Best Hiking Trail Apps

Whether it’s soaking up the sun along the beach, or getting lost in a winding forest, there isn’t a good reason out there not to love a good hike. Hiking provides many benefits to the mind and body. But before you can set off on your journey, you need to know where you’re going. Lucky for you, I compared some of the most popular trail hike apps on the market today to see which ones truly set themselves apart from the competition. The apps below are not ranked in any particular order, but each of them have features that make them unique. Choosing the right app for your needs is important to ensure that your trek goes flawlessly. Sometimes, it’s not about the destination, but about how you got there.

Viewranger/Outdooractive

Features:

●      Find and navigate trails for hiking, cycling, and the outdoors

●      Save offline maps

●      Route planning is as easy as tapping on the map to set a start and endpoint

●      Record your activity, save it as a route, and share it with the community

The Verdict:

Outdooractive will make you feel motivated to get outdoors and start blazing new trails. You can start personal challenges and earn badges. All you have to do is choose your favorite activity, record your tracks with the app, and ascend the leaderboard. It’s easy to discover hikes and routes in your area, and around the world. I like how you can record your hikes and share or revisit them. Overall, this is a good app for planning and tracking your own routes.

Gaia GPS

Features:

●      Navigate, track, and explore maps and information for all your adventures

●      Plan custom routes for hikes, download maps, and record trips

●      Find a campsite on the road or deep in the backcountry

●      Build custom hunting maps that include public land designation, private land ownership information, and state-by-state hunting laws

The Verdict:

Gaia GPS includes very detailed hiking notes. Each trail entry includes information regarding the type of trail, level of difficulty, distance, time, and ascent. I like how informative each entry is, especially, how it includes directions to alternative routes, or nearby hikes. It’s also easy to download and save maps offline. What makes the app really shine is the information about campsites along your path, including the ability to view land ownership and road usage classifications. This is a solid app for anyone looking to take an extended journey.

Komoot

Features:

●      Plan the perfect route by analyzing hundreds of factors

●      Simply add your start and endpoints to plan a route

●      Select your sport type in the planner to stick to the most suitable surface for your needs

●      Discover other highlights along the route, listed by other users of the app

The Verdict:

Komoot allows users to record hikes and set start and endpoint navigation, similar to Google Maps. What is unique about the route planning on this app is the ability to adjust your hike based on your fitness level. Users can opt for smooth paths and streets for cycling, or off-road trails for hiking. The Kamoot community makes it easy to feel connected with other hikers, with the ability to create a detailed profile where you can store planned and completed hikes, and follow other hiking enthusiasts. This app was made for adventures and explorers of all types.

Hiking Project

Features:

●      Guidebook quality descriptions and stats: everything you need to know for your first hike

●      Know where you are at all times, even when you’re out of range

●      Get inspired by the best rated hikes near you or for your next trip

●      Up-to-date information on whether a trail is in good condition to hike

The Verdict:

Hiking Project includes an extensive library of hiking trail maps for download throughout the United States. Upon logging in, I was presented with the option to download almost 4,000 miles of trail maps throughout the state of Virginia aone. This is definitely a great hiking app for travelers, as you can download international hiking maps as well. From Albania, to Vietnam, chances are you can find a hiking map for any country you are in. The app also allows you the ability to “check in” and rate hikes for other app users, as well as leave recommendations for other hikes in the area. If you plan on traveling, Hiking Project should be your number one companion.

All Trails

Features:

●      Explore hiking and biking routes with a precise search tool and helpful hints

●      Browse the map and search by city, park and trail name

●      Read reviews with photos uploaded by other users to know what to expect before you go

●      Offline maps available with Pro version

The Verdict:

All Trails is one of the most popular trail apps for a reason. It allows users to explore numerous nearby trails and browse trails by the type of activity, suitability for pets, difficulty, and multiple other factors. You can easily access favorited trails, or create custom maps using the All Trails map creation tool. You can also log your completed hikes and stats on your profile. All Trails makes it really easy to connect with friends and other fellow hikers through the app. Each route entry not only includes information regarding the length, elevation, loop type, and current weather conditions, but also countless user reviews and photographs.

Conclusion:

You really can’t go wrong with any of the apps listed above. Any avid hiker owes it to themself to sample each of the apps to determine which one they prefer. Each app has its own layout and style, but all of them get the job done. No matter what app you choose to use, be sure to make your hike an experience, and make sure to tag us,

@stray_together 🌲🌊⛰🍂