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Best Hiking Shoes For Kids Complete Guide: How to Choose and Where to Buy

Learn about important things to consider when buying hiking shoes for your child to ensure comfortable and safe outdoor family adventures.

As an active family living in Beautiful British Columbia, we spend a lot of time on our feet. There is just so much to explore! Our son Cosmos is only 4.5 years old, but he is out there hiking with us every single Sunday. Good hiking shoes for kids really DO make a difference – both in comfort for your child, minimum stress for you as parents, but most importantly in safety. Whether your little one is a toddler or a teenager, if you go hiking together, it is best to get them proper hiking shoes.

One of the questions we are being asked all the time by our friends: how do you choose hiking shoes for kids? What should you be paying specific attention to?

In this post, I will share with you things to consider when buying the next pair of outdoor footwear for your child, and tips on how to get best kids' hiking shoes. You can also find out which shoes we buy and why. 

Quick Links:

• Six Things To Look For in Hiking Shoes
• Proper Sizing
• Hiking Socks
• Proper Fit
• Special Note: Summer Sandals
• Our Favourite Kids' Shoes
• Buying Notes
• Video Guide to Choosing Kids' Hiking Shoes

This post may contain affiliate links and we may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. All product recommendations and feedback are ours and based on personal experience. Please refer to our Disclosure Policy for more details.

You may also be interested in:

• Hiking With Kids: 12 Simple Safety Rules Every Parent Should Follow
• Camping With a Baby – Six Baby Gear Essentials To Take With You
• Easy Hiking Trails near Coquitlam Your Entire Family Will Absolutely Love
• Top 6 Awesome Hikes in Mission BC to Take Your Kids On This Season
• Insider Hacks to Start Saving Money on Family Travel Today

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Things To Look For In Hiking Shoes For Kids

Since your kids will probably be growing out of their hiking shoes quickly, durability is less important. The main focus should be on safety, comfort for your child, and a minimum headache for you as a parent, so there are a couple of things you should look for specifically.

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Tip 1: Kids' hiking shoes should be season-appropriate.

You may think “dah… dude, that is obvious.” 

Yet if you are not an experienced hiker yourself, you could be caught unguarded. As a first-time parent, it is ok to feel overwhelmed at an outdoor store kids’ section with all these different types of shoes and colorful brands. 

Our family is constantly engaged in all sorts of outdoor activities, we have a whole collection of hiking shoes, water shoes, trail runners, you name it! 

You’ll be surprised, however, how many times I have seen kids in lower cut shoes hiking through snow, or kids in heavy warm boots trying to make it through a trail in a hot summer… Both parents and children looked miserable, to say the least. 

So I am going to just leave it here:

• Heavier, higher cut hiking shoes are for winter and demi-season
• Lighter lower cut hiking shoes are for warmer weather
• Breathable sandal-type hiking shoes are for the summers and hot weather

Best kids hiking shoes are season-appropriate.

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To help our active parents who can't seem to figure out how to get their kids to enjoy hiking, we have prepared this post: Five Tried-And-True Outdoor Activities To Get Kids to Absolutely Love Hiking – find many creative ideas, kids outdoor activities, treasure hunts, and nature experiments within!

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Tip 2: Kids’ hiking shoes should be lightweight and flexible

You may be choosing heavier shoes for yourself to go camping backcountry as you’ll be carrying a heavy pack. Heavier hiking shoes are helpful in this case, as they tend to weigh us down and make us more stable.

But unless your kids’ are expected to carry something heavy too, they don’t need the high top, ankle support shoes. Ok, maybe in winter, if you can risk it to go hiking with kids in winter. But definitely not in warmer temperatures. 

Heavy shoes definitely mean more work to walk in. They are typically less flexible and make it harder to maneuver around obstacles on a hiking trail, such as fallen trees, roots, and rocks. So find something that’s lower cut, lightweight and flexible.

Flexible hiking shoe is definitely more comfortable and supports natural movement, ensures balance, and helps develop healthy feet. In a flexible shoe, your child’s feet won’t get tired easily which will save much stress for all of your family 🙂 You know how grumpy kids are… 

Best kids hiking shoes are lightweight and flexible.

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Tip 3: Hiking shoes for kids must have soles with good traction

Our 4yo Cosmos loves to climb over rocks, as I am sure most of the active toddlers. It would be really hard for him to do all these outdoor activities in shoes with little to no tread. Supportive, grippy soles of his hiking shoes ensure both comfort and safety as Cosmos doesn’t slip and slide all over the trail!

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Tip 3: Ditch the Laces

An important thing to decide on is whether or not hiking shoes for kids should have tie laces. As Cosmos is only 4yo, I personally prefer for him to have shoes with bungee laces, the toggles, and with a velcro strap.

Hiking shoes with velcro are quick and easy to put on and you aren’t going to constantly be re-tying them. 

