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This is useful if you need to update your loved ones or indeed make an emergency call. Price: Basic Free, Pro $4.99 monthly or $26.99 yearly Cairn Cairn is the ultimate hiking safety appĬairn has been called ‘the ultimate hiking safety app’ and is an essential part of our safety kit, especially when hiking solo.Ĭairn crowdsources cell coverage spots and shows you where others have found coverage on the trail, broken down by carrier. The app is free, but the best of its features are accessed via the paid version. The interface is intuitive and users can import and synchronise data points and trails from other digital sources. The app and accompanying web-based version allows for printing too. Gaia GPS is an outdoor navigation app providing access to a rich catalogue of maps including topographical, satellite, road and the NatGeo Trails Illustrated map series.Īs well as tracking hikes while measuring pace, distance and elevation as standard, it is also possible to download a range of offline maps for off-grid access. Price: Basic Free, Member $19.99, Premium $39.99 Gaia Gaia is arguably the best mountain navigation app The annual membership gives you access to the premium version which allows you to save routes offline and to design and print custom maps. The free version allows you to create your own trails with GPS tracking, photos and text, and save or share them with others. Price: Basic Free, Pro from $29.99 per year (lifetime option available) AllTrails AllTrails is an outstanding hike planning appĬovering over 100,000 trails and with 3.5 million downloads, AllTrails is one of the most popular hike planning app available. Best hiking appsīelow, I take a look at some of the best apps for hiking available for outdoor trip route planning, navigation, first aid and survival. However, now that I have more consistent access to reliable phone reception and wifi, along with a host of battery packs and solar chargers, I also make use of an array of hiking apps. When planning an adventure in the wild, my preparations still begin with spreading out my paper maps across the floor and marking out possible trailheads, routes and campsites. Now, every Ordnance Survey map comes with a digital version available to download onto my smartphone or tablet. Hiking apps never used to feature in my outdoor adventures, but times have changed. We take a look at the best hiking apps currently available and which ones best meet your needs be they trip planning, navigation or first aid.
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