It depends. I generally prefer to NOT have wet boots, though. It makes the whole day, and especially night, less comfortable. It's also harder on your feet because your skin is softer and more prone to injury when wet.
In arid terrain, in the summer, with enough sun during the day to dry out your boots while hiking, I don't mind walking right through a creek. I'll usually wear a mesh-upper boot on summer hikes for this reason. They dry out quickly in the desert or mountains. You can change your socks about 30 minutes after the crossing and expect your boots and feet to feel reasonably dry by the end of the day.
In more temperate climates or in spring/fall/winter, I really don't want to get my boots and feet wet, though. I sometimes bring a separate pair of shoes--Croc sandals are usually good enough; flip-flops are usually not good enough; Chacos are usually too heavy--and I can use these for creek crossings. They double as camp shoes, which are a bit of a luxury, but your feet will thank you. Crocs are really lightweight and worth bringing as camp shoes anyway, IMO.
>>1885578>80% chance this picture was taken on the PCT.I agree those look like thru hikers, or at least very seasoned backpackers, but that could be anywhere out west. It really doesn't look like an ideal place to cross a creek to me, but that photo looks like it's probably early in the season season and the whole creek probably looks like that.
>Also keep real shoes on for stream crossings unless there's absolutely no risk to crossing the stream.For that crossing, sure. There are a lot of places in the country where you really need shoes to protect your feet from sharp rocks without the risk of losing traction, though. For example, pic related is a kind of gravel that's common in Missouri and is composed of chert shards, also known as flint.
