The Altra Lone Peak 4.5 is a wide fitting foot shaped trail running shoe with great grip but dogged by an uncomfortable heel and less cushioning that its previous version. Buy the previous Lone Peak 4.0 for $20 less while there is still remaining discounted stock, it’s a better shoe all round.

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You may also be interested in my Best Shoes for Trails Guide.

In Depth Review

The Altra Lone Peak 4.5 is the latest version of the Lone Peak and to be honest its not quite as good as the previous version I reviewed here. If you want to save yourself some time save yourself $20 and snap up one of the discounted Lone Peak 4.0s before they all get snapped up. They are a superb trail shoe.

The new version will certainly meet the needs for almost everyone on trail, but some of the tweaks in the heel, sides and cushioning will not suit runners and hikers that spend the entire day on their feet,and if you are on rocky terrain this latest version is going to meat grinder your feet if you do more than a few hours in them.

Since Altras sale to a bigger conglomerate a few things have changed, their sales have increased as the tweaks have a wider mass appeal, but the niche Golden Harper carved out for a unique shoe for long distance runners is being eroded by corporate decisions. At the time of writing I think Altra have too many different version of trail shoe and its about time the Timp or Lone Peak got merged to created a better shoe in between.

Uppers and Fabric

The ‘new threads’ on the top are great. Out for a run on a in these I can actually slightly feel the wind on my feet. That’s a good thing because it means the upper mesh is nice and breathable to keep your feet from getting clammy.

There is also 4 attachment points for gaiters to help keep splash and stones from getting down your ankle and driving you bonkers on long runs and a good level of reinforced rubber rounds the sides to keep rocks from causing damage.

Laces

The Altra website says these are new improved more simple laces. I can’t tell what that means.

Cushioning

So according to the website these have the same 25mm of cushioning that the previous version had. This is more than enough for most people on shorter runs or walks on trails, but they definitely feel thinner than the previous versions. There is no real hard rockplate on these to protect from rocks pushing up from underneath so the result is a comfortable ride on a smooth trail but on rocky trail you’ll feel every rock and over long periods of time beyond marathon distance your feet are going to get a pounding.

Grip

 When running on rocks I can feel that the material has great grip and seems identical to what they are using on the King MTs .They also don’t clog much in the mud and give you as much grip as possible in the wet. There is extra attention to having lugs that give you grip at the ball of your foot as you ‘push off’ for the next stride.

Foot Shaped and Wide Fit Are Two Different Things

For many runners looking at these shoes you may think they look wide, and they are. I’ve found that the longer the distances I run the more your feet will swell and expand and no where is this more important than your toes. If you care looking to run trails of distances above marathon or if you are a heavier/slower bulldozer of a runner like I am comfort is really important and your feet need space to breathe or they get blisters.

Zero Drop

It used to be that Altra talked about their shoes bing ‘Zero Drop’ but after being sold there seems to be something of a ‘rebrand’ going on. It now seems to be called ‘balanced cushioning’ and refers to having your heel and ball of foot at the same height relative to each other. You might be surprised to know that most running and hiking shoes have about a 4mm to 8mm lift between the heel and the toe area. The thinking with ‘balanced cushioning’ is you get a more natural gait but the jury will forever be out on this one as some people can also experience rather tight achilles tendons from this type of zero drop and even stiff and painful calves.

If you want to ‘transition’ into this set up I suggest wedging a cut out from an old insole heel under the insole on these to give you a temporary ‘midway’ set up from previous shoe to this zero drop, especially if you start to feel calf or heel tightness. My prediction is we will see Altra gently creep backwards and away from their zero drop mentality over the next few years in a way that doesn’t highlight the fact that they fanfared about it when they first launched.

Gaiter Trap

We’ve all had what feels like a boulder rattling round near our heel on trail. When you open up the shoe I’m always amazed how much grief such small little stones can cause. Altras come with a metal hook down near the start of the lacing and a velcro gaiter attachment point on the heel so you can easily add gaiters to these shoes to help keep trail dirt out.

Gripes

Altra has been dogged by quality issues in the last few years, one of the reasons they stopped being my favourite trail shoe. The weak points for the material tearing remaining around the toe area. Despite being foot shaped I still think you need to buy these half a size up as well.

Closest Contender

If you are looking for a wide fitting, high level of cushioning and grip running shoe then there are two shoes that do this better. The Lalo Zodiac and Topo Ultraventure both do a better job than the current Lone Peak 4.5.

Verdict

The Altra Lone Peak 4.5 is a wide fitting foot shaped trail running shoe with great grip but dogged by an uncomfortable heel and less cushioning that its previous version. Buy the previous Lone Peak 4.0 for $20 less, it’s a better shoe all round.

Specs and Features

• Weight: 10.5 oz / 298 g
• Insole: 5 mm Contour Footbed
• Midsole: Dual Layer EVA / A-Bound™ with StoneGuard™
• Outsole: MaxTrac™ Rubber with TrailClaw™

• Cushion: Moderate
• Stack Height: 25 mm
• Upper: Durable Quick-Dry Air Mesh

About Altra

Altra Running, commonly known as Altra, is an American company engaged in the design, development, marketing, and sales of road running, trail running, and general footwear. Altra has been ranked in the top 10 brands in “run specialty” and number 4 for trail running.

In 2016, the company started to manufacture running and hiking apparel with a line of jackets, shorts, shirts, and socks. Altra developed a backless windbreaker that can be easily slipped on over a backpack or hydration pack during long distance running