In this article, we’re diving into the world of walking shoes tailored specifically for individuals with wide feet. We understand that finding comfortable and supportive footwear can be a challenge, but it’s a challenge we’re here to help you conquer.
Just as a foundation supports a house, your shoes provide the foundation for your walking routine.
Whether you know you have wide feet, deal with bunions, frequent blisters or calluses, we’ll explore the key factors to consider when selecting walking shoes for wide feet, from proper fit and arch support to cushioning and stability.
A wide shoe has more room throughout the entire width of the sneaker. Where a wide toe box is focused on increasing the space for the widest part of your foot, known as the ball of your foot.
The difference does matter, as we’re looking to find that great fit where you foot doesn’t slide around, but has enough room to spread out. You’ll find a list of our top 7 recommendations as well, to help you start the hunt for the perfect pair of walking shoes for wide feet.
How to Know if You Have a Wide Foot?
You may simply know based on the comfort of many shoes, but there are also measurements that determine foot width.
From the example below, you are going to measure at point B. The determination of a wide foot actually changes based upon the length of your foot as well.
For example, a women’s size 8 at 3.95″ is wide and 4.3″ is extra wide.
A men’s size 8 is considered wide at 3.9″.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having wide feet. But now the goal is to find shoes that FIT WELL.
7 Best Walking Shoes for Wide Feet
Whether you need a wide-width walking shoe for workouts or being on your feet at work, we’ve got you covered with our top 7 picks. We’ve tested out so many of these brands over the years, it’s easy to give you details on each and what they feel like.
#1 Best Max Cushion Shoe – New Balance Fresh Foam X More v4 (wide)
New Balance’s Fresh Foam is every bit as lovely as it sounds. These shoes feel fabulous when you slip them on and yet maintain good responsiveness. As noted, I love that NB has a great selection of wide shoes and this is one that often comes back as a favorite.
With a roomy area for your mid-foot thanks to the mesh upper, it still has a good heel cupping to help prevent your foot from sliding out. This is a maximal road shoe, meaning it has a higher stack height from toe to heel. If you’ve never used a shoe like that, trust me within a few minutes you won’t notice anything different (except the great cushion here!).
That taller stack height provides a slightly wider base and more stability without in anyway being a stability shoe.
- Neutral shoe
- 3 mm heel drop
- Available in regular and wide, but not extra wide
- Max cushion, maximal shoe
- 10.4 oz men’s, 8.4 oz for women’s
- $149
#2 Best Moderate Cushion Shoe – HOKA Clifton
Some of you will not love the super max cushioning and that’s totally fine! It’s all about preference and what feels great to you so that you can be on your feet for long walks or just moving around all day.
We already mentioned Hoka’s ability to build a shoe that is comfortable for a wider fit. The Hoka Clifton 9 also has a lightweight design, so even though it has the comfort you need, they won’t feel big and bulky.
The responsive midsole makes them easy to run in, and the newly extended heel makes for a softer landing. While they are not as pillow-like as the Bondi, I think that we don’t always need an overly cushioned walking shoe. I tend to find Hoka shoes to be very durable and have a long lifespan, as well!
- Neutral shoe
- Max cushion
- 5mm drop
- 7.6 oz women’s, 8.8 oz men’s
- $140
#3 Best For Standing at Work – On Cloud X 3 Shift
If you’re standing all day long you might want to consider wearing compression socks, along with finding great shoes.
The idea is something that will help you maintain good alignment so you don’t have hip, knee or back issues along with tired feet.
Street worthy style is part of their draw for many. But the real benefit comes from also feeling comfortable to wear all day long. The idea is that you could wear these to work or to workout, which means they are designed to absorb impact and keep your feet feeling good.
I have not worn this model personally! It’s one of the few not tested. But have asked a number of folks who tried it out for thoughts and many said it was the wear it everywhere shoe!
- Neutral shoe (not heavy on cushion)
- 6.7 mm heel drop
- 8.90 oz for women
#4 Best Zero Drop Walking Shoe – Altra Torin
Note just started testing the Altra Olympus max cushion and I absolutely think it’s even wider! But it’s a big stack height and I don’t think good for walking.
One of the biggest benefits to Altra shoes is their foot shaped design, which is going to mean a lot more room in the toebox to accommodate any issues like bunions. It also means your foot can spread out to grip the ground.
I’ve taken these out for quite a few miles now and surprised myself by finding my calves didn’t scream. I think a good sign that I’ve been rotating through a large variety of heel stacks. But also that this shoe has some really comfy cushioning if you’ll be doing a lot of long walking workouts.
Remember that a wide toebox is different than a shoe that is wide from toe to heel. Some of you may find that just the wider toebox is enough.
- 0mm heel drop
- 8.1 oz women’s, 9.8 oz men’s
- Max cushion
- 30 mm stack height (it’s gotten higher and hence more cushion)
- Available in five colors
- Wide only available in Blue
- Available at Altra Running and retail stores for $150
See a comparison of Altra Running Shoes >>
#5 Best Casual Travel Walking Shoe: Allbirds Tree Dasher
While not marketed as wide feet walking shoes, I’ve now seen a lot of folks say they find them to work well. The recommend going up a half to full size (no worries they have an excellent return policy), this combined with the wool elasticity makes for a comfy fit that also looks nice.
