Am I making something up??
Is there a shoe that's great for hiking rough terrain and also swimming? Or crossing creeks and such? Last summer we went to a state park in Tennessee that was AMAZING. We are going back this summer, but I know we want - NEED - good shoes that will work for hiking a mountainside and swimming in the base of the water fall.
Check out Chaco, Merrill and Teva. I have all 3 and love them. The ones I have I use more so for wading in the water (canoeing and kayaking) than actual swimming, but they are great for hiking. I am sure all 3 brands sell a lighter swim shoe.
There are brands of barefoot shoes that are good for both, I have a pair of Vibrams I love that work great for both the trail and water. But, because the toe ones look a little funny and the more shoe looking ones were into as “barefoot” they do not seem to be as highly available as they once were, so you may have some challenge in finding a pair. But I have not looked in a couple of years, the ones I have are still holding up for the moment.
Tevas are good. Also look at the not-clog versions of Crocs…depending on how rough the ground is, some styles of Crocs could be good (they are very sturdy).
LL Bean and Land’s End are two more places to look at.
Teva? Seems to be the most popular here in CA.
I agree with Teva, or Morrill, or any of those outdoorsy brands. I recently bought some water shoes for my kids that are very lightweight but tennis shoe shaped so that they have coverage, could ride a bike, but still go snorkeling with them and they were great. You might need a sturdier option if you’re doing serious hiking, but these were great and were only $20 on Amazon.
These are the shoes I seriously considered buying last year.
I decided not to because we weren’t going to do anything that really required that type of shoe. But they were very comfortable in the store!
Chacos and Tevas!!
Updated
Chacos and Tevas!!
Look on LL Bean website.
several years ago we went to visit family in utah, and my aunt lent me a pair of shoes to hike a slot canyon with a creek at the bottom. those things were magic. they look like crocs, but they’re called ‘leisure ways’ and they were comfortable, light, and tough as nails. best of all they had super traction on the slippery wet rocks.
i took 'em with me and wore them for years. they were perfect for swimming in lakes or oceans with sketchy bottoms, for hiking in all kinds of inclement weather (except cold- useless in cold.)
the tread is gone now and they don’t work any more, but i’ve kept them so i could find another pair. thank you for reminding me to get on that.
ETA, yes, my vibram 5-fingers are also good for that sort of thing! and i love them. expensive, though.
khairete
suz
Teva and Keen are both good
Thank you all! I will definitely check out the shoes recommended and start buying them to prepare for our trip. I appreciate the input. We are not avid hikers at all, but when we go to the state park, you can’t NOT hike the mountain to the base of the water fall. It will be so easy if we don’t have to hail a second pair of shoes with us.