The 14 best women's walking shoes, tested for all-day comfort and support

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When I take my dog for a walk around our neighborhood in the Colorado Rockies, I always wear a comfortable pair of walking shoes — just in case she decides to take the scenic route. Sneakers designed to support your specific foot structure, protect your foot tendons from damage, and absorb impact to prevent achy joints are essential for women who travel by foot.

According to podiatrist Elizabeth Daughtry, DPM, FACFAS, women are more prone to developing stress fractures. So by wearing proper footwear, you're actively preventing a future injury.

For this guide, I tested over 30 pairs of walking sneakers, totaling over 50 miles. These long-distance walks let me gauge which pairs felt the most comfortable and durable.

Each pick I've highlighted proved to be stylish, supportive and worth the price. My top overall choice is the Adidas Ultraboost Light, which you can read about in detail below. For an excellent under-$100 pick, I suggest Rykä's Devotion X — they're really plush and surprisingly affordable.

Top 5 Walking Shoes for Women:

How I tested the best walking shoes for women

Over the last two years, I've personally tested over 30 sneakers, 10 walking sandals, and 25 winter boots. Each pair I wore on at least three walks — though many have seen dozens more — on surfaces like sidewalk asphalt, concrete flooring, dirt and gravel trails, and airport corridors. To test shoes with technical elements like waterproofing or all-terrain lugs, I walked in rainy and slushy conditions near my home in Colorado.
I also consulted a board-certified podiatrist, Elizabeth Daughtry, DPM, FACFAS from the Foot & Ankle Specialists of the Mid-Atlantic, for tips on what to look for. Ultimately, the criteria for choosing the best walking shoes for women differs across members of our team.

I myself have semi-wide feet and high arches, but cumulatively, our team has tested a total 40 pairs made for narrow, wide, flat, and petite sizes.

Initial comfort and shape: The right fit for your foot shouldn't feel like it's rubbing anywhere or like it's tight in the toe box or on the top of your foot (called foot volume), and your heel should feel snug and secure in the back. I chose walking shoes that were comfortable right out of the box. Most of our team members have medium to wide width feet, with medium to high arches. The best shape for any foot will have a wide base and roomy toe box to let your toes spread naturally. This shoe shape will help distribute your body weight more evenly and avoid any muscle strains in your foot.

Support and stability: As someone with high arches, I walked at least three miles in each shoe to see if my arches ached — a quick way to gauge support. Cushioning level and heel counter stiffness are easy to feel early on: more cushion gives a plush, walking-on-air feel, while a firm heel counter adds feels more rigid under the back of your foot, and provides ankle support over time.

Weight: I tested shoes that weigh between 8 and 13 ounces, which is the ideal range to feel light on long walks and slow foot fatigue. Two of the lightest pairs we recommend are the Merrell Morphlites and Allbirds' SuperLight Tree Runners.

Durability: Some insoles can flatten after consistent pounding on pavement, which weakens the shoes' shock absorption. After testing the shoes on a long walk, I took out the insoles and held them at eye level to see whether they looked deflated in any areas.

Traction: For the majority of the shoes, I walked in each pair for at least 2 miles, both outdoors on pavement and indoors. I used a treadmill or my walking desk. I felt for whether their tread felt slippery on smooth surfaces, versus how well it grips onto rough terrain. For outdoor-oriented shoes (trail runners, winter walking shoes), I tested the traction by wearing the shoes on icy, snowy, and loose trail surfaces in wet and muddy weather, and gauged which shoes offered the most secure footing.

Breathability: I chose walking shoes with wide toe boxes and mesh uppers that allowed for more airflow, an attribute that's pretty clear after just one mile. If my feet felt swollen and hot, or the shoes were damp with sweat after my walk, I nixed them from this list. Leather shoes like loafers and dress sneakers were the only exceptions.