Hiking and approach shoes are similar, but there are a handful of key characteristics that differentiate the two categories. While hiking shoes are designed for waking on relatively flat surfaces, approach shoes are made to venture into rocky and technical terrain.
In general, approach shoes have a flat sole with a soft and sticky rubber outsole that is similar to a climbing shoe. The soft rubber conforms to rock and provides lots of friction when smearing or edging. Hiking shoes tend to have a rockered profile and a harder rubber compound that prioritizes durability and works well on dirt and mud.
Approach shoes have semi-shallow tread patterns that are far less aggressive than the deep lugs of most hiking shoes. While climbing or scrambling over rock, shallow tread maximizes surface contact and increases friction.
Many approach shoes have a “climbing zone,” which is a completely flat plane of sticky rubber underneath the toe. This feature is great for climbing rock, but it can also be a detriment while hiking through mud or sand.
Ultimately, there is a lot of overlap between hiking and approach shoes. In many cases, you could use hiking shoes as approach shoes and vice versa.