Trouble navigating your way through the backcountry? There’s an app for that! While traditional gear and planning strategies will always remain true, even hiking is becoming techy. With more reliable wifi and a booming of smartphone users, planning your trip and navigating the trails can be made easy with these 10 apps.  

From planning and navigating your outdoor trip, to first aid and survival, check out some of the best hiking apps available to keep you going in the backcountry.

Apps We Recommend:    

AllTrails

Platforms: iOS, Android

Price: Free     

AllTrails covers over 50,000 Canadian and US trails. It is one of the most popular hiking apps with 1.5 million users that lets you locate trails closest to you. The free version allows you to create your own trails using GPS tracking, photos, and text so you can save or share them with others. Users can also read and write trail reviews with useful information and honest user feedback. Access to the pro version of AllTrails is $50 for a year membership with a partnership with National Geographic Maps and it offers users the ability to print and edit maps.

Maps 3D Pro

Platforms: iOS

Price: $2.99

Maps 3D Pro allows users to visualize their upcoming hiking or cycling trips. Equipped with an easy-to-use search feature to quickly find and view your route, users can also pre-load maps for offline viewing and easily interpret hills, ridges, trails, and footpaths. This app also allows users to plan, save and share routes with others, as well as record their trip with coordinated and elevation data.      

First Aid - Red Cross

Platforms: iOS, Android

Price: Free

The official Red Cross First Aid app is available worldwide with pre-loaded content and access to a plethora of safety information and expert advice for everyday emergencies so you know what to do if a problem occurs on the trails. It’s equipped with videos, interactive quizzes, and simple step-by-step advice to walk you through possible emergencies.

Cairn

Platforms: iOS

Price: Free

Cairn allows you to download topo maps, record your hiking trail, see stats on your route, and easily share your plans with contacts to always keep them updated. You also can track your distance traveled, elevation gains, estimate your time of arrival, and even find spots where you’ll have cell coverage. Most importantly, this app helps you get home safely from outdoor adventures because if you’re overdue for a check-in, Cairn gives your safety contacts recommendations on how and when to contact search and rescue.

Mountain Hub

Platforms: iOS, Android

Price: Free

Mountain Hub allows you to look to other hikers, skiers, hunters, climbers and more for updates on terrain and weather. The app pulls resources from contributors to explain trail data. A premium version allows users to mark hazards and points of interest along the way and download topographic and aerial maps with a variety of layers for offline viewing. The premium version runs at $3.00 a month or $25.00 for the year.

Trail Tracker GPS

Platforms: iOS

Price: $1.99 (in-app purchase)

Trail Tracker GPS is one of the most accurate GPS hiking apps available. Designed for hiking, running, cycling, and driving, this app is equipped with color-coded mapping to track coordinate data, average speeds, and elevation gains. Users can also challenge themselves as well as friends and other users to help improve using the app’s built-in sharing features.

Spyglass

Platforms: iOS

Price: $3.99

Spyglass is by far the coolest (and newest) outdoor app and the most powerful in terms of navigation. Equipped with an impressive GPS toolkit with tracking features, a high-quality compass with map overlays and a stunning augmented reality view. Also featuring a gyroscope, speedometer, altimeter, astronomical object finder, sextant, inclinometer, an angular calculator and more. It also includes military features and is a useful app for hikers and forest service workers, sailors, policeman, soldiers, amateur astronomers, and more.

PeakVisor

Platforms: iOS

Price: $3.99

PeakVisor is your official guide to mountain names and altitudes that come into view. This app instantly recognizes the name of any mountain peak using your camera, location tracking, and high-precision 3D panorama. Also equipped with a 3D compass and an altimeter to measure elevation so you’ll always be sure of where you are.  

Weather Live

Platforms: iOS, Android

Price: $2.99 iOS, $1.99 Android

Weather Live is the best weather app available. With a fully customizable layout, users can track live weather scenes that reflect real-world conditions. Offering an impressive satellite worldwide cloud and rain maps that allow users to see what weather might be coming their way, along with standard meteorological data that includes wind direction and speed, humidity, precipitation, pressure, and visibility. The US version also includes an animated weather radar.

MapMyHike

Platforms: iOS, Android

Price: Free

MapMyHike is a community-based weight loss app where users can record their hikes, log intake to track calories and connect their friends and other hikers. Users can upgrade to an MVP Membership for $5.99 a month or $29.99 a year to get access to advanced features such as heart rate analysis and personal training plans.