Good quality leather boots are definitely worth the investment. They keep your feet comfortable and offer great support over miles and miles of trails.

Leather hiking boots can last for years provided you take good care of them. However, if you don’t know how to clean leather hiking boots, you may find that they become brittle, lose their waterproofness and crack, drastically reducing their lifespan.

Keeping Your Boots in Good Condition

To keep your leather hiking boots in prime condition, take the time to regularly keep them free of dirt and prevent it from building up. Trapped dirt particles can have a highly abrasive effect, rubbing the surface of your boots like sandpaper, drying them out and breaking them down.

Always chose a recommended leather cleaner that is appropriate for your type of leather hiking boots. This is extremely important as other cleaners that aren’t specifically made for leather can cause irreparable damage, severely weakening the leather, removing its flexibility and waterproof capabilities.

Sometimes your boots will need a little more TLC than a quick hosing down. If you find that they’re starting to let in a bit of water, you can reproof them, so they’ll feel as good as new. After all, dry feet are happy feet.  Any scratches will need to be inspected for deeper damage and you can have any tears repaired by your local cobbler.

For worn out, tired-looking leather boots, try conditioning the leather after washing to soften it. This will restore moisture levels which will help the leather to remain flexible and waterproof.

As mud dries, it removes moisture from leather causing it to dry out. If you do a lot of muddy hikes and haven’t always rinsed your boots off, they’re probably going to need a good conditioning.

Cleaning Your Leather Hiking Boots

Below we list out the step by step instructions on how best to clean your leather boots, please note, we don’t recommend you do this every time, this is for a deep clean.

Typically, after an average hike, a good rinse and dry will be enough. A deep clean will only be needed from time to time though, use your best judgement to decide when.

1 – Remove laces and insoles

Before cleaning your boots, it’s essential to remove the laces to ensure you can get any trapped dirt out, an thorough all-over clean and the chance to wash your laces too.

Remove your insoles and wash as recommended if necessary. Even if your insoles don’t need cleaning, you’ll want to remove them anyway as this will speed up the drying process by preventing them from getting wet if left inside. 

2 – Brush off dirt

Take a shoe brush, an old dish brush or, my implement of choice, a toothbrush and remove any loose dirt from your boots before washing. Pay particular attention to any caked-on mud and the soles.

This step will make cleaning your boots much easier and allow the cleaner to take effect. It’s much easier to flick off dried dirt now than when moistening your boots.

This is also an ideal opportunity to inspect the condition of your leather hiking boots close up. Look for any damage, scratches that might worsen, or cracks and folding in the leather. If the leather seems dry and looks like it could be deteriorating, you’ll need to condition it after washing.

This will prolong your boots’ lifespan and keep them in good condition. Note, mud is the main culprit for dried out leather as it sucks moisture out if left on your boots for any length of time.

If possible give your boots a quick clean and rinse after each use, or at the very least, try walking through long damp grass or puddles to remove the worst of the dirt on extended trips.

3 – Moisten

Dampen a clean cloth or sponge and moisten your leather hiking boots. It makes sense to start higher up where they tend to be cleaner and work your way down to the soles. It can be quite difficult to get the surface thoroughly moist, so you might have to spend some time going over them slowly.

This is a good point to check if you’ll need to reproof. If you notice that the moisture is no longer beading or its seeping into the material as you start to dampen your boots, it’s probably time to reproof them after washing.

4 – Apply Cleaning Gel

Clean out your cloth or sponge and apply a leather cleaner like Gear Aid Revivex to your boots. Some come with inbuilt brush heads for convenience, but don’t forget to rinse it through after use.

Rub the cleaner into your boots and make sure that you cover all of the surface. If they are still pretty dirty you may need to use a nylon brush on them and maybe even rinse off and wash again.

5 – Rinse

Rinse off your boots, either with a cloth, sponge or slow running water. Be sure to remove all of the cleaning product. 

6 – Reproof or Condition (Optional)

If you noticed that your boots were in need of reproofing or conditioning, now is the time to do so, while they are clean and damp.

Reproofing

Apply your leather waterproofing solution to your boots following the instructions. Reproofing products vary depending upon the type of leather your boots are made from, so be sure to choose one that is specific to your type of leather hiking boots.

Typically, there are two main types, one for nubuck and suede-type leathers and another for full-grain leather. For maximum efficacy, be sure to apply the product all over your boots.

It helps to work all the way round continuously, for all-around protection. Leave to set for five minutes, or as recommended by the manufacturer, and wipe off any excess.

