Hiking Apps
Hiking is incredibly fun, healthy and something that you will love with a passion, despite the fact that you will also have moments on the path or activities where you will curse in every way possible.
But before that, you need the right and most suitable tools for the job in other words, some Hiking Apps.
We have constructed a list of hiking, biking and trailing application for you, in NO PARTICULAR ORDER. They all have their positives and negatives, but the ones that we wrote down have proven to be the most useful, fastest, accurate and more helpful when we go hiking.
This is why we wanted to share our reviews and opinions about them.
Don’t limit yourself to one choice, every application has something that the other doesn’t, therefore please explore them all and see which suits you best!
We have listed 5 applications to not overwhelm you with the choices.
Is Paid Subscription Worth it?
It depends. Are you are professional hiker, are you someone that needs more guidance and help, are you someone that thinks they will truly need every function the application offers? If so, then yes it will be a decent investment.
The prices vary from application to application and some have ‘stages’ of memberships, costing more and offering more.
But as personal, there is no need for that because of the fact that most free versions offer everything that you would consider as a necessity. There is no strict requirement and only subscribe if you think those additional features would make your journey more pleasant and safe.
Avenza Maps: Offline Mapping
Avenza Maps is definitely one of the best applications, it is designed and built for hiking, biking and contains ALL trails, that are also featured in National Geographic, National Parks and much more!
We first discovered this application when we needed to find something that would work off-line but without having to pay a subscription and we wanted something that would allow us to get the best up-to-date information on the trails with a little lag time as possible.
That is why we believe that Avenza Maps is one of the best, if not “the best” application. As it is designed for multi-purpose use, it comes equipped with many new features that makes this the best application (in our opinion) when it comes to planning the trail, looking at the weather conditions, real-time reviews about the trails and distinct locations that were featured on television shows.
Therefore, if you want a fast, off-line, up-to-date system and amazing features and function, without having to pay a subscription for those other wise “extras features”, definitely go for Avenza Maps.
Overall, if you want or need a hiking, biking, running, etc… application, go with Avenza Maps, they have a subscription based service that offers much more professional services and features, but they is optional.
Explore Features:
- Locate your realtime GPS position and find directions, even when offline!
- Record GPS tracks during your activities.
- Navigate to features using compass tools.
- Add photos and notes to any location.
- Add ‘place marks’ to your map and style them with recreational symbols.
- Measure distances and estimate times.
- Search and download maps by activity, category, and specific publishers with premium maps!
Avenza Maps Plus and Pro:
Avenza Maps Plus and Pro are both annual subscriptions.
- Avenza Maps Plus:
- Unlimited import of your own geospatial PDF, GeoPDF®, and GeoTIFF maps.
- Create geofences for up to 50 individual features and up to four geofence layers.
- Avenza Pro:
- Unlimited import of your own geospatial PDF, GeoPDF®, and GeoTIFF maps.
- GPS averaging, additional coordinate display formats, custom symbol sets.
- Connect high-accuracy GPS devices including Trimble, Bad Elf, and Dual via Bluetooth.
- Created unlimited geofences and get global geofence notifications.
- Convert tracks to areas.
- Map orientation lock.
- Import and export Esri® Shapefiles.
- Import and manage custom symbology sets.
- Priority technical support.
See Application:
AllTrails
When someone one mentions hiking application to an experienced individual, their answer may very well be “AllTrail”, whether you like it or not, the application is very useful and definitely deserves to be on the top of the list, mainly due to its vast about of features and function, as well as up-to-date and regular system updates.
From our personal experience we would compare it to a blend of Google Maps and Google Images, in terms of it displaying the images provided by other hikers as well as illustrating a path towards that destination in the picture.
Whether you are a hiker, biker or a trail runner, AllTrails is the app for you!
Explore Features:
- Registered over 300,000 Hiking Trails and Mountain Bike Routes.
- Browse through photos and reviews from the community of hikers, trail runners and cyclists just like you!
- Find a trail run, mountain bike ride and or hike that is based on your fitness and experience.
- Filter routes by ‘dog friendly’, ‘kid friendly’, ‘wheelchair friend’, etc…
- Very detailed GPS driving directs to the trailhead.
- Compatible with Apple Watch!
Record Features:
- Phone becomes a GPS activity tracker and helps you NOT get lost!
- View your Hiking, Running and Cycling stats at a glance.
- Share your activities and journey through Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and more…
Save Features:
- Have a bucket list of trails, to active, check up to and more!
- Save your favorite trails!
- Follow other hikers, cyclists and runners that inspire you!
AllTrail Pro – Paid ($29.99/year):
- Download Offline Maps – exact GPS location even without a signal!
- Off-route notifications
- Lifeline – Assign safety contacts that know your plan and can track your progress!
- Real-time Map overlays – Air Quality, Satellite Weather, Pollen and Light Pollution.
- AllTrails Ad-Free – Remove ads.
- 1% for the Planet – Your subscription will be going towards helping the environment.
See Application:
Gaia GPS: Mobile Trail Maps
Gaia GPS is one of those applications that sometimes is underrated, whenever we go hiking it is also good to have something that you can rely on, that is where Gaia GPS comes in.
If you don’t believe us, there are many millions of people worldwide that use and praise Gaia GPS for its capable and the fact that you can rely on it without any problems.