But, in my personal opinion, NOT having laces is not only more convenient but much safer too. As your kiddos hike their next trail, there is no risk of undone laces to be trapped by a rock or a tree branch, tripping them over. 

Best kids hiking shoes are laces-free and have velcro instead.

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Tip 4: Bumptoes is an absolute must-have in any hiking shoes for kids

Have you seen reinforced rubber toes on kids’ hiking shoes? That’s what I call bumptoe. Kids just love to kick things and drag their feet so the toe area wears out super-quick. 

But aside from needing to buy new kids hiking shoes due to wear and tear, a shoe with bumptoes prevents us from needing to buy new toes for my son! I am quite content that if my son kicks something hard, or a heavy rock falls on his toes – he won’t get hurt. What’s more important than hiking safety anyways…

Best kids hiking shoes have reinforced rubber toes or bumptoes.

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Tip 6. Waterproof and Water Resistant Shoes

All hiking shoes we get for our child Cosmos, except for summer sandals, are waterproof or, in the worst case, water-resistant. As we hike in every weather – rain or shine – and through the British Columbia rainforest – water is everywhere! Therefore we have a whole collection of waterproof hiking shoes and special warm kids rainboots with foldable gaiters.

If you have a toddler, you probably know that for a fact – toddlers are magically drawn to water! If you’re not looking, they’d jump into every little puddle! 

Best kids hiking shoes are waterproof.

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Proper Sizing When Buying Hiking Shoes for Kids 

Kids’ feet grow rapidly. It is extremely important their shoes are properly sized. For a 3yo or 4yo this may mean going through 2 pairs of shoes in one season! If (you can relate, leave #BeenThereDoneThat in the comments below!). 

When I am buying hiking shoes for my child, I tend to get half size bigger shoes for the summer and warmer temperatures and one full size bigger for demiseason and winter hiking. 

This way I am leaving enough space for both: growing needs of my child’s feet and warm socks.

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Kids’ Socks for Hiking

Just as shoes are important, so are socks! 

Try NOT to wear polyester. 

Cotton, although natural material, is also not the best option for hiking socks, as it keeps in the moisture and sweat and your little feet can get cold quickly.

Best hiking socks, both for kids and adults, are made of wool. Usually lightweight and with a little bit of soft cushion, quality wool socks will keep your little hiker warm at colder temperatures, and won’t let their feet sweat in warmer weather. 

I also prefer higher socks, so my son’s foot is protected from wind and scratches from tree branches he steps on.

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Important: Hiking Shoes Proper Fit

Before purchasing a pair of hiking shoes, or as soon as you get a pair when ordering online, get your child to wear them. 

Feel their toe – it should NOT touch the end of the shoe. Ask specifically to tell you if it does. 

Let your child walk around at home wearing new hiking shoes for half an hour.

Ask about the area ankle: do they feel any discomfort? 

How about the area at the toe base? Does it hurt when the shoe is bent while stepping up or down? 

The difference between proper hiking shoes and all other shoes is that there is no such thing as “breaking them”. A proper hiking shoe must feel right and be comfortable right from the start. This applies to both: hiking shoes for kids and for adults alike.

Personal Story
A few years back I had a very bad ankle sprain. That happened less than half a year before we traveled to the USA to hike the Grand Canyon. I was devastated. Yet, with physiotherapy and training, I got back up on my feet quite quickly. But I needed new hiking shoes, and that fact was a major concern. The hiking shoes I ended up buying felt like I was wearing home slippers – so soft and not a single itch. I made it through the Grand Canyon Rim-to-River-To-Rim 26km all in one day, and my feet felt fantastic. 

Just think about it: if your child’s new hiking shoes are not comfortable when they are walking around the house for half an hour, imagine how miserable everyone would feel venturing out to take a longer trail.

Conclusion: if you or your child have the slightest concern, ship the new hiking shoes back and try another brand.

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Special Note on Kids’ Summer Sandals for Hiking

When choosing hiking shoes for kids for the summer we prefer breathable sandal-type. 

Same rules apply to summer sandals as to the other types of hiking shoes for kids:

• Must be lightweight
• Must have good traction soles
• Must have reinforced CLOSED toe
• Preference for no-lace sandals

But in addition, we make sure the opening or “hole” in a shoe does not go all the way down to the base of the foot and is covered by a net. 

From personal experience: there is nothing more annoying for both you and your child than little stones and sand getting in there. You’ll have to stop every 2 minutes to take the shoe off, get rid of sand, and put it back on again.

Best kids hiking shoes for summer will have base netting keeping little things, such as rocks and sand, away from child's feet.

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Our Favourite Kids’ Hiking Shoes

There are many outdoor brands of hiking shoes, but finding the right shoes designed specifically for toddlers could be a challenge. 

I won’t hide, I am a fan of the Merrell brand. Yes, all of my own hiking shoes are Merrell. I love everything about them! These are the shoes I bought right before the Grand Canyon hike (see my personal story above).