Reconditioning

Using something like Nikwax conditioner for leather is not required to be done after every use, but it is good to do this from time to time to keep your boots in tip top shape.

Leather conditioner will help to restore tired, dried out leather and prevent it from cracking. However, do not over-condition your leather hiking boots. Only condition them when they appear dry, as too much conditioner will make them soft and thus reduce the level of support they offer you. Note, only full-grain leather requires conditioning.

If you have new hiking boots you’re trying to break in, conditioning can help make them more supple and more comfortable during the first few hikes. Obviously, you aren’t going to need to wash them, so just dampen your boots until thoroughly moist before conditioning.

Apply the conditioner to your damp boots and rub it in with a cloth in small circular movements. Allow a few minutes for maximum absorption before blotting away any excess.

7- Dry

Once your boots have been washed, rinsed, and if necessary, treated, leave them to dry. To protect the leather and ensure that they remain in excellent condition for many years, it’s important to leave them to dry at a normal room temperature, preferably in an area with low humidity.

Do not use any form of direct heat source to speed up the drying process. Doing so can damage the leather and can cause it to crack, age and become brittle.

If you want to speed up the drying process or just get your boots out of the way quicker, place scrunched up newspaper inside them and remove and replace every couple of hours to absorb extra humidity. A fan can also help to decrease drying time.

Once your boots have thoroughly dried, replace the insoles and re-lace. If you’re not rushing to get back out on the trail in them, be sure to store them somewhere that temperatures remain stable. Avoid any hot, damp or unventilated storage places to keep them in their prime for longer. 

Check out the excellent video from REI below to see the whole process in action!

Conclusion

Good leather hiking boots are a worthy investment and with a little care, they can last for many years. It is pretty quick and easy to give your leather hiking boots a good clean over after a day of hard hiking, the only downside is the drying time if you’re looking to use them soon afterwards.

Regular cleaning will prevent dirt building up and damaging your boots, both through abrasion and removal of moisture, causing cracking. Now you know how to clean leather hiking boots and protect them from drying out, time to hit the trail and get them thoroughly dirty 😉

Hikers tend to get good at hiking by hiking, you just get more accustomed to it over time. However, for anyone who’s ever struggled through a hike that was above their capacities or who doesn’t have the opportunity to hike as often as they would like to, strength training for hiking offers you a way to improve your capability away from the trail.

While you may think that you need to go to a gym to start hitting the weights, that isn’t the case. You can do a lot of very effective strength training using your own body weight.

Before continuing, it’s worth stating that for many reading this who are regular gym bunnies, all the stuff discussed will be nothing new to you. However, if you have never done any strength and conditioning training before, please do take the appropriate precautions and discuss it with your health professional if required.

Please also note, that getting a personal trainer or signing up to a course in a gym that teaches you how to exercise properly, is a really good idea. Learning how to do body-weight exercises properly will not only make them more effective, but will also help ensure you don’t injure yourself from bad form.

I know they say ‘no pain no gain’, but keep that in context. Always remember, if you feel real pain, stop! It ain’t worth the risk of injuring yourself long term. OK, so with the health and safety piece out of the way 🙂 lets crack on!

Why Strength Training for Hiking?

There are many reasons you may benefit from strength training as a hiker. For a start, not everyone is lucky enough to live near a state park. Big city dwellers may wish to improve their stamina for hiking while on vacation, but be unable to get to the great outdoors for regular sojourns into the hills. Relying upon hiking alone could leave them sorely out of shape and ill prepared.

Improving overall fitness and in particular cardiovascular endurance, alongside balance will enable you to safely take on more extreme terrain with confidence. Strength training can also improve joint integrity, essential for those difficult descents.

It can also improve confidence, balance and coordination. If you’re out of shape but are planning on a vacation with plenty of walking and hiking involved, strength training can really help you to get out there so you can experience the beauty and peace of nature with confidence.

Whilst, as referenced above, it’s true that there is nothing better than hiking itself, to train you for hiking, as nothing can replace experience, strength training combined with hiking can help you to really make the most of your time out on the trail.

It can help to push your boundaries further and condition you for challenging thru-hikes or for taking on one of the 58 14ers. Strength training will also make you feel great in general, helping you to get in shape and build up your core. You’ll also be much less likely to get injured or take a tumble when out on the trail if you have a good level of core strength.

