Take a Hike: Lone Peak Neoshell Review

Trail running and hiking? Take a look at the Lone Peak Neoshell waterproof trail shoe by Altra: it’s a great trail running shoe if you like zero drop

Hi friends! Let me tell you a little secret about myself: getting away to the mountains and doing some hiking is one of my favorite ways to relax and refresh (that might not be a “secret” after all I guess!). It is something I have loved since I was a child: having a change of scenery, seeing the beauty of the mountains, and doing some exploring does wonders for a person’s soul.

One of the things that I really want to do more of is trail running up in the mountains. I am planning on doing more of that next year! I didn’t get up to do any trail races this year but I m going to get my mileage up again and do some good trail runs next year. There are some really great trail races in the Big Horn Mountains and the Black Hills so I have plenty to choose from!

If you’re interested in trail running, one of the things you absolutely need is a great pair of trail shoes. Over a year ago I had an older pair of the Altra Lone Peak shoes that I loved! I wore Altra shoes for quite a while and I had 3 or 4 pairs.

I got some tendinitis in my calves so I had to step away from zero drop shoes for a while, but now I’m back to wearing them, at least for the trail: Altra sent me a pair of women’s Lone Peak Neoshell shoes to wear and review.

Altra has released their new Lone Peak version 2.5!

Let me preface this review by saying that I don’t run a ton of miles and our trails are pretty mild here. If I want to run some real mountain trails I have to drive at least an hour one way, so that doesn’t happen very often. Most of the trails I run on are local trails in town.

This particular trail in town has a lot of pebbles, but the sole of my Loan Peak shoes were stiff enough it didn’t bother my feet. People have told me they don’t like this particular trail since it hurt their feet if they had light shoes, but I had no problems. If you have a trail or dirt road with bigger rocks, these shoes are up to the task.

Another one of the trails I ran on with these Altra Lone Peak shoes: this one was grassy and lots of dirt but not too many rocks. Running in prairie grass makes it easy to roll your ankles since the grass grows in lumps and clumps.

I also wore these for our hike up to Devil’s Bathtub in Spearfish Canyon last week. It wasn’t a long hike and I didn’t do any running, but we did plenty of creek-crossing and rock-hopping and these did awesome! We had a blast and I’m itching to go do some more exploring again.

The traction on the Lone Peak shoes is superb, and the water proof upper is nice: I got a little water on my shoes crossing the creek several times but my feet didn’t get wet and I didn’t slip going across the water and algae covered rocks. They work great for hiking since I don’t like wearing heavy, high-cut hiking boots.

Here are the specs on the women’s Lone Peak Neoshell trail shoe:

• Zero drop
• Moderate cushioning
• Sticky-rubber TrailClaw™ outsole
• Gaiter Trap™ Attachment
• Polartec® NeoShell® water resistant upper
• Trail rudder (this one is a bit smaller than the older version of the Loan Peak)
• Wide toe box

The Lone Peak Neoshell shoes were perfect for hiking!

Here are some thoughts on the women’s Lone Peak Neoshell shoe from Altra:

Pros:

• Great traction
• Good support in the sides and collar of the shoe
• Good stiff sole so you don’t feel every rock
• Plenty of cushioning inside the collar
• The right amount of cushioning in the sole: not too much and not too little
• Flat laces stay tied

Cons:

• Narrower than the other Altra shoes for women. I noticed this more in my midfoot. During my first run in these the sides of my feet hurt a little bit
• Hot: these tend to get pretty warm inside. If you’re running a long distance or a really intense shorter run, your feet will probably sweat more in these shoes. For shorter runs, hikes, or cold weather runs that probably won’t be as much of a problem

Overall I really like these shoes! They work perfect for hiking and trail running with the great traction, support, and inner cushioning. I am a little bummed that these are narrower than their other shoes, but hopefully they will move towards making them wider again with later models.

The flat laces of the Lone Peak Neoshell stay tied and don’t come undone easily

These have a Gaiter Trap™ attachment and a smallish trail rudder at the back of the shoe. The trail rudder is smaller in this version than in the earlier version I had a couple years ago.

Lots of good cushioning around the collar and the tongue

Amazing traction on the sole of these shoes!

Note: I received a pair of Altra shoes from Altra Running for the purpose of writing a review. All commentary found in this review is my own personal opinion of the shoe. This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a commission if you make a purchase using links in this review.