Best Women’s Hiking Skirts For Hiking & Everyday Life

Are You Ready To Try A Hiking Skirt?

When it comes to hiking, comfort, style, and functionality are key considerations for every female hiker, regardless of size. For bigger female hikers who are seeking the perfect balance between freedom of movement and feminine expression on the trails, women’s hiking skirts are a great option and alternative to traditional hiking pants or shorts. Designed for curvier figures, my picks for the best hiking skirts are not only practical but also stylish, ensuring you feel confident and comfortable during your outdoor adventures. As a trusted source for plus-size hikers, I understand the importance of finding gear that fits well and performs under challenging conditions.

I started hiking in the summer wearing hiking skirts and dresses last year. Most of the time when I am done hiking I like to go out for the celebratory dinner and wanted to be wearing something nicer than my hiking shorts and figured I would try a hiking skirt. This was a good option for me instead of bringing an entire extra set of clothes to change into. I also fell in love with wearing a hiking skirt instead of shorts on my hot summer hikes. 

These hiking skirts are also great for your everyday life. I love it when my hiking attire can also be worn in my everyday life. Are you ready to dive into the best hiking skirts? 

What Is A Hiking Skirt

Plain and simple, it is a skirt designed for hiking. Alright, alright, there is a little more to them than that! Most hiking skirts are actually skirts because they have the second layer with built-in shorts. They almost always have a zippered pocket and some of the built-in shorts also have pockets. 

They are generally made from a lightweight and breathable fabric, much like your hiking shorts and hiking pants are. With the new interest in hiking shorts you can now get some with built in UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) protection, odor control and moisture wicking properties. 

Hiking skirts come in a variety of lengths, from short athletic skirts to knee length skirts all the way down to ankle length skirts. I will tell you that the long skirts were not a great idea for me to hike in. I tend to find trails which require me to scurry up rock cliffs and a long skirt was not ideal for that. Also, I only tried hiking skirts that had a stretchy waistband. Having and elastic waistband while I hike is just what I am comfortable with. I also find that my weight fluctuates during my summer hiking season and having a stretchy waistband means that the skirt can grow or shrink with me. This also means I get more time out of wearing them as apposed to a non adjustable waist. 

What If I Want Extra Coverage?

Hiking in a skirt can take some getting used to. If it is still a little chilly out and you want some extra warmth on your legs you can opt for the extra base layers of a pair of leggings. Some good options to wear as an additional base layer is your standard pair of leggings, or athletic shorts. Especially if you are worried about the wind taking your flowy skirt in the wrong direction!

I tend to like the short skirts better and unfortunately my inner thighs tend to rub together and become raw, even with the built in shorts. I often opt for a pair of bike shorts or compression shorts to wear underneath. These work the best for me at preventing inner thigh chaffing while wearing a hiking skirt or hiking dress. And without further ado, let’s dive in shall we?

My go to short and athletic hiking skirt is none other than the Athleta Run With It 14″ Skirt. The sizing for this skirt goes up to a 3X and only comes in 3 colors, black, white and a seasonal color. If you are looking for a variety of different colors this is not the skirt for you. Being that it is the shortest skirt it is also my favorite for the summer season. 

 Get ready to wall in love the first time you try this skirt on! I absolutely love the feel of the fabric and how it moves with me while I am hiking. This hiking skirt also had the best under shorts out of all the ones I tried. The built-in shorts hardly moved while I was on the hiking trail! The fabric was both soft and breathable. Made from recycled polyester it also includes a UPF of 50+ and is snag resistant! My favorite part is the stretch waistband! 

The skirt does not have side pockets however it does have a small zippered pocket at the back. I never used the pocket while hiking but I did use it for my inhaler while at the gym and it did give me easy access to it. The pocket however was not large enough for my phone when I tried it. 

I not only wear this skirt while on the hiking trail, I wear this skirt doing my everyday errands and to the gym. Once the weather finally warms up this is the first skirt I go for. I also cannot wait to put this skirt on and take a long hike. 