Cardiovascular Training

In addition to any strength training that you do for hiking, it’s important to also do a moderately intense activity 3-4 times per week for at least 30 minutes. This will help to build up your stamina.

You could go swimming, biking, running, as well as hiking. Variety will help you to stick it out and will engage different muscles. To combine strength training with cardiovascular, make two of your four weekly activities hikes or brisk walks with a lightly weighted backpack. You can add more weight to your pack over time so that you’ll be able to carry your pack with ease out on the trail.

Exercises for Hiking

In this section we look at some exercises which are not only great for general fitness, but will also help with prepping for hiking trips.

Pull-ups

Pull-ups work out your core and abdominal muscles. They improve general strength and will help you to support a heavy backpack.

Make no mistake, these are hard! you may not be able to get one in the first time out. Don’t worry, you can build up using the support of a resistance band to get you there.

Basically you use a pull up bar and using your abs, raise your knees upwards towards your chest until your thighs are parallel with the ground.
It’s a really good idea to get help from a professional trainer if these are new to you.

Push-ups

If you can get to doing a few pull-up reps, you can nicely compliment these with a few push-ups to have a push pull thing going on, which is very effective.

Doing this, you will help you build up excellent strength!

Body-weight Squats

The trusty Squat is a great exercise, well known for it’s help in building core strength and strengthening leg muscles.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. You can place your hands behind your head or out front. This is your starting position. Begin by flexing your knees and hips, sitting back with your hips. Continue down to full depth and then reverse the motion until you return to the starting position. As you squat, keep your alignment good and push your knees out.

Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers are a great all-body workout that will improve your core, back, arms and legs. This will improve your core and leg strength, making pack carrying and ascents easier.

Adopt a push-up position with your hands flat to the ground. Bring your left foot forward until it’s is just off touching your elbow. As you go to place your foot back, at the same time, all in one movement, bring forward your right foot so it nearly touches your right elbow. Repeat and slowly increase your time limit.

Lunges

Lunges are excellent for hikers, as they work out the quads. Strong quads are essential for those tricky descents. Lunges also work out all of your lower body, improve balance and coordination.

For a thorough workout complete 50 yards of lunges, then progress to doing it wearing a weighted pack, or incorporate lunges into your hikes for on-the-go strength training.

Find a gentle downhill slope and stand with your legs slightly apart. Take a large step forward with your right leg and make a 90-degree angle with your knee whilst almost bringing your left knee to the ground. Straighten up and bring your left leg forward to return to your starting position.

Step-ups

Step-ups primarily work out the quads and glutes which will greatly assist your ascents, descents and anywhere where the going is tough. They are also great for balance and coordination.

Using a sturdy box or bench, place your right foot on it. Then using your muscles in your right leg, bring up your left leg so you’re now standing on your box or bench. Step down with your right leg then your left. You can do 8 to 10 reps on one leg and switch, or continue alternating.

Balance Exercises

Balance is extremely important for hiking, so why not slip a few balancing exercises into your routine. These exercises will help improve your ankles and lower legs.

For optimum results, practice them out on the trail if you get out often or else work them into a walk, anywhere where the terrain is soft or uneven will add difficulty and greater efficacy. You might get a few raised eyebrows, but the results will be worth it.

Leg Swings

These are great for warming up and loosening out, as well as helping with balance.

Standing on your left leg, raise your right one a few inches off the ground. Swing your right foot forward then backwards, then to the right side, using your left arm for balance if necessary. Repeat with your right leg. You can experiment doing these side to side as well.

Jump Squats

These are a complimentary exercise for squats. Do these sparingly, definitely not every day! If you have any issues with them at all, stick with basic squats.

It might help to think of doing a slow-motion frog impression. Start with your feet apart in a squatting position, with thighs parallel to the ground. Keep your knees above your toes and chest up. Come up out of the squat and in doing so push up and jump. Land softly, regain your squat position and continue.

Conclusion

Strength training for hiking is an invaluable way to build up your muscles so you can really make the most of your time on the trail. It is simple, easy and free to do, and can also help to greatly improve your coordination and balance, minimizing the risk of injury.

Whether you want to get more out of your hikes or are planning for a thru-hike or long expedition, strength exercises will definitely improve your experience, confidence and ability.

If you have recently purchased a new hydration bladder and are trying it out for the first time, you’ll might find that your new hydration bladder tastes like plastic. Hydration bladders often give water a slight plastic taste during the early days of their use. However, in most cases, provided this is just a faint taste and you’re not hypersensitive, it should pass, especially if you try rinsing it through with one of the solutions listed below.

