Altra Escalante

Name: Altra Escalante
Brand: Altra
Rating: 4.7 (41 reviews)

Daily trainer · Neutral · Road · 7.2 oz · 0mm drop · 25/25mm stack

Discontinued — we no longer see this shoe in stock. The Altra Escalante 1.5 replaced it

How it ranks

The Altra Escalante ranks among the stronger daily trainers in our data. Comfort and cushioning are its strongest sub-ratings. Looks scores well below its other sub-ratings. The rating rests on 41 runner reviews and 6 other rated shoes in the Escalante product line.

Very good

92/100

Overall

Very good 92

Comfort

Exceptional 99

Cushioning

Exceptional 97

Durability

Good 88

Value

Good 80

Appearance

Decent 76

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

94/100

High 94

What runners say

“Canceled the surgery when I was able to run in the Altra Escalantes.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clayton 2

“Stepping into the Escalante felt like feet had just burst out of jail and experienced fresh air. That toe box!”

5/5 Full review 40 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clifton 5

“The ego midsole has the perfect amount of spring that makes you feel like you can keep running forever.”

5/5 Full review 50 mpw training for a marathon came from the Nike Flex RN 2017

“4 weeks in I was up to 40 miles a week without any flare.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clayton 2

“The upper feels as if you're wearing a sock, but is snug and supportive where you need it.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Vazee Prism v2

“Most Altras feel clunky, but the Escalante midsole is fantastic. Very springy and very durable.”

5/5 Full review 65 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Newton Gravity 6

“The midsole provides plenty of cushioning, but performs like a racing flat.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the New Balance Vazee Prism v2

“Logged 700 miles on a pair. No rips in the upper, good wear on the tread.”

5/5 Full review 60 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Instinct 3.5

“Over 500 miles in first pair with little or no loss of spring in the midsole.”

5/5 Full review 35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the Altra Torin 3.0

“Had pain in toes and on top of foot, and this has been fixed with the Altras.”

5/5 Full review 25 mpw training for a half marathon

Prefer this shoe over another

65% 17/26

Where to buy

No offers available

Affiliate links included. They never affect our ratings.

Prices updated daily. Last checked Sep 14.

Pros

Reviewers praise the wide toe box and the sock-like knit upper.
Light at 7.2 oz, with a midsole reviewers call soft and springy.
Four runners report 500 miles or more before retiring a pair.

Cons

Thirteen reviewers say the stretchy upper lets the foot slide sideways when cornering.
Seven reviewers find it insecure on gravel, trails and uneven ground.
Three reviewers see outsole wear by 250 to 400 miles.

Escalante rates 92. 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

40 60 80 100

92 2017 91 2019 75 2022 81 2024 90 2026 98 2018 87 2020

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

2019 · 12 reviews

91 Very good

86 Confidence
Escalante This shoe

2017 · 41 reviews

92 Very good

94 Confidence

Reader Ratings

41 ratings

5/5 28

4/5 12

3/5 1

2/5 0

1/5 0

See written reviews Write a review

Specs & fit

Sizing and ride details at a glance.

Weight: 7.2 oz
Release: 2017 Q2
MSRP: $130
Stack Height: 25mm heel - 25mm toe
Drop Height: 0mm

Runner reviews

Write a review

Altra escalate

4/5

Overall

This shoe delivered me to my first marathon. Overall very satisfied with my TM and road runs. Not great for trail at all with uneven surface or rocks. I love the zero drop and wide toe box along with the soft upper. If this shoe had more rubber for a more firm sole to protect against Rocky terrain it would be perfect 10/10.

Anonymous runner · Jul 3, 2019

26 mpw training for a marathon came from the Topo Athletic Fli-Lyte 2

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

Reader review

4/5

Overall

Anonymous runner · Jul 2, 2019

10 mpw training for a half marathon

Comfort: 3/5
Cushioning: 4/5
Durability: 3/5
Appearance: 4/5
Value: 4/5

A great all around road shoe

4/5

Overall

The Escalante feels great on your feet. The cushioning feels very responsive. Its light and very flexible. This shoe is great for someone who likes a neutral flexible feel with a soft base. Its a simple shoe with great basics. It looks good with a nice flyknit like upper. This upper is also the source of my one gripe about the shoe. The upper is super flexible which is great unless you are making a sharp turn, in which case your foot slides to the edge of the platform. I wish the shoe were more durable. After 250 miles the cushion had lost its responsiveness. The sole material had worn a bit more than I expected. That said the price is pretty good value overall so I don't mind replacing them sooner. The look good as casual wear too. I love the foot shape of Altras. Being a 0 drop shoe you should definitely be cautious if your last shoe was above a 4mm drop. This is a great shoe overall.

Anonymous runner · Nov 11, 2018

25 mpw came from the Saucony Kinvara 7

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

Escalante Retry

4/5

Overall

The first time I ran in Escalante I was thrilled by the Ego midsole, but disappointed by the lack of any structure in the heel last that made it feel sloppy in uptempo runs on the track. I returned those, but a year later I decided to try them out again and am I impressed! Again, the Ego midsole is comfortable and very responsive. It doesn't feel as sloppy on my foot this time around and I'm giving them a go in a half marathon.

SallyTomato · Nov 3, 2018

16 mpw training for a marathon came from the HOKA Tracer 2

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

Say goodbye to forefoot pain (bunion and hallex limitus)

5/5

Overall

For last 2 years I developed pain in big toe on my left foot. At first the toe would flare and I'd be able to get back to activities after 2 days of rest. I then started wearing orthotics but the toe would flare again and again, usually as I approached peak fitness. But also during unexpected times. It flared once the week before a spring marathon, while I was tapering and running a lot less. More orthotics adding more and more stability. I started with Superfeet carbon, then orange, then orange with a reverse mortons' extension (which actually worked well for a while). But alas the toe flared again. It got to the point where I was set to have surgery. MRIs and CT scans of my left toe revealed a bunion, bone spurring at the joint causing reduced ROM (hallex limitus), bone marrow edema of tibial sesamoid, and a partial tear of the plantar plate. I scheduled surgery for chevron osteotomy to fix the bunion, and chylectomy to clean up the bone spurs that formed at the top of the big toe joint. But I canceled the surgery when I was able to run in the Altra Escalantes. 6 weeks out from surgery I just started running again. 4 weeks in I was up to 40 miles a week without any flare. I canceled the surgery and have been running for about a year without any big toe pain.

Anonymous runner · Oct 2, 2018

35 mpw training for a half marathon came from the HOKA Clayton 2