Are Trail Running Shoes Good for Walking on Concrete?

Short answer: they'll do the job for the odd walk, but they're not built for it. If most of your miles are on pavements, footpaths and hard ground, a trail shoe will wear out faster and feel less comfortable than a shoe made for the road.

Here's why, and how to know when a trail shoe is fine and when it isn't.

What makes a trail shoe a trail shoe

Trail running shoes are designed for soft, loose and uneven ground. That changes three things compared to a normal walking or road shoe.

The tread. Trail shoes have deep, chunky lugs to bite into mud, grass and gravel. On flat concrete those lugs have nothing to grip. You end up walking on the tips of them, which can feel a bit like walking on studs.

The cushioning. A lot of trail shoes are firmer underfoot, sometimes with a rock plate to protect your feet from sharp stones. That firmness is great on a rocky path. On concrete, where the ground is already hard, you get less give and more impact through your legs.

The build. Trail shoes are usually heavier and stiffer, with tougher uppers to survive rough terrain. On a smooth pavement all of that is weight and stiffness you don't need.

The wear problem

This is the big one. Concrete is abrasive. Those soft rubber lugs that grip so well on a trail get sanded down quickly on hard ground.

Walk on concrete every day in trail shoes and you'll notice the tread flattening within weeks, not months. Once the lugs are gone, the shoe grips worse everywhere, including back on the trail. You've effectively worn out a good pair of trail shoes doing a job a cheaper road shoe would have handled better.

When trail shoes on concrete are absolutely fine

You don't need to panic if you're crossing some pavement to reach a trail. Short stretches of concrete won't ruin anything.

Trail shoes are fine on concrete when:

• You're walking a short distance to or from a trailhead
• You're on a mixed route that's mostly off-road with a bit of hard surface
• It's an occasional thing, not your daily walk

When to leave them at home

Reach for a different shoe when:

• Your walk is mostly or fully on pavements, promenades or town streets
• You're doing long distances on hard ground and want the cushioning
• You want your trail shoes to last for actual trails

What to wear instead

If most of your walking is on concrete, a proper walking shoe or a road running shoe is the better buy. You get flatter, harder-wearing outsoles built for tarmac, softer cushioning tuned for repetitive impact on hard ground, and a lighter, more flexible feel.

Keep the trail shoes for the terrain they're made for. You'll get more life out of both pairs and more comfort on every walk.

Not sure which one you need?

The right shoe really does come down to where you spend your miles. If you're stuck between trail, road and everyday walking shoes, have a look through our range or get in touch and we'll point you towards the pair that suits your walking.