Why does my Hydration Bladder Taste like Plastic?

Hydration bladders are made from plastic. When they are new, therefore, it is not uncommon for them to smell and taste slightly of plastic. This is especially true when you consider the plastic tubing. Air is trapped within the tube, so the smell of the plastic takes a long time to go given its length and confined nature.

Water of course does not have a very strong taste, if any, and is easily flavored by what it is served in. Also, smell can cause us to taste things differently. So, if you can smell the plastic of a new hydration bladder, you’re much more likely to taste a plastic taste in your water, even after rinsing it out.

In some cases, people taste plastic in their water due to the contact with the plastic mouthpiece. You essentially have a piece of plastic in your mouth so you are going to have a plastic taste. However, this is more disagreeable to some than others.

Note, not everyone has the same perception of taste and what tastes like plastic to one person may be imperceptible to another.

Do all Hydration Bladders Taste like Plastic?

Some hydration bladders taste more like plastic than others, and pretty much all new hydration bladders will have a slight plastic taste to them. Through use and rinsing out, a faint plastic taste or smell will usually fade. Certain brands such as Platypus and Camelbak, to name just two brands, produce some of the less plastic tasting models, and as a general rule of thumb, you tend to get what you pay for, with some cheaper or non-branded bladders smelling and tasting much worse.

However, this isn’t always the case 100% of the time. If you only detect a slight plastic taste, get a second opinion. If your tester can’t taste any plastic, then you may want to stick with it. When you’re out on the trail and really thirsty you may find yourself drinking from your hydration bladder without noticing any plastic taste.

How can I get Rid of the Taste of Plastic?

Here are some of the most popular ways to remove that plastic taste from your hydration bladder. Note in all cases, you should let the solution stand for a minimum of several hours and thoroughly rinse. It’s recommended you let your hydration bladder air dry naturally before using it again or testing it.

If your bladder has a very strong plastic taste, then it’s unlikely that any one of these solutions will work first time around, repeated rounds of cleaning can sometimes help if that is the case.

Don’t forget to also submerse your mouthpiece in your chosen cleaning solution. If you do succeed in removing the plastic taste from your hydration bladder, it will be pointless if you’ve not also done your mouthpiece.

Rinse Thoroughly with Water

If you are rather fussy about tastes and smells, you may be best trying to rinse out your hydration bladder with just plain old water, at least to start with. That way you won’t end up being bothered by another taste or smell from any cleaning solution.

The more you rinse out your hydration bladder, the less like plastic it should taste. However, in the majority of cases this is just not going to be enough unless you’re extremely patient and are willing to spend an awful lot of time rinsing it out again and again.

Mild Soap Solution

Make up a mild soap solution with warm water and your regular dish liquid. Leave it to stand in your hydration bladder for several hours. This may remove the plastic taste although, you may have to repeat several times.

Frequently, the plastic taste will be replaced by that of the soap, so you need to be careful when you plan to actually drink from it. Be sure to rinse thoroughly and try leaving water in overnight to remove any remaining soap taste.

Baking Soda

Baking soda can help to reduce the plastic taste from your hydration bladder. Dissolve two tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda into several liters of warm water. Leave to stand in your bladder overnight and thoroughly rinse the following day. This generally works well, although you can add lemon juice for extra efficacy, although you may be left with a hint of lemon flavor to your pack, see below.

Lemon Juice

Add several cups of lemon juice to water and leave to stand in your hydration bladder overnight. Rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of lemon juice. This is a popular, pretty effective technique, although you may need to repeat it a few times. This also leaves a faint lemon taste, which is a bonus if you like lemon in your water.

Note, this is probably not going to remove very strong plastic tastes, but it will remove and subsequently mask a faint plastic taste. Bare in mind that the acidic nature of the lemon can negatively affect the lifespan of your hydration bladder

Baking Soda and Lemon Juice Combo

Add a couple of tablespoons of baking soda to several liters of water in your hydration bladder. Shake, then add several cups of lemon juice. Be careful as the mixture will foam up, so you will be best doing this in over the kitchen sink. Leave the mixture overnight in your hydration bladder for maximum effect. Rinse thoroughly.

This is quite an effective combination and provided you like the taste of lemon, it can enhance the taste of water from your hydration bladder. You may wish to try repeating this a few times on strong plastic-tasting bladders for maximum effect.

