Top 3 Trail Running Shoes of the Year

Introduction

After a full year of testing trail shoes from a long list of brands, some genuinely great and some less so, three pairs earned a place on the podium for 2021. The picks balance grip, comfort, and that all-important feeling of being connected to the trail, and each one stands out for a different reason: a surprise performer that rebuilt confidence after injury, a famously consistent all-rounder, and a deeply cushioned rocker that makes long miles feel effortless.

3. Scott Supertrak RC2

The Scott Supertrak RC2 is the shoe that nobody expected to make this list, including us. Scott’s past trail shoes have often felt clunky and uninspiring, but this one was a pleasant surprise. Weighing around 270 grams, it feels light and responsive, and the Aero-foam plus midsole strikes a good balance between cushioning and trail connection. It is not a deeply cushioned shoe built for long stretches of tarmac, but it absorbs enough road and compact trail to handle the mixed running most of us actually do.

The upper fits well and locks the midfoot in nicely. The thin gusseted tongue could be a concern, but Scott added small zones of padding where the laces pull across, so it stayed comfortable on top of the foot. A five-millimeter offset sits right in the sweet spot for many trail runners, and a rubberized toe bumper adds welcome protection from trail debris.

The standout feature is the Radical Traction outsole. The rubber is genuinely sticky on rock, wet or dry, and the unique 360-degree sphere lug pattern delivers strong traction on loose rock and in deep mud, which is rare for a single outsole to achieve. This was also the shoe used for most of the mileage during recovery from a significant ankle sprain, and it never once raised doubts about grip. If there is a complaint, it is the looks: this is substance over style.

2. Saucony Peregrine 11

The Saucony Peregrine 11 is the shoe many were expecting to see here, and for good reason. Its predecessor, the Peregrine 10, racked up hundreds of miles on tough, challenging trails, and the 11 wisely changed very little. It remains an exceptionally consistent performer across the seasons, which is exactly why it earns second place. Ironically, it is also the shoe in which the ankle sprain happened, though that was a careless misstep on a curb, not a fault of the shoe.

The Power Run midsole with Power Run Plus foam under the insole delivers plushness close to the foot while keeping you dialed in and connected to the ground. The forefoot rock plate is one of the best protection systems seen in a trail shoe: flexible, non-intrusive, and only noticeable when it saves your foot from something sharp. It takes two or three runs to bed in, after which you forget it is there.

The upper still fits well, though the extra padding Saucony added around the ankle collar, heel cup, and tongue slightly loosened the lockdown compared to the Peregrine 10. As with the Supertrak RC2, the outsole is the real hero. The aggressive five-millimeter lugs are clad in super-sticky PwrTrac rubber, delivering grip and durability in equal measure. It has never doubted itself on wet bog, mud, wet grass, loose rock, or rock in any condition. The Peregrine has always been tagged a run-anywhere shoe, and the 11 lives up to it.

1. Salomon Ultra Glide

Taking top spot is the Salomon Ultra Glide, a deeply cushioned, rockered trail shoe that fixes what had been missing from the Salomon lineup. Salomon’s trail shoes had been getting firmer and firmer just as the rest of the industry went softer, so the Ultra Glide’s deeper, softer Surge midsole compound felt like exactly what the brand needed. It slots into the familiar, excellent-fitting Sensifit upper, and from the first step it makes you want to run fast on technical trails.

Salomon has struck the right cushioning balance: soft enough to soak up long miles, including hard-packed trail and tarmac sections, but not so soft that ground feel disappears, which can be a problem in heavily cushioned trail shoes. The reverse camber geometry feels efficient, and the shoe stays light, nimble, and responsive on technical ground.

The four-millimeter lugs are not the deepest, and grip was faultless on every run tested, though in genuinely wintry, boggy, technical conditions it would be worth swapping to something more aggressive like the Peregrine 11. The one real disappointment is the poorly designed tongue pocket for stowing the quicklace; it is a genuine faff to tuck the laces away, and plenty of other runners have raised the same complaint, so expect it to be addressed in future updates.

Shoes That Almost Made the List

Two shoes just missed the cut. The Inov-8 Trailfly Ultra G 300 Max performed really well on every run, especially longer efforts, handling a 45-mile traverse challenge with ease. The wish list is simple: shave 30 or 40 grams off the weight and it might have taken third place outright.

The Saucony Endorphin Trail also grew on us after a rocky first impression. It is again on the heavier side, but for longer, slower mileage-building runs it is genuinely comfortable, and for a deeply cushioned trail shoe it feels surprisingly connected and stable underfoot.

Buying Advice

If grip and confidence are your priority, the Supertrak RC2 and Peregrine 11 both deliver outstanding, trustworthy traction. If you want one shoe that does everything well across seasons, the Peregrine 11 remains the safest bet. If long, cushioned miles on mixed terrain are your goal, the Ultra Glide is the most exciting shoe of the year and a clear number one. Keep an eye on upcoming releases too, since the next generation of trail shoes from Salomon and others looks set to make the coming year a strong one for the category.

Conclusion

The Salomon Ultra Glide takes top spot, the Saucony Peregrine 11 keeps its reputation for consistency in second, and the Scott Supertrak RC2 earns a well-deserved surprise third. All three are proven performers that make it easy to feel confident on the trail, whatever the conditions throw at you.