Solano Coging – January 30, 2022

In today'south earth, we carry our smartphones every… including on the hiking trails! Your iPhone is style more just a phone. Information technology's a compass, flashlight, camera, and GPS.

I know you're probably thinking, "isn't the whole indicate of hiking to escape applied science?". Yes, in theory… simply are you lot really going to go out your phone at dwelling?

Instead, consider downloading these 12 best hiking apps to enhance your hiking experience!

This post shares the best hiking apps on the market place, including:

Best GPS hiking apps
Best apps for finding hiking trails
Best gratuitous hiking apps
And the all-time hiking app for Apple watch!

Without further ado, here are the 12 all-time hiking apps on the market.

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Why Do You Need Hiking Apps

There's a seemingly countless number of hiking apps out there, from navigation to inspiration! So what can a hiking app do for you? Well, information technology turns out quite a lot…

Inspiration – An app is a great manner to discover hikes in your area and across the globe! You can relieve hikes yous're interested in, avoiding the Saturday morning google search of "all-time hikes nearly me".
Navigation – An app can as well assist you notice your trailhead and stay on class. This is specially important if you're going on a hike in an surface area with limited cell service.
Learn – A smartphone is a walking encyclopedia, set to help y'all larn about anything (information technology's smart for a reason!). There are hiking apps out there to teach you lot about plants, wildlife, and constellations.
Performance Tracking – Not only can you use an app to rails a hike for later, but you can likewise share hike functioning. I beloved a good competition, then tracking hikes with friends and family is corking motivation.

Best Hiking Apps

Best Free Hiking App: AllTrails (iOS & Android)
Best GPS App for Hiking: Gaia GPS (iOS & Android)
All-time App for Hiking Trails Inspiration: Hiking Project (iOS & Android)
Virtually Unique Hiking App: Seek past iNaturalist (iOS & Android)
Best Apple Watch Hiking App: Apple Fitness Tracker (iOS but)

1. AllTrails

AllTrails is one of the best hiking apps in the appstore — Screenshots from Apple tree App Store

AllTrails is one of the most well-known hiking apps out in that location. With over 20 meg users and 100,000 trails worldwide, it'southward easy to see why. This is my get-to hike planning app.

Hikes are searchable based on difficulty, length, elevation gain, route type, and user rating. You can also search hikes based on tags, like trail running, canis familiaris-friendly, or wildflowers.

Once you detect a hike, you can view specific details, like distance and an acme profile map. All Trails too provides tips and information on getting to the trailhead, how long the hike should have, and reviews from users.

All Trails also allows its users to record their hikes, tracking the route using GPS and time to complete.

While the base of operations version of All Trails is free, they also offer a Pro version for $29.99 per twelvemonth. AllTrails Pro allows you to download maps offline and sends you notifications if you stray off-trail. The Pro version also comes with 3D maps!

Available on: iOS & Android
Price: Free & Paid Versions ($29.99/yr)

2. Gaia GPS

Gaia GPS Hiking App — Screenshot from Apple App Store

Gaia GPS is 1 of the most pop hiking apps for navigation. In this app, you can do everything: finding new trails, recording your road, and saving hike statistics and performance.

The app volition fifty-fifty tell you the weather forecast and help you discover camping near your hike!

There is both a free and paid version of the Gaia GPS hiking app. For well-nigh day hikers, the free version is enough. In the gratis version, you tin view both topographic and satellite maps and track your hike with prison cell service.

For backpackers or advanced hikers, I recommend the paid version. For only $39.99 per year, the paid version of Gaia GPS unlocks offline maps, including backpacking, off-road driving, backcountry skiing, and mountain biking maps. The offline map feature is crucial for being able to navigate and stay on trail without prison cell service.

Available on: iOS & Android
Price: Gratuitous & Paid Versions ($39.99/year)

three. PeakVisor

PeakVisor hiking App — Screenshot from Apple App Store

Have y'all ever looked off in the distance and said, "what mountain is that?". If then, I've got good news for you! It'southward an app called PeakVisor. Here's how it works: y'all open the app on your phone, point it at the pinnacle, and it will tell you, using a combination of epitome recognition and GPS location.

You can even upload pictures of mountains from by hikes or when yous're without service and the app volition identify those likewise! The catalog of mount peaks is over 1 million. This app also offers a compass, slap-up for navigation on hikes.

PeakVisor comes in both a gratis and pro version. The free version allows you to use most of the app'southward features. The Pro version's biggest reward is offline height identification and maps – no cell service required!

