Type a shoe name, like Pegasus, Clifton or Kayano.

Altra Escalante 2

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 9.2 oz · 24/24mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Altra Escalante 2.5 replaced it

How it ranks

The Altra Escalante 2 ranks among the stronger daily trainers in our data. Comfort and durability are its strongest sub-ratings. Cushioning scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 12 runner reviews and 6 other rated shoes in the Escalante product line.

Altra Escalante 2

of 5

Very good

91/100
Overall
91
Comfort
97
Durability
86
Value
82
Appearance
77
Cushioning
74
Confidence

Confidence

How settled the rating is against every other rated shoe. A shoe can rate high on confidence with relatively few reviews of its own when its product line has a long record and external ratings from retailer sites agree. Confidence will score low when we have few ratings or when runners disagree.

See the product line's history

Confidence

86/100

86

What runners say

“There are almost no shoes that my toes can fit in without being scrunched in at the sides. I have a narrow heel and super wide toes. The Altra's fit my feet.”
4/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Saucony Kinvara 8
“1/2 size small so size up.”
5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for ultramarathons
“Finally, a shoe I can run in comfortably without the squeeze on my toes.”
5/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Merrell Vapor Glove 4
“The heel collar is far too weak to secure your foot because of the wide toe box.”
3/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Topo Athletic Magnifly 2
“I've been running in these shoes for about 3 years and have come to appreciate the zero drop ride and durability.”
5/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Merrell Vapor Glove 4
“Can go out for a 10 mile run and feel fresh afterwards.”
5/5 Full review 90 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Nike Free 3.0 V5
“No matter how much you re-tie your shoes, you never get that good "lock".”
3/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Topo Athletic Magnifly 2
“This shoe is a bit firmer than the 1.5 which is super nice to feel supported on the long run.”
5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for ultramarathons
“When the shoe does finally break down, I still use them for yard work.”
5/5 Full review 15 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Merrell Vapor Glove 4
“They have just a little cushion, which is just right for me as I work to develop functional feet.”
4/5 Full review 30 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

53% 8/15

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.


Pros

  • Five reviewers say the wide toe box fits feet that get squeezed in other shoes.
  • Comfort averages 4.7 out of 5 across twelve reviews, and reviewers call it unobtrusive over ten-mile runs.
  • A flexible zero-drop ride at 9.2 oz that reviewers use for training and faster sessions.

Cons

  • One of the twelve reviewers finds the heel collar too weak to lock the foot down.
  • One reviewer feels the foot sliding off the platform on uneven ground, and another finds zero drop harder to adapt to than expected.

Rating & Confidence vs. other shoes for sale

Each dot is one rated shoe for sale, placed by its rating and by how much evidence sits behind it. Shoes toward the top right are both well rated and well established.

Confidence
50 60 70 80 90 100 25 50 75 100

Better Shoes Rating

Escalante 2 rates 91. This shoe has high certainty. See how we rate shoes.

Better Shoes Rating of prior versions of the Altra Escalante

Each dot is one version of the Escalante, placed by its rating and release year. The gold dot is this shoe.

Rating

Release year

We use the reviews of past versions to inform this shoe’s rating. See why.
  • Escalante 2.5

    2020 · 5 reviews

    87 Good

    67 Confidence

  • Escalante 1.5

    2018 · 17 reviews

    98 Exceptional

    95 Confidence

  • Escalante 5

    2026 · 2 reviews

    90 Very good

    66 Confidence

  • Escalante 4

    2024 · 7 reviews

    81 Good

    69 Confidence

  • Escalante 3

    2022 · 15 reviews

    75 Decent

    81 Confidence

  • Escalante 2 This shoe

    2019 · 12 reviews

    91 Very good

    86 Confidence

  • Escalante

    2017 · 41 reviews

    92 Very good

    94 Confidence

Reader Ratings

12 ratings
5/5 8
4/5 3
3/5 1
2/5 0
1/5 0

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight
9.2 oz
Release
2019 Q2
MSRP
$130
Stack Height
24mm heel - 24mm toe

Runner reviews

Write a review

Showing 11–12 of 12 written reviews

Altra Escalante

5/5

Overall

Best shoe ever. I hope they don't stop making it. Too many shoes these days do not flex which is ridiculous. These do, have a wide toe box (best worn with Injinji toe socks), and have zero drop.

Anonymous runner · Jul 5, 2019

24 mpw training for a half marathon came from the adidas adistar Boost ESM

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
5/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
4/5
Value
5/5

Altra Escalate

5/5

Overall

Very comfortable and excellent for my wide foot and high arch

Anonymous runner · Jul 4, 2019

30 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Paradigm 4.5

Comfort
5/5
Cushioning
4/5
Durability
4/5
Appearance
4/5
Value
4/5

Alternatives

Other shoes worth considering.

More from Altra

Compared to other shoes

See how this shoe compares to others like it.

Current shoe
Choose a model
Reference shoe
Newest / Lowest price
Lightest / Best overall / Best comfort
Shoe properties
Type
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Daily trainer
Pronation
Neutral
Neutral
Neutral
Weight
9.2 oz M
8.5 oz M Lightest
Stack
24/24mm
40/35mm
Drop
5mm
Release
2019 Q2
2026 Newest
2023 Q1
MSRP
$130
$140
$145
Best price
$139.95 Lowest price
$149.99
Ratings
Overall
Very good (91)
Very good (90)
Exceptional (99) Best overall
Comfort
Exceptional (97)
Excellent (96)
Exceptional (99) Best comfort
Cushioning
Decent (74)
Decent (76)
Exceptional (99) Best cushioning
Durability
Good (86)
Good (89)
Very good (92) Best durability
Appearance
Decent (77)
Decent (73)
Very good (91) Best appearance
Value
Good (82)
Good (86)
Good (88) Best value
Specific shoe

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