Best Watches for Hiking and Mountaineering

The Garmin Instinct Solar is a fantastic hiking watch for outdoor recreationists. I’ve used it many times and am always impressed with its capabilities.

This watch comes with GPS, ABC, multisport modes, and mapping features. The solar battery life is impressive and can last for months as long as it gets some sun exposure.

The Garmin Instinct Solar also has a ton of additional features. There’s contactless payment through Garmin Pay, accurate fitness tracking features, storm alerts you can customize, heart rate monitoring, and a battery saver mode.

There are a few minor negatives. The screen is a bit small, and it's also easy to inadvertently hit buttons and stop tracking activities. But overall, the Garmin Instinct Solar is the best hiking watch available.

The latest version of the Garmin Fenix series is a really impressive watch. It’s resilient, easy to use, and sports a great battery life.

The design of the Fenix is aesthetically pleasing, it’s comfortable to wear, and the screen is easy to see. I can easily check key metrics while engaging in strenuous mountaineering activities.

Like the Garmin Instinct, additional features are numerous. You can utilize contactless payment through Garmin Pay, get accurate step counts, and utilize numerous health-tracking features.

Other cool features include heart rate monitoring, storm alerts and multiple navigational, and mapping features.

Aside from the hefty price, the other notable drawback is the Garmin Connect app which is a bit clunky and outdated.

The Suunto Core is our pick for the best ABC watch (Altimeter, Barometer, and Compass). The digital compass has adjustable declination, and ABC readings are impressively accurate.

While the lack of GPS features is a negative, the easy-to-digest price point makes it hard to overlook. The Suunto Core is easy to calibrate, has a simple set of menus, waterproof buttons, and is comfortable to wear.

The screen can be hard to read when it's really bright, and the buttons do not have labels. The battery life also doesn't stack up to the Garmin Instinct and Fenix lines. However, I’ve used the Suunto Core often and found it to be highly practical, reliable, and resilient.

Casio watches are not known for their beauty, but their value is unmatched. The Casio Pathfinder has been a leading non-GPS watch for the last decade.

The interface is easy to use and the buttons are clearly labeled. Plus the fact that it’s solar powered gives it nearly limitless life as long as you can find some sun.

Aside from its appearance, the Pathfinder's other notable downside is its bulk. The watch can feel uncomfortable in gloves, when typing on a keyboard, and when taking off or putting on heavy outdoor gear.

If you want a great value watch and don’t need GPS, the Casio Pathfinder will last for years.

The Garmin Enduro feels like a step forward in some ways and a step back in others.

It’s not as feature-rich as the Fenix, but has excellent battery life and fitness/heart monitoring features. The large and clear display is also one of the best Enduro features.

If you are a thru-hiker, backpacker, triathlete, or someone who needs a long-lasting, lighter GPS Garmin watch, the Enduro is a great pick.

The high price point is one of the main deterrents to getting this watch. The lack of onboard maps is disappointing as well.

I love taking this watch on outdoor adventures because of the big digital display and burly construction. The large screen makes it easy to read navigation metrics while hiking or mountaineering.

The Coros app it pairs with is also better and more responsive than the Garmin Connect app.

Additional features include breadcrumb navigation, an optical heart rate monitor, a simple touch screen, great battery life, and customizable watch faces.

The size can be a bit prohibitive for daily activities and the watch is more expensive than a Casio or Suunto. However, it comes with full GPS and ABC functionality.

Fitbit has been around for a few years and has created some great fitness tracking devices. The Charge 5 is the best all-around version.

The fitness functions and features are high, the watch is comfortable to wear on trails, and the digital display is easy to read.

This isn’t the best mountaineering watch due to a lack of navigation settings and a smaller screen, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a great hiking watch.

For a low price, you can track all your fitness goals while on a run, local trail, or on a walk. Just remember to bring navigational tools with you if venturing into new areas.

The Suunto 9 Baro is a great-looking watch. In fact, most Suunto watches look good. The company has really nailed the aesthetic behind most of its models.

The Suunto 9 Baro’s large screen, good battery life, accurate readings, and comfortable fit are also positives.

You could easily wear the Suunto 9 Baro in the woods or in a fancy restaurant. If style matters, this Suunto is a front-runner.

Unfortunately, the limited range of features is a bit disappointing given the watch’s price. The slower interface and menu also aren’t intuitive if you aren’t already familiar with Suunto products.

The Coros Apex Pro is a great adventure watch. The design is nice, the screen is large, and the price is manageable. The Apex Pro also has GPS, ABC, and fitness tracking features and is comfortable to wear.

I found that the scroll wheel occasionally clicks on options you didn’t want it to. But if you can live with this and a less than lengthy battery life, the overall value this watch provides is fantastic.

The Casio ProTrek is a standout for several reasons. The ABC features are accurate and easy to get to. For the price, the value is awesome. Plus, the , construction is durable and the watch should last a long time.

This Casio is a bit bulky and the lack of GPS capabilities may be a turn-off. Additionally, the screen is a bit crowded and harder to read than some of the newer models in this guide.

If you want a no-frills ABC watch with great functions and features, the Casio ProTrek is for you.