Available on: iOS & Android
Price: Free & Pro Versions ($29.99/year)

4. Google Maps

Google Maps is one of the best hiking apps in the appstore — Screenshots from Apple App Store

In that location's a very high likelihood you're already using this app. But I'd exist willing to bet you're not using information technology to its full functionality. Google Maps' all-time characteristic for hikers is the ability to download maps offline.

Downloading maps ahead of time will ensure you're able to navigate to the trailhead even if you lose service. Since GPS continues to work without cell phone service, you can employ Google Maps to navigate with your downloaded map.

Many popular trails in decorated parks are also shown on Google Maps, assuasive you to rails your progress on the trail and stay on track.

In the app, yous can download a customized region. I recommend downloading the area from your home to your trailhead and the full trail surface area.

To download offline in Google Maps, merely go to the app, select Offline Maps from the menu, select a custom map to highlight the area, and then click download.

Available on: iOS & Android
Cost: Free

5. Guthook Guides

Guthook Guides Hiking App — Screenshot from Apple tree App Shop

Guthook Guides is the most popular smartphone app for long-distance hiking and backpacking. With over 35,000 miles of trails in its database, it'due south a get-to for thru-hikes like the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachian Trail. In fact, information technology was developed by former thru-hikers who understood the need for a reliable offline map.

In the app, you'll find detailed trail information similar distance, elevation, waypoints, water sources, and campsites, all viewable on topographic or satellite maps. The app actively tracks your location on the map, making sure you're always on trail. All of this works offline without cell reception.

The app itself is free, but each trail is purchased individually. You can buy full trail guides for thru-hikes or buy smaller trail guides for national parks. The guides range from $4.99 to $59.99, depending on trail length. The app does offer some free demo trails to get you lot started too.

Available on: iOS & Android
Price: Complimentary, simply requires in-app purchases of the guides ($4.99-$59.99 per guide)

6. Hiking Projection

Hiking Project is one of the best hiking apps in the appstore — Screenshots from Apple App Store

This crowd-sourced hiking app is as well groovy for inspiration. While a lot of the functionality is similar to AllTrails, Hiking Projection provides points of interest (labeled equally "Gems" in the app).

You can search for hikes past region, by bespeak of interest, or by hike features. With hikes mainly in the The states and Canada, Hiking Projection allows y'all to run into stats by state, including trails ranked past popularity.

For a specific hike, y'all tin view detailed descriptions, wildlife and plants in the area, reviews by users, and trail conditions. Using the Hiking Project app, yous tin can get a feel for the hike earlier you even step human foot on the trail.

Available on: iOS & Android
Cost: Complimentary

7. Recreation.Gov

Recreation.Gov is one of the best hiking apps in the appstore — Screenshots from Apple App Store

If you're an gorging national park camper, you're probably already familiar with this app. But Recreation.Gov can be used for a lot more than than booking campsites. This app is also a platform to volume tours, tickets, and permits.

Many U.s.a. national parks offering ticketed ranger-led tours, similar Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park, bookable through the app. Permits to wilderness areas, like Mt. Whitney or the Lost Coast in California, are booked through this app also.

Recreation.Gov is the official place to enter lotteries for permits to places like The Wave in Arizona or Half Dome in Yosemite.

You lot can also buy interagency passes, like the America the Beautiful National Park Laissez passer, through the Recreation.Gov app.

The moral of the story is that Recreation.Gov is i of the best hiking apps for government lands. If you lot're trying to volume permits or campgrounds, well-nigh sites open up around half dozen months in advance.

Bachelor on: iOS & Android
Price: Gratuitous

8. National Park Service App

For national park lovers, the National Park Service app is a must! This app has everything you lot need to know about all 423 national park units, including the 63 US national parks. You'll find information on the best things to do (including lots of hikes), where to stay, tours, park amenities, and more.

Not sure what park you desire to visit? You can explore all the various national parks and create your ain favorites, lists, and marking parks every bit visited.

The app as well provides details on each park's about popular hikes, including distance and fourth dimension to complete the hike. You'll likewise find directions to trailheads and maps available offline for when y'all're without cell service.

Available on: iOS & Android
Toll: Gratuitous

9. Seek by iNaturalist

Seek by iNaturalist is one of the best hiking apps in the appstore — Screenshots from Apple tree App Store

Have you ever seen a plant on the trail and wondered, "what kind of plant is that?". I used to practise this all the time and I'd think to myself, wow wouldn't it be really absurd if at that place was an app that could tell you these things. Well, it turns out there is!