Tomato Ketchup

Believe it or not, although I haven’t personally tried this I should add, tomato skin oil is renowned for its smell-removal properties. Washing your hydration bladder out with a ketchup solution sounds a little crazy, but it’s worth a try. Add ketchup to water and stir until it’s well mixed. Add to your hydration bladder and leave overnight or for at least a few hours. Your bladder will need to be very well rinsed afterwards.

Ketchup often gets rid of the plastic taste, especially when it is only faint to start with. However, it contains sugar which is bad news for your hydration bladder. It’s important to ensure that you rinse and clean it well afterwards, as any residual sugars could lead to an increase in bacterial growth within your hydration bladder. You might be left with a slightly strange taste, but this will soon rinse away.

Overall, be careful with this method, as you could introduce bacteria into the process, and you want to be very careful with that.

Denture Tablets

A personal favorite of mine, for cleaning thermos flasks and hydration bladders, is ti add denture tablets to water at the recommended concentration. Leave overnight for maximum effect.

As denture tablets are designed to thoroughly clean dentures they should have no problem with your hydration bladder. They are great for removing mild odors and tastes, however, be careful in your choice as you may not want minty-fresh tasting water, although I quite like this fresh remnant when I use it to clean my hydration bladder.

Out of all these methods, this is our favorite.

Bleach

Bleach is a dangerous chemical, so please take all necessary precautions when using it. You will only need a very small amount, one tablespoon of bleach for several liters of hot water, depending upon the size of your hydration bladder. Leave the solution to sit in the bladder for a couple of hours before rinsing well.

Bleach will kill off any bacteria in your hydration bladder which can be useful for future cleaning. It can help to remove the plastic taste of your hydration bladder, but in doing so you’re likely to be left with a chlorine smell and taste for a short while afterwards.

If you drink anything other than water from your bladder, this method can help with the prevention of the growth of unwanted bacteria from sugar and so on, left behind if you are drinking a sweet drink from your hydration bladder.

Conclusion

If your hydration bladder tastes like plastic, you’ve got plenty of options to try to take that taste away, just don’t forget to treat your mouthpiece too. For very strong plastic-tasting hydration bladders, it is much more difficult than removing a faint taste. In some cases, this fades over time and you will become used to it.

However, some cheaper, stronger plastic smelling and tasting models may never lose that original plastic taste. If your hydration bladder still tastes of plastic after plenty of cleaning and rinsing, then you may have to try another brand, or simply stick to water bottles if this is something that you aren’t prepared to live with.

Our top bladder recommendation is the Platypus Big Zip LP reservoir, I use it personally and had no plastic taste issues with it from day one, which was great. You can check our best hydration bladder recommendations too, for more possible options.

Choosing the best hiking boots for Yosemite can seem a little complicated. No doubt you’ve planned some hikes, picked out a few must-see landmarks, but maybe the boots you’ve seen seem a bit like overkill? Or perhaps you’re concerned that your boots offer too little, and just aren’t up to the task?

There is of course a wide range of features in hiking boots. In this article we help you find out which hiking boot features you really do need, and why, to help you settle on the right pair of hiking boots, so you can make the most out of your Yosemite trip.

Yosemite Hiking

With over 800 miles of trails, stunning scenery and famous landmarks, Yosemite is the third most visited national park. With approximately four million visitors per year, the park prides itself upon making the great outdoors accessible to a huge variety of people.

However, despite certain amenities and some easy hikes, featuring short paved trails, there are still many reasons you should take a pair of hiking boots with you for your visit.

In late spring and early summer, you may get away with a suitable pair of hiking sandals that are adapted for walking on wet rocks, if you stick to the short well-traveled circuits. You will also see a lot of tourists wearing their running or tennis shoes, and although this may be an option depending on the weather, why risk ruining your footwear, limiting yourself to a handful of popular paved trails and the increased possibility of a slip or going over on an ankle?

If you want to get away from the crowds and have a truly personal experience you’re going to need some sturdy hiking boots. There will be so many more options open to you with the correct footwear, and the stunning views you’ll get from the ascents and going a bit more off the beaten track, will really make your trip extra special.

Here’s what you need to look for to find the best hiking boots for Yosemite.

Comfort

It goes without saying that your hiking boots will have to be a good fit. However, if they have not been sufficiently broken in before your trip to Yosemite, you’re going to risk ruining your enjoyment of the park, a nasty blister can upset anyone’s day on the trail. Break your boots in by wearing them for short periods, building up to day hikes, before your trip.