Again this maybe a try it and see kind of shoe.
All of their shoes are focused on sustainable materials like Trino®. A combination of tree and merino wool that creates the flexible outer, which is very similar to the Nike Flyknit.
In fact, every pair of laces includes one recycled water bottle! But you’d never know it from the feet and fit. I’ve worn this shoe for a good 25,000 steps a day on vacation!
- 7 mm heel drop
- 10.3 oz women’s and men’s
- Light support
- Moderate cushion
- Available in 13 neutral colors for women and men
- Available for $135
- See current colors and pricing >>
#6 Best Trail Walking Shoe for Wide Feet: HOKA Speedgoat
I’m trying to give you a variety of brand options in case you already know you don’t like a certain type. But I have to include the Speedgoat because it’s a favorite of mine.
I’ve put a lot of trail miles on this shoe and it can take it. From easy trails, to more technical you’ll have plenty of grip and great cushion to make the miles comfortable. I would recommend this shoe for dirt trails, gravel, and even some technical stuff, but if you’re a hiker look to my next recommendation.
Some folks dislike the max height because there’s less connection to what’s underfoot. I’ve never had that issue.
- Neutral running shoe
- Available in wide width
- 4mm heel drop
- Moderate cushion
- 8.5 oz women’s. 10.3 oz men’s
- $155
#7 Best for Hiking or Rocky Trails – Salomon Speedcross Wide
Rather than going for boots, you’ll be happy to know that the average person prefers a trail running shoe for their hikes! The Salomon Speedcross Wide takes everything we already loved about the Salomon Speedcross and adapted it to a wider shoe.
This shoe prides itself on its push-off and braking grip on all types of surface conditions. You’ll have great traction from the rubber outsole and plenty of cushion for a comfy ride. It cradles your heel, making it both comfortable and stable, but also giving a clean foot strike.
- Stability running shoe
- 10 mm heel drop
- Moderate cushion
- 11.3 oz for women’s
- $130
Do You Need a Wide Walking Shoe?
As noted above, most of us could get some benefits out of having more space for our toes. But there are a few clear signs that you really should be looking in to a wider running shoe.
- Dealing with bunions
- Dealing with flat feet or fallen arches which cause foot to splay upon landing
- Consistently getting blisters on the sides of your feet or toes
- Feet going numb when you workout from too much pressure
- Burning feet after walking
- Frequently getting black toenails or runner’s toe
- Corns, hammertoes or other problems with your feet
Or you may simply discover that a regular running shoe doesn’t give you the room that feels good. This could be because you have wide feet or that the additional space around your toes simply provides more proprioception (feeling the ground).
If you’re not sure whether or not you need walking shoes for wide feet, it’s always best to consult with a doctor or podiatrist. They’ll be able to help you figure out if you have any problems with your feet that require a wider shoe.
Issues With A Shoe That Is Too Wide
While walking shoes for a wide foot can be great for people with certain foot problems, it’s important to make sure that the shoe isn’t too wide.
If a shoe is too wide, it can cause blisters and other issues. This is because your foot has too much room to move around in the shoe and as a result creates the friction that leads to blisters or even chaffing.
Make sure that you try on the shoe and run around in it before you buy it to make sure that it’s the right fit. Or order from places that have awesome return policies (generally directly from the brand, REI, Zappos).
What Walking Shoe Brands Comes in Wide? Our Top 3 Picks
Before diving in to specific shoe models, there are a few brands that have a lot more options to fit the wider running foot. I want to cover these first so you can look at additional models if needed.
Each of these plenty of room and extra wide sizing so your toes don’t feel cramped.
Altra Shoes
Altra boasts its Altra FootShape toe box that allows the toes to fan out naturally while the big toe remains in place. This gives your toes the space they need and allows the foot to naturally stabilize unneeded pronation.
In other words, instead of tapering like a traditional running shoe the Altra shoe remains more rounded for the toes to lay in a more natural position. Mimicking your barefoot posture.
It is important to understand that Altra shoes have a zero-drop platform, meaning that when wearing the shoes, your heel and forefoot are at the same distance from the ground making it a neutral shoe. For some runners, it easily lines up with their natural gait, but it’s not everyone’s thing.
HOKA ONE ONE Shoes
Hoka running shoes are great for runners who need wide width shoes.
If you tend to feel like shoes are tight on you, Hokas may definitely be worth a try. While the normal shoes generally seem to be a bit wider and certainly have a bigger toe box, Hoka also offers all of their key running shoe models in wide widths.
It’s a great idea to test these out in a running store and see how both the regular and wide width feel on your feet.
New Balance Shoes
New Balance has been offering wide widths in their shoes for pretty much forever. They offer different widths for their models of shoes so you can find one that works for your feet especially if you have a wide midfoot.
In fact, they are some of the most expansive when it comes to offering a variety of widths from 2A narrow to 2e and 4e wide. I love that you can get workout shoes in an extra-wide width because that’s often a possibility in some dress shoes, but rarely in sports.
Hopefully this helped provide you with more understanding to find the best shoes for your walking or standing all day.
If there’s more shoes you’d like to see, let us know!
Looking for additional walking information?
- Best Skechers Walking Shoes
- Tips for Walking to Lose Weight
- Power Walking for Maximum Fitness
- Best Knee Support for Walking
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