper:

• If direct light passes through, keep looking — these models are definitively not sand-resistant.
• If some ambient light passes through, performance will likely be so-so. Double-layer meshes will block direct light, but will still allow sand to filter through them.
• If no light passes through, you have a winner, at least in this regard.

Breathability and sand-resistance are somewhat mutually exclusive. Ideally, find the most breathable shoe that is still sand-resistant. But if you must favor one characteristic over the other, err towards greater sand-resistance for trips in sandy locations.

4. Sticky (rubber). High performance rubber compounds are more capable and confidence-inspiring when hiking, scrambling, or climbing on rock. Good purchase is exceptionally important on slickrock, which has good grip but few features like ledges, pockets, and knobs. All things being equal, stickier rubber will be less durable. Manufacturers like La Sportiva that make hiking shoes and climbing shoes seem to have higher performing rubber compounds; we also like Vibram Megagrip.

5. Stiffness and lateral stability. Hiking across angled slopes (“side-hilling”) and up/down steep terrain places different pressure on footwear. Shoes that fit loosely, that have mushy midsoles, and/or that are high off the ground will perform poorly in these scenarios. Determine a model’s lateral stability by wear-testing it in a store, by twisting it linearly (holding the toe in one hand, the heel in the other), and finding the stack height spec.

Recommended shoes for desert backpacking

I have been guiding trips in southern Utah for almost ten years, and these recommendations are based on my first-hand experience and that of hundreds of clients.

La Sportiva Mutant

I’m placing the Mutants (men’s, women’s) first in this list, even though it’s otherwise alphabetical, because they check all the boxes and are my personal pick for backpacking. Breathable, sand-resistant, durable, sticky, and stable. They fit average-sized feet, but can be tightened down for people like me who would otherwise prefer the Bushido. For pure technical canyoneering trips, other models with more lateral stiffness and more durability could be a better pick, though the Mutants are “good enough” for this application, too, according to our guides.

Altra Lone Peak (4 and up)

If your feet are paddle-like or if your planned route is mostly on high quality Pacific Crest Trail-like trails, the Lone Peak 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 could be an option. Starting with the fourth generation, Altra began using the same upper as in the (very sand-resistant) Salomon Speedcross to remedy their notoriously poor durability (which may not have entirely fixed the problem, per Thomas). They also improved the outsole, to the respectable MaxTrac.

For normal-sized feet and for more challenging terrain, the Lone Peak is a tough sell. The fit will be too sloppy and the midsole is too soft.

Astral Loop

These are Katie’s favorites. She wore them for a Grand Canyon traverse, the Pfiffner Traverse, local 13ers and 14ers, and most other personal and guided trips that she’s done in the past couple of years. 

“I recommend them for their supreme sand-resistance and durability. Because Astral has its roots in PFDs and river footwear, the same features that make great river shoes — grippy on rock, well-draining, and quick drying — also make them great desert shoes. They don’t have quite the stiffness as some of the other models on this list but I’ve never found their lateral stability to be an issue when off-trail. They’re also zero drop and have a wide-ish toe box, so they’re great for people who prefer that type of fit.”

La Sportiva TX3 and TX4

The La Sportiva TX3 (men’s, women’s) and TX4 (men’s, women’s) are closely related and are top contenders for technical canyon travel because of their durability, stability, and sticky rubber. Notice that they feature a protective toe cap and outer rand, and a smear plate. Both models are too much shoe for pure backpacking trips, and their sand-resistance is only so-so. The TX3 is probably a better choice if most of your trips are wet; the TX4, if most of your trips are dry.

The primary difference in these approach shoes is their respective uppers: TX3 uses heavy-duty mesh; the TX4, real leather. The TX3’s mesh drains better, dries faster, and has better longevity with repeated soakings; while the TX4’s leather is more sand-resistant, abrasion-resistant, and foot-conforming. Neither model has a gusseted upper, which is the entry point for sand.

The TX line has expanded with time and popularity, and now includes the TX2, TX2 Evo, TX4 Evo, TX4 R, TX Guide, and TX Canyon. If readers would like to share their experience with these models, leave a comment below.

The TX Guide will fit those who comfortably wear narrower shoes like the La Sportiva Bushido.

La Sportiva Wildcat

The Wildcat has been in La Sportiva’s lineup for more than a decade. Despite its large-holed mesh upper, the Wildcat is very sand-resistant, according to alumnus Randy who wore them for two consecutive years in Escalante. I’m guessing that they have an interior mesh layer that is much more sand-resistant than the exterior one.

I would not recommend the Wildcats if you expect to subject them to extensive abrasion — I’ve seen them get thrashed by one hard week in Alaska’s Brooks Range. But if you’re sticking to sandy trails and open cross-country terrain, they’d be an option.

Scarpa Ribbell Run XT

Eric Volk is the only person I know who has used these. His report:

Personal favorite but might only recommend for someone concerned about foot pain that also wants superbly-safe stiffness for scrambling. A/B tested them on long off-trail hike with Bushido’s at a resupply. Mild foot pain disappeared immediately upon switching. Most comfortable trail runner I’ve worn.

