Columbia Montrail Caldorado II

Field Notes: Newbies, the Columbia Montrail Caldorado II is the shoe that’ll teach you how to enjoy trail running. Combine traction and comfort with some of the brightest colorways we’ve seen, and you’re looking at the Colorado II. With Omni Grip and TrailShield tech, there was no slipping around thanks to co-molding between outsole and midsole that protects your foot from sharp and pointed obstacles you may encounter on the trail. And the FluidGuide technology that adapts to changes in trail condition and terrain aided in stability so we never felt unsure of our footing. 

Even with a mesh seamless upper, our feet stayed dry on rainy runs and through the occasional puddle. These were an absolute pleasure to have on a run whether on trail or pavement thanks to the FluidFoam in the midsole. This is an excellent intro shoe for the curious trail running soul. One of the lightest weight trails shoes Active Junky testers ran in, the Montrail Caldorado comes in shoe sizes from 5 to 11 to cover all average-sized feet.  

Tester Comments: “Our tester received no hot spots at all, right out of the box. She also suffers from plantar fasciitis so the fact she didn’t need a special insole was a pleasant surprise bonus. She suffers from extremely weak ankles and the stiffness of the shoe was just enough for her to feel comfortable taking on numerous trail type.”

Pros: Columbia has perfected their trail tech with Omni-grip, Trail Shield, and FluidGuide. The combo of these built into one shoe makes this a great women’s trail running shoe for those new or curious about the sport to give this dirt-under-foot thing a try. 

Cons: We weren’t digging the lacing as it came untied far too quickly and easily unless double knotted. 

Key Attribute: Value