31 in Trail Running Shoes
New Balance - Fresh Foam X Hierro V7
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Mar 17, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
13
0
"Heiros have been the best fit wise that i've found outside of Altra."
"I love the slightly wider fit of my New Balance Hierros."
"super comfortable with plenty of grip and the have wide fit up to size 15 (UK). I have had two pairs and am about to buy a third and the are so comfortable for my own wide high volume feet."
11
0
"My longest day in them was 32 miles with 10k gain and not a hotspot to write about. And this was over East Coast muddy rooty rocky wet."
"I recently hiked the Lost Coast with them and they were great."
"I used mine for mixed road trail running all week and for walks around town."
4
2
"I put them through bearings and have had pairs hold up nearly to 1000 miles."
"I've had my New Balance Fresh Foam shoes for over four years, and they're still holding up well. ... There's some wear but no tears, and I've had no issues despite using them for hiking, trail running, and daily street walking."
"I’ve put probably ~25 miles on them already and they show almost no wear."
11
3
"My longest day in them was 32 miles with 10k gain and not a hotspot to write about. And this was over East Coast muddy rooty rocky wet."
"Way more comfortable than my last pair of Adidas."
"super comfortable with plenty of grip and the have wide fit up to size 15 (UK). I have had two pairs and am about to buy a third and the are so comfortable for my own wide high volume feet."
4
2
"My longest day in them was 32 miles with 10k gain and not a hotspot to write about. And this was over East Coast muddy rooty rocky wet."
"Grip was exceptional compared to the Xodus."
"grippy"
Disliked most:
2
2
"Really the only thing I want from them is for the bottoms to not wear noticeably thin after 250 miles or so"
"the bottoms are too thin to protect my feet"
"I still wish they lasted longer. ... Still was a bit disappointing how much the foam collapsed in 300 miles or so"
1
4
"the Hierro which is pretty much a lifestyle shoe with a tread and sucks for running."
"the Hierro which is pretty much a lifestyle shoe with a tread and sucks for running."
"pretty heavy"
0
3
"High stack does mean they're not the most stable shoes. Not for unstable terrain."
"I find the higher the stack leads to more rolling ankles. ... Shoes that have not worked for me: Brooks Cascadia, New Balance Hierro ... they have been directly correlated to rolled ankles for me"
"The Hierro was a great fit, but too soft and unstable in the heel on technical terrain"
1
5
"High stack does mean they're not the most stable shoes. Not for unstable terrain."
"I find the higher the stack leads to more rolling ankles. ... Shoes that have not worked for me: Brooks Cascadia, New Balance Hierro ... they have been directly correlated to rolled ankles for me"
"the Hierro which is pretty much a lifestyle shoe with a tread and sucks for running."
AaronParke 1.0My New Balance Hierro V7s in goretex are good on mixed terrain. A little flat perhaps and not great in full on mud. V9 is well cushioned but soft compound soles wear fast on tarmac. I'm 25% tarmac and got 350kms out of a pair. V7s are much longer lasting but getting hard to find. I think you'll struggle to get a consistent reply for you Goldilocks shoes.
Chango13 1.0I'm a mega shoe nerd and have tried a lot. I can't recommend Hokas or other high stack shoes on our trails since you come across several different types of topography in the same hike. The high stack runners, I find, are way too unstable and wobbly... great if you're just going in a straight line on flat trail... but not so great for lateral movement and scrambling. My favorite all around trail runner has been the New Balance Hierro 7... which sadly is all done and they've turned into yet another wobbly high stacker with the 9. Recently I tried a Brooks Caldera 8, and I gotta say it's pretty much spot-on the money. Really solid stability and traction for gravel, rock, incline up and down, and lateral motion. Great cushioning without being a high stacker. Nice ample toebox. They're like wearing nice comfy tanks on your feet, and fit our PHX trails almost perfectly. Shame they're so ugly, lol.
