What Shoes Should You Wear Canyoneering? (Probably the Ones You Already Own)

One of the questions we hear all the time is, "What kind of shoes should I wear canyoneering?"

Here's the short answer: it probably doesn't matter as much as you think.

If you join us on a trip, we'll make it work. We've guided guests wearing Crocs, Chacos, hiking boots, approach shoes, trail runners, and just about everything in between. While there are certainly better choices for certain canyons and conditions, there isn't one perfect shoe for every person or every adventure.

If you're searching for the best shoes for canyoneering, the answer is less about finding the "right" shoe and more about understanding the tradeoffs. Every option has strengths and weaknesses, and part of becoming more comfortable in the outdoors is learning what works best for you.

If you've spent time with our guides, you've probably noticed they don't all wear the same footwear. That's intentional. Some prefer Crocs. Others love Chacos. A few won't go anywhere without their approach shoes, while others stick with hiking boots. It isn't a uniform. It's a choice.

At All Ways Adventure, we do offer guidance. Closed-toe shoes are often a good idea because they protect your feet from rocks, sticks, cactus, and the occasional poorly placed step. But it's not a hard rule. Whenever possible, we'd rather help people make informed decisions than simply hand them a list of rules to follow.

Every type of canyoneering footwear comes with compromises. Kitchen Crocs drain quickly (after a moderate modification), are surprisingly grippy, and perform better in water than most people expect. The downside is that pebbles and sand love finding their way between your foot and the sole. Chacos and other hiking sandals keep your feet cool and dry quickly, but they also leave your toes exposed to rocks. Boots and approach shoes provide excellent protection and traction, but they absorb water, become heavier throughout the day, and can take much longer to dry.

What we love most is giving people the opportunity to figure this out for themselves.

Maybe someone chooses Chacos and discovers they don't enjoy stubbing their toes. Maybe another guest wears waterproof boots and realizes that wet, heavy footwear isn't worth the extra protection for the type of canyon they enjoy. Those lessons tend to stick far longer than if we'd simply required everyone to wear the same thing from the beginning.



And that's really the point.

This isn't actually a blog about shoes.

It's about judgment.

One of the reasons we love taking people into wild places is that the outdoors asks us to think. It asks us to solve problems, adapt when conditions change, and make decisions with imperfect information. Those are muscles that get stronger with practice, and they don't grow if every decision has already been made for us.

Sometimes it feels like we've become increasingly uncomfortable with gray areas. Instead of teaching people how to assess risk and make thoughtful decisions, we often replace judgment with rules. Rules certainly make things simpler, but they can also discourage the messy, very human process of learning through experience.

Of course, some rules deserve to be absolute. In canyoneering, there is no gray area when it comes to building solid anchors, tying knots correctly, checking rappel systems, or practicing safe technique. Those standards exist because the consequences of getting them wrong are serious.

Footwear isn't one of those things.

Choosing between Crocs, Chacos, hiking boots, or approach shoes is exactly the kind of decision that belongs in the realm of personal judgment. It's a chance to weigh the pros and cons, make a choice, experience the outcome, and adjust the next time. That process builds confidence in a way that simply following instructions never can.

One of the beautiful things about canyoneering is how immediate the feedback is. If your shoes give you blisters, you'll know by lunchtime. If your sandals leave your toes exposed, you'll probably remember every stubbed rock. If your boots stay soaked for six hours, you'll likely consider a different option on your next trip. Those aren't failures. They're experiences, and experience is one of the best teachers the outdoors has to offer.

I'm not arguing for chaos in the canyon. Safety always comes first, and our guides take that responsibility seriously. But I do think it's worth recognizing the subtle cost of unnecessary rules. When we leave room for people to make small decisions, experience manageable consequences, and adapt, we're helping them become more capable, confident, and resilient.

Because in the bigger picture, it doesn't really matter whether someone wears Crocs or boots.

What matters is that they got outside.

They made a choice.

They learned something.

And they came away a little more capable, a little more confident, and maybe even a little more adventurous.

So we're curious: what did you wear on your first canyoneering trip? Would you make the same choice again? Shoot us an email at info@allwaysadventure.com to get the conversation going.