Merrell has a kids line and a shoe for every season. 

Below is the list of best kids hiking shoes, in our opinion.

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Merrell Chameleon 7 Access Mid A/C Waterproof Boot

These are the hiking shoes Cosmos wore during the last fall-winter season. He hiked Mt. Rainier on our road trip to Washington, US. 

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Merrell Kids' Outback Low Sneaker

Here are the hiking shoes Cosmos wears this spring season – also Merrell – these are lower cut and for warmer temperatures.

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Merrell Kids' Hydro H2o Hiker Sandal Sport

Here are the summer sandals for hiking that Cosmos wore all summer 2019 on his hiking adventures all over British Columbia. He also made it up the Haleakala Volcano in Maui, Hawaii wearing these sandals. I got him the same sandals for the summer of 2020. 

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OshKosh B'Gosh Kids Lago Mesh Athletic Bumptoe Sneaker

When Cosmos was 2.5yo, we had a nice pair of OshKosh shoes with bumptoe. Although those are not specifically marketed as hiking shoes for kids, they were very comfortable. We could not really hike long distances with a younger toddler at the time anyways, so these worked well.

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Other Kids' Shoe Brands

Other brands that have good quality hiking shoes for kids and even special kids lines of shoes are Keen, Timberland, Columbia, North Face, etc. We haven’t tried those brands, so I can’t recommend any personally. 

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Buying Notes

How Much Should Hiking Shoes For Kids Cost

You’ll be surprised to learn that hiking shoes for kids are not that much cheaper than adult hiking shoes. Prices for new hiking shoes can range from as low as $30 (on sale) up to $150 or even more…

Yeah.. we too feel the costs are excessive… Most kids will only wear their hiking shoes for a couple of weekends, or you’ll go camping with your baby once or twice in the summer anyway before they move on to the next size. So cheaper entry-level hiking shoes and hiking boots will probably be good enough. Or you could buy gently used shoes and save 50-80% of the cost this way.

We know the brands and shoe types we use and tend to look for clearance sales and online deals. When we see a really good sale, I like to plan ahead and buy the same shoe in a couple of sizes for the next hiking season.

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Where to Buy New Hiking Shoes

When buying new hiking shoes, you can hit a brad store or, better, specialized sports, and outdoor stores like MEC, REI, Atmosphere, Sport Check, SportingLife, or USOUTDOOR. The advantage of an outdoor store is that they will likely have multiple brands and you will be able to try on a few different types. I’ve also noticed that their prices are sometimes lower than at a brand physical store. 

If you know your child’s foot size, you can order hiking shoes online. We have personal experience ordering directly from Merrell online store, and from Amazon. Both options and prices worked well, and there are no issues at all with a return if required.

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Where to Buy Used Hiking Shoes

I get it if you are not an active hiker and may need hiking shoes for kids for just a couple of weekends or a few camping trips, the potential cost could bite. 

It is completely ok to buy used. Smaller kids and toddlers grow fast, and sometimes you will find used shoes that are hardly worn at all, or even brand new. 

Best places to shop for used shoes are Facebook Groups for parents specializing in selling and swapping baby and kids’ clothing. If you are not yet a member, look up something like “kids shop & swap” “kids buy and sell” + name of your city or region. 

Another online option is LetGo app. Similar to websites like Craigslist, but a mobile app with more features and more convenient. Never tried buying clothes from Craigslist, by the way. If you do, share in comments. 

Stores like Value Village or Once Upon A Child (in Canada) sell gently used kids stuff. Sometimes you can come across like new brand footwear for less of a quarter of the price. 

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Video Guide to Choosing Good Hiking Shoes For Kids

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It goes without saying that if you really want your kids to go the distance, and your whole family to really ENJOY your outdoor adventures, investing in good outdoor gear is important. 

To help our active parents who can't seem to figure out how to get their kids to enjoy hiking, we have prepared this post: Five Tried-And-True Outdoor Activities To Get Kids to Absolutely Love Hiking – find many creative ideas, kids outdoor activities, treasure hunts, and nature experiments within!

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If you have any questions about choosing the best kids' hiking shoes, other kids’ gear, or anything at all, leave a comment! I am reading all the comments and will be happy to help! 

I will leave you a quick tip here with a perfect outdoor kids activity to get toddlers interested in hiking (that's once you got them proper hiking shoes that is!) – our printable outdoor treasure hunts that you can download here completely free!

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If you find the information in this post helpful, like it, share on social media and subscribe to our newsletter, so you won’t miss our tips and outdoor product reviews, as well as info on outdoor activities and our best family travel adventures!

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Enjoy!

Cheerfully yours,

Alexandra, Alex & Cosmos

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Share your pictures on social media! tag #PerfectDayToPlay to be featured on our Instagram! 

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