The Best Apps for your next walking/hiking holiday

Are you planning your next walking/hiking holiday? There are now many apps available that can help you with tracking routes, navigating mountains, finding the best campsite or discovering the stars. In this article, we cover the best apps you need to download in order to help you get the most of your outdoor experience.

All Trails – Free to download with in-app purchases

This app is a must for hikers. It offers you dedicated routes that have been chosen by the All Trails team that is not only challenging but safe for hikers. In this app you can choose from over 75,000 routes for hiking or mountain biking, so you’ll never be stuck for ideas. If there’s a route you like you can save it for future reference. Using your GPS data, you can check your route on the map and record the time it took for you to complete it.

Map My Hike – Free to download with in-app purchases

This hiking app was created by Under Armour and Map My Fitness. It offers you informative data on your hikes, telling you how to improve your pace. This app doesn’t just cover hiking though! There is also information for runners or cyclists looking to create their own routes.

This app is free to download and includes in-app purchases, however if you decide to opt into a paid subscription you can use features such as live location tracking and heart rate zones.

For those who use a smartwatch, the app is compatible.

Peak Visor – Free to download with in-app purchases

If you are interested in scaling peaks, then this is the app for you. With Peak Visor you can tag mountains that you see on your hike, using your camera you can take a quick snap of the mountain and the app will uncover lots of information about the peak in question. It will display their name, their altitude and can easily be shared with your social media platforms.

The app works both on and offline, so you can enjoy augmented reality even without data. 

Camp Finder – Paid application, the cost is £2.89

This is the perfect application for keen campers. Need to find a location to pitch up the tents after a long day of trekking? Then count on Camp Finder. This app was created by campingroadtrip.com and offers you information on hiking and camping out under the stars. With locations of over 19,000 camping locations in the USA, you will never be stuck for a place to set up camp.

The sites covered include national parks, private camping sites, forests, city, and council-owned camping sites. The app can offer you discounts for some of the available sites on offer. This app is not free to download, so you will, unfortunately, have to pay an initial fee of £2.89 but the discount on camping locations alone will make up for this cost.

View Ranger – Free to download with in-app purchases

This app won Google Play’s 2018 Android Excellence Award. If that hasn’t convinced you to give it a try, then its features will. This app gives you everything you will need to know before setting off on your trail. You can access routes even without data and can create routes and print them for upcoming adventures. With over 180,000 routes on this app, you’ll be spoilt for choice. The most unique part of this app is the Buddy Beacon, which will use GPS to share your location with family members so that if anything happens you know you are always covered if you find yourself lost or injured.

Spyglass – Free to download with in-app purchases

Spyglass is an offline GPS hiking/walking app that lets you add GPS co-ordinates so you can find an exact location. It also offers you information on the elevation of mountains in the area, comes with an astronomy finder, that helps you pinpoint stars and track the night sky. This app also gives you information on the altitude around you, which is handy when walking in high altitude and watching out for altitude sickness. You are also able to save your maps offline, which is an important plus when you are unable to access data.

Star walk 2 – Costs $2.99 to download

This app is perfect for anyone sleeping out under the stars after a long day of hiking. It helps you to identify and discover the constellations and spot planets. This app offers you a real-time map of the night sky, augmented reality and the latest in astronomical discoveries. Because of the imaging in this app and the 3D constellation designs, it does come with a price tag, but it will provide hours of evening entertainment around the campfire.

Ramblr – Free download with in-app purchases

Do you love sharing your hikes on social media? Then this is the app for you.

Ramblr allows you to easily share your hike, its route and your overall journey and images on social media. You can also use get a map of your trial and record and add voice notes throughout, which you can add to your social media highlights. This app is free to download and comes with in-app purchases. Something to note when using the app is that it can drain your battery, so it is recommended that when you are using it to bring a portable battery or solar-powered charger along.

Seek by I-Naturalist – Free

This app helps you to identify local flora and fauna on your trek. With built-in image technology, all you must do is hold up your camera to an item and Seek will let you know what you are looking at. It will also show you the most popular local flora, fauna, birds or fungi in your area so you can keep your eyes peeled throughout the hike. 

Written by Sarah McCann, Head Writer at MyBaggage.com the luggage shipping specialists.