10 Must-Have Outdoor Apps
Spring is Finally Here!
As winter’s hold starts to loosen and the days get longer, now is the time to plan some fun outdoor adventures. And to help you on your way, today I am sharing with you all of our favorite FREE outdoor apps! Whether you are a hiker, camper, rock climber, or mountain biker there is an app for you.
AllTrails: Hike, Bike & Run
AllTrails is one of my all time favorite outdoor apps. It has over 100,000 trails that have been crowdsourced by millions of hikers, mountain bikers, and trail runners. Not only is it my go-to app for finding new hiking trails, but I love using it to do trail research. By reading through fellow hikers’ comments I am able to learn current trail conditions, animal activity, and trail directions.
Additional Features:
- Search for trails by location, family-friendly, best view, dog friendly, waterfalls, or stroller/wheelchair friendly.
- Discover trails by activity type: hiking, mountain biking, trail running, backpacking, horseback riding, etc.
- Filter trails by difficulty level, length, elevation gain, rating, attractions, route type, and trail traffic.
- View a map that shows all the trails near your current location.
- Save trails to a “favorites” list.
- Create your own lists of trails (e.g. 52 Hike Challenge List, Bucket List, Weekend Mountain Biking Trip, etc.).
- Record your hikes or runs (tracks your elevation gain, length, moving time, average pace, calories, and total hiking time).
- Read reviews from people that have recently done the trail.
- Get detailed GPS driving directions to trailhead.
You can download AllTrails from the App Store or Google Play
PeakVisor
PeakVisor is a recent addition to my outdoor app arsenal. What I love about this app is it uses your camera phone and augmented reality to show you the names and elevation of surrounding mountain peaks. How cool is that?! Below are some additional app features.
Additional Features:
- Import photos of peaks for easy identification.
- Use the local search function to find peaks and their elevation near your current location.
- Use the teleport function to explore mountain ranges and peaks in different locations.
NOTE: For iPhone owners, this app is free BUT if you want to be able to use it offline you have to upgrade to the PRO version of the app. As for Android users, unfortunately, Google Play doesn’t offer a free version of this app.
You can download PeakVisor from the App Store or Google Play
OpenSnow
OpenSnow is Dustin’s all time favorite outdoor app. Its main function is to provide up-to-date, accurate snow forecasts for all of you that love to chase powder. Be sure to use this app with caution. It might send you into a depression if it’s a good snow year and you have no money/time to go skiing or snowboarding.
Additional Features:
- View 5-day snow forecasts for your favorite resorts.
- Setup custom snow report alerts so you never miss a big storm!
- View avalanche forecasts.
- Access 4 daily “snow reads” a week. These are written by local meteorologists to let you know where to find the best snow.
You can download OpenSnow from the App Store or Google Play
Mountain Project
Where are my rock climbers at? This is the BEST app for outdoor rock climbing! Dustin and I first used this app on a rock climbing trip we took to Maple Canyon, Utah and loved it! Our favorite feature is being able to download route beta and topo maps for offline use!
Additional Features:
- Find climbing routes and navigate to them using Google or Apple maps.
- Use the handy dandy “Route Finder” to sort or filter routes by difficulty, discipline, and star ranking.
- Find over 155,000 climbing routes, even offline!
- View climbing area stats (to see how many routes are in an area at your preferred climbing level).
- Use the forum to ask fellow climbers questions.
You can download Mountain Project from the App Store or Google Play
Trailforks
For all my fellow mountain bikers, this app is for you! It has the largest database of mountain bike trails. I haven’t personally used this app, but Dustin (whose mistress is mountain biking) LOVES it. His favorite feature is having access to offline trail maps and info.
Additional Features:
- Use GPS tracking on the map for trail navigation.
- Record your rides.
- Get detailed GPS driving directions to trailhead.
- Download route information by region.
- Access current trail status and conditions.
- View routes, photos, and videos of trails.
- Sort trails by popularity.
You can downlond Trailforks from the App Store or Google Play
The Dyrt
If you love to camp this app is for you! My favorite feature is searching for campsites using the map function. Recently I used it to look for campsites we can stay at on our drive up to Oregon. I simply followed our route and was able to see all the campsites along the way. Much easier than trying to find sites by using Google.
Additional Features:
- Search over 1 million campsites in the United States (includes tent, RV and cabin sites).
- Filter by site type, access, features (i.e. fires allowed, drinking water, toilets, etc.), hookups available, vehicle length, price, rating, and air quality!
- Save sites to a list (e.g. Favorites, Oregon Trip, etc.).
- Request reservations right from the app.
You can download The Dyrt from the App Store or Google Play
Seek by iNaturalist
Dustin and I are fascinated by plants/trees, so imagine our delight when we discovered Seek?! We love to use the app to identify different types of vegetation so we can add them to our “dream yard list”. It is also fun to use when Madic and I are out exploring and we come across a bug we haven’t seen before like a Pine Ladybird (a black ladybug with red spots).
Additional Features:
- Use to identify plants, wildlife, and fungi.
- Participate in challenges and earn badges.
- Safe for kids to use. Seek does not require registration or collect user data as long as you don’t sign into the iNaturalist portion of the app.
You can download Seek by iNaturalist from the App Store or Google Play
Starview Lite
One of Dustin and my favorite things to do when camping is to sit by the fire and look at the stars. Now with this handy dandy app we are able to identify all the different constellations. You simply open the app and point your phone camera at the sky!
Note: The app has a bunch of other features if you upgrade but if you are looking to pay for a stargazing app I would recommend checking out Star Walk 2.
You can download Starview Lite from the App Store or Google Play
First Aid: American Red Cross
This helpful app is another recent addition to my collection. Since I hike weekly with my kids I felt it would be a good idea to have access to basic medical advice in case of an emergency. My favorite feature of this app is that the content is preloaded, meaning you can access it even when you have no cell service!!
Additional Features:
- Get help dealing with common first aid scenarios with easy to follow step-by-step guides.
- Call 911 directly from the app.
- View first aid tutorials.
- Access safety and preparation tips for different disaster situations.
If you have a dog that regularly adventures with you, be sure to check out the Pet First Aid app by American Red Cross.
You can download First Aid from the App Store or Google Play
Cairn
This is another awesome outdoor app! The main purpose of the app is to notify your loved ones where you are hiking and when you are planning on being back. If you don’t come back by your designated time it will automatically send a message to your loved one to notify them so that, in worst-case scenario, they can contact search and rescue.
Additional Features
- See where others have found cell service.
- Safety contacts receive link to view live tracking. This enables them to see your location during the course of your hike.
- Download maps of hiking areas for offline use.
NOTE: Please keep following in mind if you chose to use this app. Downloading and using the app is free. However, when you set up the app you begin a free 30 day trial of the premium version of the app. After 30 days the trial will automatically end. The good news is you don’t have to worry about being billed. The bad news is you will no longer have access to the premium features: automatic overdue alerts, the ability to download map area for offline use, and real-time tracking for safety contacts. Major bummer!!
So if you find this app to be helpful and it helps you feel safer hiking solo than I would definitely recommend upgrading to premium. The other option is to go back to old fashion text messaging your loved ones where you are going.
You can download Cairn from the App Store or Google Play
Get out and Explore!
Hopefully, you found this post to be helpful. While I am not a huge fan of being on my phone when I am outside enjoying nature, I DO LOVE apps that make my adventures easier and safer. So be sure to download these apps…because, after all, they are free…you just might find that they come in handy!
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