DA-FUNK-5555 1.0I usually use any hiking shoe. Currently rocking a pair of New Balance fresh foam X Hierro v7. Way more comfortable than my last pair of Adidas. So I'll probably go back to them once these are worn out. I've also used Solomon's and Oboz in the past. Sometimes you can get the NB on big discounts on eBay or other places and that makes them the best of the bunch imo. After that Solomon.
DjangoUnflamed 1.0New Balance Hierro V6 or V7. You don’t need clunky hiking boots.
drprox 1.0V7 were peak for the hierro. So sad :(
Electronic-Use8658 1.0I have the 7 and they are good quality but very unstable. Never pick them anymore
endeesr3alm 1.0Couldn't disagree more. the traction in the Hierro i find is terrible in the muddy fields here in Kent, and i find the shoes a bit lifeless on the firmer trails. I know it's very dependent on your running gait and personal preference, but i thought it was interesting that we had such contrary points of view on the same shoe!
Faptasia83 1.0I swear by the: New Balance Men's Fresh Foam X Hierro V7 Specifically the gortex ones.
Hot_Jump_2511 1.0Fellow Pennsylvanian here... and this struggle is real! I'm somewhat in the same boat as you as I've been trying to find shoes that are protective against the rocks and roots of our region while also being durable enough to get your money's worth out of the shoes. Here's my progression of footwear over the past 5-7 years or so along with some insights you can take as suggestions. None of these options are zero drop though except the Merrell trail gloves. Adidas Terrex - Pros: good coushion, plenty of padding and protection against rocks. Cons: not wide enough for my feet and they changed the cut of the heel stabilizer to be too high. Merrell Trail Glove - Pros: out of box comfort and very light. Cons: not at all good on rocks. Asics Gel Venture - Pros: out of box comfort and good tread. Cons: not durable, not wide enought, bad quality control. Merrell Moab Speed 1 - Pros: great durability of shoe body, available in wide sizes, and sufficient protection against rocks. Cons: tread is not durable. However, this is probably my favorite trail runner and I wish it was still in production. Its a 500 mile shoe with 300 mile tread. Brooks Cascadia 13 and 15 - Pros: quality tread and good rock protection. Cons - not as wide as I'd like in their 2E size and the heel lock fabric deteriorated quickly causing blisters on my heel. New Balance Hierro V7 - Pros: good coushion and heel support. Cons - that damn flappy thing on the heel, lack of padding in the tongue, durability. Brooks Cascadia 16 - Pros: great rock plate, awesome tread, and wider toebox in 2E size. Cons - shit quality. Regardless, I went through 3 pairs and just dropped the 3rd in the trash after hiking up Old Rag in Shennandoah a week ago. 500 mile tread on a 250 mile shoe body that is not worth the cost. Merrell Moab Speed 2 - Pros - lightweight and PA approved rock plate. Cons - durability and the redesign in general. Wore these on a 260 mile section hike and they messed up my feet and gave me blisters on top of my toes. Was fully refunded though. Merrell Nova 4 - arrives in the mail today in advance of a 120 mile AT section in central Va in a couple of weeks. Might move onto Topo Terraventures or Ultraventures next.
MattOnAMountain 1.0Shoes are very individual so you just have to check around and see what works for your particular foot shape. For example I can’t do Hokas, Topos were too narrow in the toe box, and brooks Cascadias were just too narrow period for me. Ended up going Lone Peak -> Olympus -> New Balance Heiros. Currently trying the North Face Alta Mesa 300s which seem promising as well.
After hitting durability issues with Lone Peaks / Olympus I’ve had a bit better luck with the New Balance Heiros though I still wish they lasted longer. Currently testing the North Face Alta Mesa 300s because of a recommendation the foam takes longer to collapse. For context I’m a thru hiker with really wide feet
Really comfortable but at least in the size 14s I wear the sides blow out. Same issue with the Olympus. I've switched to New Balance Heiros which are a similar shape but at least they hold together until the bottoms are too thin to protect my feet. https://preview.redd.it/5cuixhpub69f1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=68150112f77175278b621fe7116f1721c057e8ea