Countless publications such as New York Times, Washington Post and GearJunkie to name a few have said that it is “one of the best offline maps and navigation tools for your adventures”. Yes, we all have our favorites, but there are times when you need to set aside your favorite and use something that is “reliable” and “robust”, in other words, use Gaia GPS.
We believe that other applications will come and go, whilst Gaia GPS is like a loyal friend that always has your back!
Explore Features:
- Discover trails and plan your own routes with Gaia Topo, the world’s most powerful backcountry map.
- Or choose from hundreds of other maps, including Nat Geo Trails Illustrated, USFS, and hi-res satellite imagery.
- Take your maps offline so you always know where you are, even far from cell service.
- Leave a breadcrumb trail on the map so you can always find your way back.
- Use intelligent routing tools to create routes on the fly.
- Measure distance, altitude, and elevation change.
- Mark campsites and points of interest, drop photo waypoints.
- Weather: get current radar and forecasts to stay on top of changing conditions.
- Available for Backcountry Skiing, Mountain Biking, etc…
- Professional Use:
- Gaia GPS is the preferred nav app for outdoor professionals.
- Quickly route to GPS coordinates, view recent wildfires, and share maps, tracks, & waypoints with your team.
- Mark routes, campsites, & water sources.
- Share data with clients & fellow guides.
Camp Features:
- Discover and reserve campsites right from the map.
- Find dispersed camping far from the crowds with public and private land boundaries and USFS maps.
- Mark campsites with waypoints so you can easily find them late at night or on your next trip.
Overlanding:
- The premier off-road app for planning, navigating, and recording 4×4 and over-landing adventures.
- Take topo maps, USGS, USFS, MVUM, public and private land maps offline so you can always find your way, even without cell service.
- Plan expeditions on your desktop at home with intelligent route planning tools. Reroute on the fly using your phone or tablet in the field thanks to snap-to-trail route building. Drop customizable waypoints to mark campsites and points of interest.
- Stay one step ahead with precipitation forecasts and wildfire activity.
- Display your maps, routes, and waypoints on your dashboard with Apple CarPlay.
See Application:
Cairn: Hiking & Outdoor Trails
Carin is a simple application, it doesn’t try too hard to express anyone, it just gets the job done in the fastest and most pleasant way. The application does everything is states should do and to a very high standard, it is very user friendly and for new hikers or individuals that want to try hiking, biking or anything similar. Cairn is definitely the application for you!
As an experience individual when it comes to hiking, I have tried and use many different application depending on the location, but Cairn is just a fun system to use when you want to journey somewhere with someone, this is many because of its incredible ‘share’ feature that displays you mobile signal strength, battery life and more information from you last update to your friends and or family so they know of your whereabouts.
It is focused more around sharing information and making sure that you and or anyone else is safe and can be easily contacted and found.
Explore Features:
- Notifications: Safety contacts are notified when you’re past due
- Live tracking: Contacts can see your GPS location during your trip or hike
- Rescue advice: Contacts get important info needed to make intelligent rescue initiation decisions
- .Get live distance, elevation gain and ETA stats for 4000+ hiking routes, summits, and trails worldwide
- Customize your ETA stat based on your activity type (hiking, running, skiing, horseback riding, snow travel, mountain biking) and speed.
- Record and save your trail while you hike.
Stay Connected:
- Know where others have found cell coverage.
- Download maps that are designed specifically for outdoor pursuits.
- Send status updates with a single tap.
Cairn in a Nutshell:
- Easy: It only takes a minute to set up a Cairn.
- Open: Share plans with anyone – no app required to view.
- Customizable: Control how often Cairn collects your GPS location and battery usage.
- Flexible: Great for hiking, backpacking, trail running, horseback riding, skiing, cycling, rock climbing, camping, hunting, fishing, boating and more.
See Application:
Komoot: Cycle, Hike, MTB Run
Ever seen something and said “damn, I wish I was there”? Well, now are you able to do just that with the right guidance, and this is where Komoot comes in.
Komoot is definitely an application that have been under the radar for some time, but when spoken about, it only has good comments and mostly positive, and rightfully so. Whenever we want to try something new or go down a path that we didn’t even know about, Komoot is there to point us in the right direction, quite literally.
It offers an incredible array of choices ranging from simple hiking to mountain hikes, long-distance hiking, hiking with kids and even pilgrim routes!
If you want an application that is as fun and enjoyable as its routes, then Komoot is something you definitely should try!
Explore Features:
- Get the route perfect for your sport—be it smooth asphalt for your road bike, single tracks for your mountain bike, silent cycling paths for touring or natural trails for your hikes.
- Plan down to the last detail with at-your-fingertips info like surface, difficulty, distance and elevation profile.
- Turn by turn voice navigation.
- Offline maps for Outdoor Adventures.
- Browse Highlights – Komoot Community’s Favorite Places!
- Share your stories and adventures with Komoot Community – Add photos, highlights and tips!
- Seamless Sync between every device!
- Apple Watch Compatible!
Popular Topics:
- Bike Tours for Long Weekends
- Rediscover the Alps
- Real Road Bike Adventures
- Insider tips for your Summer
- Hiking Around Lakes
- Mountain Bike Paradises
Route Types:
- Hiking Trails & Routes
- Biking Touring Routes & Trails
- Mountain Biking Trails
- Road Cycling Routes
- Running Trails & Routes
- Mountain Hikes & Routes
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