Mesh surprisingly blocked fine sand in the Grand Canyon. The tongue isn’t gusseted yet the excessive inner padding seems to seal against most sands.

Grippy-ness at least on par to Bushidos. The tread, while grippy, is not unique in durability compared to other canyon shoes.

I initially tested by literally kicking cacti and dragging them across limestone throughout the San Juan river. The 360-deg rand is bomb-proof. Invaluable vs. prior hours of removing painful cacti spines when wearing other shoes. Durability perhaps overkill for Escalante.

No apparent drainage but didn’t have drying issues in sun after wading. Remarkable stability despite ‘high’ stack.

Salomon Speedcross

The Speedcross has a very sand-resistant upper and reasonably sticky lugs; and many people like its fit. For backpacking trips without extensive scrambling, it’s a good choice. However, its lug shape and pattern are not optimized for uneven or steep slickrock: it’s missing lugs around its perimeter, and the lugs tend to bend under pressure.

Topo Ultraventure Pro and other Topo models

The Pro has been discontinued, but select sizes were still available on clearance when this post was first published in March 2024. If you like other Topo models, scoop this one up because it’s a good choice for desert backpacking. Breathable, sand-resistant, durable, sticky, sufficiently stiff. It’ was more on par with the Mutant than other models in this list like the Lone Peak and Speedcross. It’s probably most akin to the Wildcat and Ultra Raptor; it is not as capable as the Mutant.

Topo Terraventure 3 and MTN Racer 2

The current iterations of these models will NOT work in the desert, as I explain later. But earlier versions did.

• Carla: “I used the Topo Terraventure 3s with Dirty Girl gators in Utah last year and was completely happy with their performance.  Little to no sand came in through the mesh, performed great in wet/dry conditions, and seemed to dry very quickly.  No complaints on grip or anything like that, found them very comfortable.”
• John: “Terraventure 3’s worked great for me in Escalante.”
• Paul: “In 2021 I used the Topo MTN Racers. Paired with gaiters I got almost no sand in my shoes. Traction was great. Only limitation was they are flexible shoes so you can’t edge with them. They were a bit hot, too.”

NOT recommended for backpacking in the desert

In the process of finding shoes that perform well in the desert, we have found many that don’t. The aspect in which they most often fail is their sand-resistance — most users aren’t concerned about it, so most manufacturers don’t design for it.

Especially for trips in sandy environments, I would advise against the models below.

• Altras besides the Lone Peaks, due to lacking sand-resistance, soft midsoles, and high stack heights. Per Reuben, this includes the Superior 6, which appears to have more promise.
• Brooks Cascadia, which also has a soft midsole and high stack height, and which historically has not been sand-resistant
• Hokas, for identical reasons as the Altras, though I’d want to field-test the most recent Challenger
• La Sportiva Bushido, which is my favorite shoe for any other location but which is not sand-resistant
• La Sportiva Ultra Raptor, which fail the flashlight test
• Salomon XA Pro 3D, the least sand-resistant shoe on this entire page
• Saucony Peregrine, except for the Arroyo color, per Landon
• Any model that fails the flashlight test
• Any model with marshmallow-like midsoles

Topo models NOT recommended

From Brandon, one of our guides:

• The Ultraventure 3 has morphed into a high-cushion, low-technicality shoe that’s best for smooth trails and gravel. Its upper is very porous.
• The Terraventure 4 and MTN Racer 3 perform so-so in the “flashlight test” and worse than earlier iterations like the Terraventure 3 and MTN Racer 2. They may be worth consideration if they are perfect in every other regard and if you can’t find a more sand-resistant option.
• The Pursuit and Traverse have the same mesh upper as in the Terraventrue 4 and MTN Racer 3.

Salewa models NOT recommended

From Eric, a multi-time alumnus who has traversed the Grand Canyon and Brooks Range:

• Salewa Wildfire 2: Mesh isn’t super porous but lets in enough sand to be annoying. Sufficiently stiff for up to light technical canyoneering. Lacing system is not durable – broke small cords multiple times in Escalante. Wouldn’t recommend.
• Salewa Wildfire Edge: Similar durability issues with lacing attachments, to lesser extent. Unsurprisingly slow-drying/draining suede leather. Wouldn’t recommend unless it’s a glass-slipper fit for an odd case.

Scarpa models NOT recommended

More from Eric:

• Scarpa Rapids: Comfortable fit but not stiff enough for harder scrambling. Mesh is deceptively porous. Billed as hybrid approach shoe but imo not appropriate.
• Scarpa Ribelle Runs: Similar to Rapids i.e. poor stiffness. Sufficient mesh. Moderately cheaper alternate to Mutants. 2nd-hand knowledge; haven’t tried personally.

Questions, corrections, updates, or additions?

Leave a comment below, particularly if you:

• Disagree with my assessment
• Have field experience with an updated model
• Think that I missed a shoe worth consideration

Thanks!