One of the coolest hiking apps is Seek by iNaturalist. Information technology was developed by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic. Seek uses your camera and GPS location to place plants and animals yous encounter on the trail.

To apply, but accept a photo of your field of study using the app. Seek uses your location to narrow down possible species and gives you more information about what you've institute.

And considering everything is more than fun if it'south a game, you can earn badges and achievements based on the species you discover.

Available on: iOS & Android
Toll: Costless

ten. SkyView Low-cal

Skyview Lite is one of the best hiking apps in the appstore — Screenshots from Apple App Store

This costless hiking app is the only tool y'all need to identify planets, stars, and constellations in the night heaven. The app uses the phone'due south built-in compass to locate astronomical objects.

The app overlays graphics of night heaven objects based on where you point your phone. Plus, yous can read more than well-nigh the object of interest, such equally the International Space Station.

You lot can even set up notifications for upcoming stargazing events, similar meteor showers or planet sightings. I've found this app to be great for stargazing before sunrise hikes or afterwards sunset hikes.

The costless, "lite" version is groovy for most hikers, but the full, paid version o the app offers an apple watch app, a widget for your phone, and thousands of additional night sky objects!

The full Skyview app merely costs $ane.99 to purchase.

Available on: iOS & Android
Toll: Costless & Paid Versions ($1.99 1-fourth dimension fee)

eleven. Cairn

Cairn Hiking App — Screenshot from Apple tree App Shop

Cairn is the ultimate hiking safety app! All the app's features are designed to keep you safe on the hiking trail. The most popular features include sharing your route and GPS location with friends and family, downloading offline maps, and existent-time location and status updates.

The app tracks your estimated time to complete the hike from your location and helps you lot rail your progress with offline trail maps. You'll also discover information on where other hikers have found prison cell service forth the hike and be notified when you enter an area that has prison cell service.

The complimentary version of the app lets you lot utilise the basic features, like maps, trails, and cell coverage when you have cell service. The paid version allows you lot to employ the app entirely offline, including offline maps and live progress updates to your emergency contacts.

All users tin can get a 30 day complimentary trial of the paid version before purchasing.

Cairn is available for Android or iPhone with a threescore-day gratis trial.

Available on: iOS & Android
Toll: Free & Paid Versions ($26.99/year)

12. Apple Sentinel Workout App

Activity by Apple Watch is one of the best hiking apps in the appstore — Screenshots from Apple tree App Store

The workout app native to Apple Sentinel is the best hiking app for your Apple Lookout man! Wearing a fettle tracker is an like shooting fish in a barrel way to keep track of the distance y'all've covered on the trail. If you use other Apple products, and then I highly recommend investing in an Apple Watch.

With its custom 'Hiking' tracking feature, the app logs your time, agile calories, heart rate, distance, and pinnacle. Later on your hike, you lot tin can encounter a summary of the do and a GPS map of your route with mile times. It's one of the best ways to runway your progress every bit y'all train for longer, harder hikes.

Available on: iOS
Price: Costless (requires an Apple Watch though)

Ofttimes Asked Questions About the Best Hiking App

What is the best gratuitous hiking app?

The best complimentary hiking apps are:
AllTrails (Available on iOS & Android)
Gaia GPS (Available on iOS & Android)
Hiking Project (Available on iOS & Android)
National Park Service App (Available on iOS & Android)
Seek by iNaturalist (Available on iOS & Android)

What is the all-time hiking app for iPhone?

The all-time hiking apps for iPhone are:
AllTrails
Gaia GPS
Apple Watch Workout App
Cenotaph

Does Google Maps show hiking trails?

Google Maps does show hiking trails. Yous'll meet dotted hiking trails on near views of the map. It is an piece of cake style to track your progress on popular trails in decorated parks. Google Maps isn't e'er reliable for less popular trails, so I recommend AllTrails Pro or Gaia GPS for tracking in more remote places.

Tin can I use my phone GPS for hiking?

Aye! Using your phone GPS for hiking is a great way to track your progress and stay on the trail. Many hiking apps, similar AllTrails and Gaia GPS, work on your smartphone using its GPS to show your location in real time on topographic hiking maps.

What is the all-time GPS app for hiking?

The best GPS app for hiking is Gaia GPS. With slightly improve maps and navigation than AllTrails, this is the best app for navigating. To use the map and features offline, yous'll need to pay for a Gaia GPS subscription of $39.99 per year.

Final Thoughts on the All-time Hiking Apps

I hope that past at present I've convinced you that technology can really raise your hiking experience, not detract from it. Only it never hurts to silence notifications to escape from the calls, texts, and emails for a little flake.