The Altra Lone Peak 9+ Trail Runner is a zero-drop trail shoe that provides good grip on wet and dry surfaces, a moderate degree of protection, and a moderate cushion. They have a very wide toe box that lets your toes spread out and relax when hiking or running. They are stable shoes with a 25 mm stack height that resists ankle rolling because they’re low to the ground without an enormous cushioned midsole. In addition, they have grippy 5 mm multi-directional lugs with rock plates and rubber toe kicks for protection, with well-draining mesh uppers that prevent sand and trail grit from entering and eating your socks.

The Lone Peak 9+, reviewed here, is identical to the less expensive Lone Peak 9 with one exception. The 9+ model comes with a Vibram Megagrip sole, which provides better traction on wet surfaces, like rock, because it’s made with softer rubber. If you’ve had traction issues with the original Altra MaxTrac sole or hike in an area with a lot of precipitation, getting the Lone Peak 9+ makes sense. Otherwise, the less expensive Lone Peak 9 performs precisely the same as the Lone Peak 9 and costs less.

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Specs at a Glance

• Gender: Men’s (Women’s also available)
• Wide Sizes: Wide sizes are available in certain colors – visit Altra for best selection.
• Weight: 11.5 oz (men’s 10.5 US)
• Heel Drop: 0 mm
• Heel Stack Height: 25 oz mm
• Forefoot Stack Height: 25 mm
• Midsole: Proprietary Foam
• Outsole: Vibram Megagrip Outsole w/ 5 mm Lugs
• Rock Plate: Yes
• Gaiter Trap: Yes
• Width: Regular & Wide

Trail Feel

The Altra Lone Peak 9+ is a moderately cushioned trail running shoe that can be used for hiking, backpacking, and trail running. The shoe’s signature feature is an oversized toe box, which lets your toes splay out as if you were walking barefoot through sand. This is very different from most modern shoes or hiking boots, which still have narrow toe boxes that restrict toe movement, putting more pressure on the balls of your feet and metatarsals

The Lone Peak 9+ is also a zero-drop trail running shoe, meaning that the heel and the toes are level and an equal distance from the ground. This allows for a more stable foot strike that reduces the chance of ankle rolling and means that impacts can be spread out across the entire surface of the foot.

Altra Trail Runners have a gaiter trap behind the heel

If you wear gaiters to keep trail debris out of your shoes, the Lone Peak 9+ has a gaiter trap on the back of the heel of the shoe. This is a piece of velcro that makes it very simple to wear a strapless Dirty Girl Gaiter and removes the need to glue a strip of velcro there for that purpose. It also stays affixed permanently, whereas the homegrown velcro patches I have to glue on other trail runners fall off relatively quickly.

The Lone Peak 9+ is slightly wider in the toebox compared to the Lone Peak 8, even in a regular width size. If it feels wide for you there are plenty of lace holes on the shoe to tighten the fit. If you still prefer a narrower fit, particularly in the heel, the Altra Superior will be a better choice.

Stability

Low to the ground, the 9+ is a stable shoe that resists ankle rolling

The Lone Peak 9+ is a very stable shoe because it’s a zero-drop shoe where your forefoot and heel are at the same height and close to the ground. That and the enhanced proprioception you get from walking with spayed toes make it much easier to sense changing trail conditions and terrain so you can adapt your stride accordingly.

Protection

A substantial front toe kick protects your toes from impacts

As a trail runner, it is essential to have a shoe that is going to protect the bottom of your feet, drain quickly if it gets wet, and provide good breathability in the upper part of the shoe. The Lone Peak 9+ does all three.

1. The Lone Peak 9+ has a rock plate (Altra calls it a Stone Guard), which is a must-have for hiking on more technical rocky trails. It lies between the shoe’s outsole and midsole for underfoot protection and helps protect the soles of your feet from being bruised by sharp rocks and stones you may walk or run over.
2. The upper’s finely pored, breathable mesh keeps your feet cool while preventing coarse sand and grit from entering the shoe.
3. Drainage is also excellent for those times, especially in spring, when you can’t avoid giant mud pits or high stream crossings. Many trail runners with large-pored mesh uppers fail miserably on this dimension, especially in sandy desert terrain.

There’s also a wide rubber toe kick in front of the toes, slightly off-center and positioned in front of the big toe. It is substantially wider on the Lone Peak 9+ compared to the Lone Peak 8, providing more protection for your toes and toenails. Long bumpers on the sides of the toe box also help reduce abrasion to the shoe’s uppers, so your shoes will last longer. 

Traction

Multi-directional lugs provide grip and braking

The Lone Peak 9+ has a Vibram Megagrip outsole with 5mm multi-directional lugs that provide good grip on any kind of surface, including wet rock or pavement. The lugs under the ball of the foot are designed to provide traction when running or climbing while the lugs toward the rear of the shoe are oriented in the opposite direction to enhance braking and drainage.

Interspersed in and among the lugs are drain holes in the front of the shoe to shed water if the shoes get soaked. The drains are fed by a circular hole cut into the footbed under the ball of the foot and below the heel. While most of the water that gets into the shoe drains through the mesh upper, some does make it under the insole and through this drainage port.  Good drainage in a trail runner is a must-have if you hike in a wet climate with a lot of stream crossings.

Recommendation

Altra Lone Peak 9+ Trail Runners are a good choice if you are someone who is looking for a trail shoe that provides grip on wet and dry surfaces, a moderate degree of protection, and a moderate cushion. They have a large toe box that lets your toes splay out and relax with aggressive lugs underfoot that are positioned and oriented to provide enhanced traction and braking. This model is identical to the Lone Peak 9 with the exception of the sole, which is made with Vibram’s Megagrip, which has a reputation of providing better traction on wet surfaces. If you’ve owned previous versions of the Lone Peak, you’ll find that the 9+ is wider in the toe box.

You might wonder why Altra came with the Lone Peak 9+ trail runner shortly after they shipped the Lone Peak 9. Why didn’t they just put the new Vibram sole on the regular Lone Peak 9, like they’ve done on their other shoes, including the Timp, without a price bump? I figure they saw an opportunity to overcome the blowback of a hefty price increase on their most popular product. I find it a bit disingenuous, not to mention confusing, but that’s how marketing people think about consumer pricing.

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