Top Pick For Best Mid Length Hiking Skirts

When I saw this next skirt I just couldn’t pass it up. I love my Vista Camp Pants so when I saw that L.L. Bean had a Vista Camp Skort I had to have it.  It quickly became one the best skirts for my outdoor activities. At 18″ I consider this a mid length skirt. Like the pants this also sits below the waist and is considered Mid-Rise. One great feature about this hiking skirt is the two large pockets in the front and two pockets in the back. The large secure pockets in front are zippered so you don’t have to worry about losing anything out of them, unless you forget to zip them, like I do!

This particular skirt features and elastic waistband and a draw string, my favorite! I love a good stretchy waistband, that means I can eat more cookies! The hiking skirt features a 4 ” skort inseam which is great at helping prevent thigh chaffing on a long day. I also like my skort part shorter than so it was a good length for me. 

The fabric is moisture wicking which is perfect for hot sweaty hike. One great addition to this skirt is the UPF of 50+. This skirt will help block the sun while you tackle long distances on the trail.

The only thing I did not like about this skirt was the lack of color choices. It currently comes in 6 colors and all of them are on the darker side. I wish they had this in a nice bright color. Although, the darker colors do seem to go with pretty much everything. The skirt also comes in sizes up to 3X. 

Top Pick For Best Knee-Length Hiking Skirts

Now ladies, finding this knee length skirt was no easy feat. I looked high and low for this one, an fyi, the options were limited when it came to finding a knee-length skirt for hiking. It was between the Macabi skirt and the Laureate knee-length lightweight skirt from Baleaf. For me, the Baleaf skirt won out. I like this skirt for the windy day in spring and fall, when I feel like I need a little more leg coverage. The line of this hiking skirt falls just at the top of the knee. 

It has plenty of pockets with 2 in the front and the added bonus of one small hidden pocket in the waistband. Of course, one of my favorite features is the inner drawstring. I am always gaining and losing weight during the hiking season and it is great to have that drawstring to help shrink with me. 

The built in shorts are a mesh which helps with breathability. I loved the high rise of the waistband and the ruffled bottom of the skirt makes it the perfect choice to wear in your everyday life. You know I love multi functional! One of the advantages of a skirt like this is you can pair it with a nice button up shirt, hip belt and be ready for the office. 

Something I was worried about with wearing a knee length skirt, as I am sure other women hikers are, is that it would restrict my ability to move. I am happy to inform you that I had full range of motion with this skirt. With that said, I would be careful if you are doing any sort of rock scrambling/climbing as you can step on it hiking up a steep portion of a trail. I learned that the hard way! Overall, this knee length skirt is a great option and my pick for best hiking skirt!

The Missing Skirts

You are going to notice a few hiking skirts missing from this review. Missing are the best full length hiking skirts, best waterproof hiking skirts and best insulated skirts for hiking. 

I am sure you are asking yourself why these skirts are missing. Well, I will let you know! Sometimes your girl here has two left feet. Hiking in a full length skirt just seemed like a bad idea. I had visions of myself headed up a steep section of rock and tripping up on the skirt. For me, the right places to wear a full length skirt is in an office, out to dinner, a show, etc. I did look at some full length skirts but just couldn’t bring myself to try one. 

​Up next is the best waterproof hiking skirt, also called rain skirts or rain wrap skirt. Now, if I was to say join the thru-hiking community and tackle the appalachian trail I would probably take a rain skirt with me. I did not find this skirt a must have for day hikers. In my travels I found two, and they were both the same material as your standard rain jacket. I have a hard enough time wearing my rain coat, it is always sticky and that weird hot/cold feeling. I could not imagine wearing one as a skirt. 

Lastly, the best insulated skirt for winter and cold weather hiking. I was able to find three insulated skirts, all of which were a puffy skirt, much like a down jacket. The length on the ones I found was around 15 inches, which makes them a short skirt in my world. Now, I don’t know about you, but if it is cold enough to warrant an insulated skirt I would want something longer than that. And chances are I would for my snow pants instead. They do make some full length insulated skirts. But I was not able to find one in a store to even look at.