7 Best Waterproof Hiking Shoes for Women 2026

A roomy toe box is the reason to start here. The Newton Ridge Plus runs wide through the forefoot, comes in wide sizes as well, and has enough volume to take thick wool socks without the heel lifting — the exact combination that’s hard to find in women’s hiking boots. That’s why it’s our pick for wide feet, and it’s the boot we hand to anyone who has spent years lacing a supposedly wide pair tight enough to stay on.

The rest of the boot holds up its end. Ankle support is strong without the boot feeling like a cast, the waterproof upper shrugs off rain and wet grass, and the tread is sure on dirt, gravel and packed wet trail. It’s also the best-looking boot in this guide by a comfortable margin, which matters more than we expected — these are the ones that stay on for the drive home and the walk into town for dinner.

We compared it directly against the Merrell, and the split is simple. The Moab has the edge in pure underfoot comfort; the Columbia answers with a shape that suits wide, high-volume feet and a lower, less crowded fit around the ankle joint. Order your usual size — the wide version is genuinely wide rather than a token half-width.

The NORTIV 8 Trekking costs a little over half what the Merrell does, and it is not half the boot. It’s an ankle-height waterproof hiker that feels broken in from the first wearing — soft underfoot, warm in cold weather, and dry in puddles and shallow stream crossings. For a boot at this price, the absence of a painful break-in period is the most surprising thing about it.

That’s the case for it as our budget pick. For occasional weekend hikes, a first pair, or a boot that lives by the door for dog walks, yard work and muddy errands, it does the job and leaves money for rain pants. The compromises show up in the details rather than the fundamentals: sizing is less consistent from pair to pair than the Merrell’s, so buy from somewhere with painless returns, and the laces work loose on long descents in a way that gets old.

Traction sits mid-pack against the rest of these. It’s fine on dirt, gravel and dry rock, and less sure on wet rock and slick roots — a limitation that never reaches you on dry weekend trails and does reach you on a wet, rocky scramble. Know which hiker you are and this boot is easy to justify.

Not everyone wants a boot. If you hike fast, cover less rugged ground, or want one pair that works on the trail and on the ferry afterwards, the Peakfreak II Outdry is the low-cut we reach for. Columbia builds it with an Outdry waterproof shell, and it’s light enough that you notice it on a long climb — the kind of weight saving you feel at hour four rather than hour one.

The tread is the aggressive part of the design, and it shows on wet roots, slick boardwalk and muddy trail centres, where a softer-soled shoe starts sliding around. The shell keeps water out when you’re splashing through puddles and wet grass, and the toe box leaves room without letting the foot slide forward on descents. For a shoe this light, it feels planted.

What you give up is coverage. There’s no collar to brace your ankle, and rough, rocky ground will find your foot in a way the Moab won’t allow. For maintained trails and fast day hikes that’s a fair swap, and the price — higher than most of the boots here — is the other thing to weigh. We’d still take it over a heavier boot for a summer of short, quick outings.

Cold-weather hiking is where this one earns its place. The ANJOUFEMME boot is the warmest pick in this guide: it holds heat on frosty morning walks, keeps feet dry in shallow snow and puddles, and does it for around half the money of the top pick. If your hiking season runs through November rather than ending in September, that changes the calculation.

Comfort is the other pleasant surprise. It’s roomy enough for two pairs of socks, the ankle padding is soft from day one, and the boot wears more like a winter walking shoe than a trail boot — which makes it the pair that also handles errands, the school run and standing around in the cold. Water resistance is solid for wet grass, slush and shallow puddles.

Where we hesitate is underfoot. Sole separation from the upper is the known weak point, and it’s why this stays in also-consider rather than climbing higher. For easy to moderate trails, cold-weather walking and light work, it’s warm, cheap and comfortable. For rocky, technical ground and years of hard use, spend more and get the Merrell.

Waterproof is the word to be careful with here. The CC-Los is comfortable, light and surprisingly grippy for the money, but its water resistance is the shakiest in this guide: damp grass and a passing shower are handled, and a long walk in steady rain can soak through. That’s the one thing to know before you order.

Everything else is easy to like. It goes on and off without a fight, the cushioning is soft enough for hours of pavement and gravel, and the tread bites better than the price suggests — a genuinely useful pair for travel, park loops and errands. Buy it as a cheap walking and light-trail shoe that happens to be sold as a waterproof hiker, not as the shoe you trust on a wet mountain day.

The Targhee 3 Low is the most supportive low-cut shoe in this guide, and the most expensive thing in it. If your feet ache on rough ground, or you want a shoe that holds your arch through hours of rock and root, this is the one built for that job — the firm leather upper wraps the midfoot in a way the softer shoes here simply don’t.

The support is real. The upper is firm and stable on side-slopes, the arch support is the strongest among the low-cuts here, and the tread handles irregular, rocky trail well. Waterproofing is solid too: wet grass, mud and shallow water stay out, and the shoe cleans up easily afterwards.

Comfort is the coin flip. The fit runs wide, which is a gift for broad feet and a nuisance for narrow ones, and the firm upper takes time to soften. If you have low-volume feet, this is not your shoe, and no amount of breaking in will make it one.

Durability is the bigger question. The failures come at the front — the toe reinforcement separating and the sole cracking — and they’re the reason it sits in also-consider rather than higher. Buy it for maximum support on rough ground and a wide, roomy fit, and know that the sole is the part most likely to disappoint. If you want similar support with a better long-term record, the Merrell Moab 3 Mid costs less and holds up better.