A complaint people often make when they’re not used to wearing hiking boots, is that they feel too rigid. In general, you should actually be looking for a hiking boot with a relatively rigid midsole, this will help to protect your feet from feeling every stone and tree root on the trail, as you would do with non-specialized footwear.

After several hours hiking your feet will feel much better in hiking boots with an EVA or even a firmer polyurethane midsole. Now, be careful not to go overboard here, for general average hiking your outsole should still be flexible to some degree i.e. you can bend it with a reasonable amount of pressure between your two hands.

You will need extra foot support if you’re planning on taking on some of the more strenuous Yosemite hikes, such as the Half Dome Day Hike. Look for boots with good shanks or plates, or even both. Shanks are thick inserts between the out and midsoles that add extra stiffness, whereas plates are thin and can flex. Plates help to protect the feet from bruising caused by uneven terrain and protruding objects such as roots, stones and rocks. Broadly speaking, shanks are the more common in hiking boots.

Traction

No trip to Yosemite would be complete without visiting Yosemite and Bridalveil Falls. You will need boots with a good outsole to prevent slipping on any wet rocks you may encounter. In spring and early summer, when the waterfalls are at their most powerful, this is especially important. You will also need great grip during the colder months to navigate any icy areas that make traction difficult.

If you’re planning on taking the Yosemite Falls Trail, which is open year-round, you may find yourself struggling in summer with loose decomposed granite on the trail, in spring, there’s the waterfall spray and in winter, the upper part receives little to no sunlight so ice can be a problem, combined with snow.

Look for hiking boots that have effective lug patterns on the outsoles. These will give you much needed grip and help to stop mud from building up. Boots with heel breaks are well worth considering for safer descents, reducing the likelihood of a slide or sprained ankle.

Ankle Support

The support provided by hiking boots complements their comfort and traction. While a full hiking boot is often credited with providing ankle support, preventing sprains, it is also provided by a secure and rigid footbed and an excellent outsole.

On the Yosemite Falls and the Nevada Fall Trails, sprained ankles and knee injuries are a common occurrence, due to the many sandy areas and rocky terrain, combined with significant elevation differences.

Slippery footing calls for good support, so having your ankles supported is important. When your feet have a solid, stable base and are securely strapped in, you will be much less likely to have an injury.

Another benefit to having a full ankle height boot is that it will keep out the majority of stones, twigs, leaves and sand out of your footwear. This will keep your feet much more comfortable and will be much safer than having to stop and balance on a dangerous descent to pick out stones. You’ll also be able to focus much more on your descent without the discomfort of pieces of gravel digging into your toes.

Waterproof Upper

Mud, rain, melting snow and powerful waterfalls, mean that you’ll need to make sure your hiking boots are fully waterproof whatever time of year you visit. Wet feet can ruin even the most spectacular of hikes, so when you’re looking for hiking boots for Yosemite pay attention to waterproofing.

Leather boots are traditional, durable and will flex over time to the shape of your feet. You can clean and reproof them as necessary to keep them in prime condition for happy, dry feet.

Leather does, however, take a long time to wear in, so if your trip is coming up soon, you may want to choose another type, especially if you’re not planning on doing much regular hiking afterwards.

There are also a number of synthetic boots available. Usually made from nylon or polyester based materials, these boots tend to be less durable, but they are lighter weight and wear in much quicker than traditional leather.

Conclusion

So, we have looked at what the main characteristics are that you need to consider when thinking about getting hiking boots for Yosemite. For specific hiking boots recommendations, any of the hiking boots listed here for men and here for women will do the job well.

However, please be sure to keep your requirements in mind. If you are planning on a few a short hikes to the Falls, a full on backpacking boot would be a bit overkill for the job. Similarly, if you are planning on doing a bit of wilderness hiking, a lighter hiking boot or trail shoe, may not be the best option.

If I was pushed to recommend an all round pair of hiking boots for the job, I would probably go with the Lowa Renegade Mid GTX hiking boots, for both men and women. They tick a lot of the boxes you need for most levels of hiking in Yosemite, from Spring through to Fall.

The best hiking boots for Yosemite are, above all, ones that you feel comfortable in and that you have broken in well. Any hiking, not just a quick mooch around the visitor center followed by a short stroll down a paved path, will require waterproof hiking boots with a sturdy outsole and solid midsole to help you to make the most of your time at Yosemite and to get to experience its amazing scenery close up.

We hope you found this article useful, please share it around your networks if you did 🙂