Altra Lone Peak 9 Review: Trail Tough or Not Enough?

All shoes are reviewed by the Fleet Feet tester team, which represents a wide variety of goals, foot shapes, running locations and terrains. Reviewers pound the pavement, climb the hills, tackle the trails, then come together to compare notes. Debates ensue over the feel of the cushioning, the purpose of the shoe, and how it compares to last year’s model. While each reviewer has their own individual preferences, we hope that capturing our debates will help you make an informed decision.

The Lone Peak summit in Northern Utah is known for its narrow canyons, high peaks and rugged terrain. It’s just the type of place where you’d want to bring your most trusty trail shoes. Enter the Altra Lone Peak 9, available December 1.

The Lone Peak franchise has been around for over a decade, providing runners with comfort and protection to tackle the trails. The latest iteration features a new ripstop mesh upper, a tacky, grippy outsole and a firm midsole.

Can the Lone Peak 9 live up to its namesake by standing up to tricky, technical trails? Or is it better suited for hikes along your local rail trail? Read on to find out.

The Lone Peak 9 features the same Altra technology used in the 8: a MaxTrac™ outsole and EGO™ midsole foam. However, both of these technologies have been updated in the latest version of the Lone Peak. The outsole has been updated with a stickier, tackier material to increase its grip, and the midsole adds “more comfort and connection to the ground,” according to Altra. Mandy agreed with that last sentiment.

“The thing I noticed most about running and hiking in the Lone Peak 9 is the connection to the ground,” she says. “Both the updated midsole material as well as the updated grip on the outsole really gave me a sense of security and confidence as I was trail running. My daughter and I did a nature hike, and I had to carry her on my shoulders for the last half-mile. I felt comfortable doing so despite the extra 40 pounds on my shoulders. I also went for a trail run with my dog [aptly named Mischief] and the shoes felt grippy, even as she tried to pull me into the creek.”

But is there such a thing as too much ground connection? Travis thought so.

“I took the Lone Peak on an hour-long trail run on one of my favorite trails,” he says. “This trail has everything–rocks, roots, hills, sharp turns, and there are a couple of flatter sections where you can pick up the pace. On the flatter parts, the Lone Peak felt light and responsive. When I hit the rockier and rootier parts, though, I noticed pretty quickly that the cushion felt minimal. I felt absolutely every rock and root that I ran over. While I don’t think a lot of ground contact is necessarily a bad thing, as I want to have good proprioception while running on technical surfaces, it felt like too much at times. I think if I were hiking and not putting as much force into the ground it would feel okay, but for running I wish the shoes had more cushion to absorb the impact.”

Travis agreed with Mandy about the shoe’s traction, noting that the outsole is grippy enough for wet, muddy trails.

If you’re new to Altra running shoes, you should note that most of their models feature a zero-drop offset. That means that your heel and forefoot are sitting at the same distance from the ground. Most popular running shoes have between a 4- and 8-millimeter heel-to-toe drop so, if you haven’t run in a zero-drop shoe before, it can take some getting used to. Zero-drop shoes can put more pressure on your calves and achilles, and can strengthen those muscles so long as you ease into it, as is the case with most things in running.

“I like to throw a zero-drop shoe into my mix every once in a while to really engage my calves,” says Max. “As I started to pick up the pace during the last mile of my run, I really started to feel the burn in my calves–in a good way!”

Mandy agreed, noting that she personally prefers a narrower fit for trail running.

If you have narrow feet like Max or you just prefer a narrow fit like Mandy, you may want to size down in the Lone Peak 9 or go with an Altra trail shoe that offers a snugger fit, like the Timp 5. And if you’re unsure about the width of your feet, your best bet is to head into your local Fleet Feet. Fleet Feet outfitters use 3D fit id® foot scanning technology to gather information about your feet and the support they need by taking precise measurements of your foot length, width and arch height, so you can learn a lot about your feet while you’re there.

The main updates to the Lone Peak 9 are the refined ripstop mesh upper, the updated MaxTrac™ outsole and the adjusted EGO™ midsole foam. But are these upgrades or just updates?

While reviewers weren’t crazy about the fit of the Lone Peak, they did notice that the upper material felt durable and protective while remaining comfortable.

“Typically trail shoes can be super structured with their uppers, but the new Lone Peak feels soft while still offering enough protection from roots and rocks,” Mandy says.

Reviewers enjoyed the updated outsole but remained mixed on the firm-feeling midsole.

“The outsole of the Lone Peak 8 had a different, less grippy rubber pattern in two key areas: under the big toe and under the heel,” Max says. “The Lone Peak 9 does away with that and places the regular MaxTrac™ rubber lugs under those two areas to enhance the traction. There’s also an updated middle channel near the heel that will add traction in muddy conditions.”

The Lone Peak 9 weighs slightly more than the 8, but not enough for reviewers to notice a difference.

We took a look at some comparable models to see how they stack up against the Lone Peak 9. Here’s what we found.

We found the Lone Peak 9 to feel most similar to the Saucony Peregrine 14 and the Karhu Ikoni Trail. All three shoes have a relatively moderate stack height and low heel-to-toe drop (with Altra being the only zero-drop option).

The Lone Peak 9’s moderate cushioning, grippy outsole and spacious fit make it a great choice for trail runners who enjoy some extra wiggle room and a lot of ground feedback while they run over tricky terrain.

“The Lone Peak is great for casual hikers to people running 100 miles. Runners will enjoy the extra room in the forefoot for their toes to wiggle, the grippy outsole and the cushion and comfort in this shoe. This is not an overly cushioned shoe, but you feel more connected to the ground in it,” Mandy says.

While Travis would prefer more cushioning underfoot to run long distances, he recommends it to those looking for a more minimalist trail experience.

“I’d recommend the Lone Peak 9 for a trail runner looking to mix in a zero drop shoe,” says Max. “The Lone Peak 9 honestly spiced my workouts up a bit and kept things feeling fresh, making me really want to get out the door.”