By Brian Metzler

We’re deep in the throes of half marathon and marathon season, but fall is also a great time to go trail running. Cooler temperatures and colorful leaves make it a perfect time for long weekend trail runs. If you’re new to trail running, you might wonder if you should or shouldn’t run on trails with your road running shoes. Well, you can, but your favorite road runners are, generally speaking, not the best tool for the job. Trail running shoes offer enhanced traction, protection, and durability that will make your off-road running experiences much, much better.

But which trail shoes should you be wearing, you ask? I’ve said many times that the best trail running shoe for you is the one that excels on the type of terrain you run most often.  If you run mild dirt trails in a local park or along a river path, you’ll probably want to opt for a road-to-trail hybrid shoe that feels a lot like a road running shoe but offers enhanced traction. If you live in or near the mountains and run rocky trails a lot, you’ll want a durable shoe that offers a mix of cushioning, protection, and durability. What if you run a little bit of everything? Then you’ll want to find a versatile do-everything shoe that can cover a wide range of trail terrain without any glaring weaknesses.

Here are three trail shoes that fit those categories for your off-road adventures this fall.

Road to Trail Hybrid: The North Face Vectiv Enduris 3 ($150)

Weights: 9.0 oz. (women’s 8), 10.8 oz (men’s 9) 

Heel-Toe Drop: 6mm, 30mm (heel), 24mm (forefoot)

This relatively lightweight shoe has all of the creature comforts of a road running shoe with just enough grip from the traction provided by its low-profile lugs on the outsole. There is a good amount of soft cushioning under your feet and a semi-firm TPU plate embedded in the midsole to provide protection from sharp rocks and roots. There’s not a lot of protection in the upper, but a reinforced toe box will keep your piggies from getting smashed if you stub your toe on a rock. (And yes, stubbing your toes is a common thing in trail running!) While this shoe won’t be great for routes with jagged rocks, it excels as a smooth-riding cruiser on soft dirt trails.

Do-Everything Versatile Cruiser: Saucony Peregrine 14 ($140)

Weights: 8.5 oz. (women’s 8), 10.1 oz. (men’s 9)

Heel-Toe Drop: 4mm; 28mm (heel), 24mm (forefoot)

The Saucony Peregrine is a versatile, neutral-oriented shoe that’s lightweight, agile, grippy, and fun. It has an ideal blend of cushioning, traction and protection that makes it versatile enough for tackling a wide range of terrain from smooth dirt paths and muddy trails to moderately rocky routes and even gravel roads. Its 5mm outsole lugs offer enough traction on more challenging terrain, but they seem to nicely disappear when running on firmer, smoother terrain. If I had one trail running shoe for the rest of my days as a runner, it would be the latest edition of the Saucony Peregrine.

Rugged Mountain Marauder: La Sportiva Bushido III ($145)

Weights: 9.1 oz. (women’s 8), 10.2 oz. (men’s 9)

Heel-Toe Drop: 6mm; 28mm (heel), 22mm (forefoot)

If you’re running on rugged mountain trails, you don’t want to skimp on protection. La Sportiva trail running shoes are known for 360-degree protection for your feet and exceptional traction from its sticky rubber FriXion XT outsoles. The Bushido III has just enough cushioning and interior padding to provide long-haul comfort, but, more importantly, it has loads of protection and unparalleled grip on all sorts of technical terrain. I’ve taken this shoe over the rockiest routes in Colorado, over gnarly off-trail scree and boulder fields, and up and down several 14,000-foot peaks. It feels a tad bit firm and obtuse on smooth dirt trails, but it will protect you feet and keep your steps secure on wild, treacherous terrain.