15 best mountaineering apps to acquire in 2024

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We share the proper mountaineering apps to acquire this yr, from navigation and route planning to first help and stargazing

Typically, when Kia and I are driving someplace distant – the Kalahari in Namibia, say, or the Australian Outback – she goes to marvel on the fact that travellers used to do this with solely paper maps. Not like me, Kia grew up in inside metropolis London and had little different to enterprise into the surface. As such, she on no account learnt how you should utilize a compass and map or how one can assemble a campfire, or any number of the skills a frequent hiker should have.

 

Fortuitously, various mountaineering apps has made the surface a lot much less daunting for novice and expert hikers alike. Whereas it’s nonetheless obligatory to know major experience, these apps have made it easier than ever sooner than to enterprise into nature. That can provide help to get started, now we have now gathered the proper mountaineering apps to acquire in 2024.

Most interesting mountaineering apps to acquire in 2024

Beneath, we take a look at the proper mountaineering apps, based mostly totally on particular person scores inside the App Retailer and our private experiences on a host of treks along with the Arctic Circle Path, Aconcagua, Everest Base Camp trek and K2 Base Camp trek.

1. MapMagic

Platforms: Internet app, iOS coming rapidly, Android on the market to Skilled prospects
Price: Main Free, Skilled $49 per yr
Good for: Route planning with dwell collaboration

MapMagic is one of the best new hiking appsMapMagic is one of the best new hiking apps
MapMagic MapMagic is doubtless one of many best new mountaineering apps

MapMagic is new to the market nevertheless already does wondrous points for route planning. It comes with over 50 layers, which suggests you can fine-tune your map to precise preferences.

These new to route planning can use the ‘Strava Worldwide Heatmap layer’ to seek out well-liked trails whereas these routing their very personal adventures can use the ‘Google and Bing Satellite tv for pc television for laptop layers’ for granular ingredient, the ‘Tenting Ground layer’ for wonderful spots to pitch up, the ‘Shelter layer’ for when it rains, the ‘Water Sources layer’ to refill en route – and loads of, many further.

MapMagic comes with over 200 personalised POI decisions, so you can mark and colour-code just about one thing you see on the trail. Our favourite operate, nonetheless, is the dwell collaboration. Very like what Google Docs does for paperwork, MapMagic lets you map routes along with your mates in real-time. You can, as an example, divide a multi-day route into segments and each work on a novel part on the same time. When utilized in full transfer, it is going to probably definitely actually really feel like magic.

2. AllTrails

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Main Free, Skilled from $35.99 per yr
Good for: Connecting with a gaggle of hikers

best hiking apps: alltrails screenshotbest hiking apps: alltrails screenshot
AllTrails AllTrails has a world group of hikers

Defending over 400,000 trails and with 3.5 million downloads, AllTrails is doubtless one of many hottest hike-planning apps on the market.

The free mannequin enables you to create your private trails with GPS monitoring, pictures and textual content material, and save or share them with others. The paid membership enables you to save routes offline and design and print personalized maps.

AllTrails has a world group of shoppers and presents detailed evaluations and inspiration from tried-and-tested trails. It enables you to merely share your adventures and develop your private group of fellow hikers.

3. Gaia GPS

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Main Free, Member $19.99, Premium $59.90
Good for: Navigation

gaia often appears on lists of best hiking appsgaia often appears on lists of best hiking apps
Gaia Gaia has a rich catalogue of maps

Gaia GPS is an outdoor navigation app providing entry to a rich catalogue of maps along with topographical, satellite tv for pc television for laptop, avenue and the NatGeo Trails Illustrated map sequence.

Along with monitoring hikes whereas measuring tempo, distance and elevation as commonplace, moreover it’s doable to acquire a variety of offline maps for off-grid entry. The app and accompanying web-based mannequin allow for printing too.

The interface is intuitive and prospects can import and synchronise data elements and trails from completely different digital sources. The app is free, nevertheless the proper of its choices are accessed by the use of the paid mannequin.

4. MapMyWalk

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Main Free, Skilled $5.99 month-to-month or $29.99 yearly
Good for: Well being

one of the best urban hiking appsone of the best urban hiking apps
MapMyWalk MapMyWalk is sweet for well being

It’s a good community-based strolling and well being app that permits you to doc your train and log your meals consumption to hint power and dietary content material materials. You’ll be able to too sync the app to a wearable machine and be part of with associates and completely different walkers to stay motivated.

The app’s premium stage unlocks superior well being choices equal to coronary coronary heart value analysis and personal teaching plans ($5.99 a month or $29.99 a yr). It is best for metropolis walks considerably than backcountry mountaineering nevertheless is a worthy addition to your monetary establishment of apps.

5. FarOut

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Main Free, Skilled $15 month-to-month or $96 yearly (specific particular person downloads on the market)
Good for: By-hiking

one of the best hiking apps for thru-hikersone of the best hiking apps for thru-hikers
Guthook Guides FarOut is doubtless one of many best mountaineering apps for thru-hikers

FarOut is doubtless one of many best mountaineering apps for thru-hikers. With detailed maps overlaying a whole bunch of miles of path routes and over 10,000 waypoint particulars, it is the app of other for hikers on the Appalachian Path, Pacific Crest Path and Continental Divide Path.

Waypoints embody water sources, shelters, campsites, avenue crossings, trailheads, junctions, viewpoints, peaks, parking and loads of others whereas metropolis guides embody lodging, consuming locations, resupply, laundry, put up locations of labor, retailers, historic web sites and further.

Hikers can create personalized routes with the app’s route builder system and maintain up to date with pictures and suggestions shared by completely different hikers.

6. PeakVisor

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Main Free, Skilled $4.99 month-to-month or $29.99 yearly
Good for: Determining mountains

peakvisor is a seemingly magical hiking apppeakvisor is a seemingly magical hiking app
PeakVisor PeakVisor is doubtless one of many best mountaineering apps

PeakVisor is the proper app for mountain strolling as a result of it instantly recognises the determine of any mountain peak that comes into view using a mixture of your cellphone’s digicam, location monitoring and a high-precision 3D mountain panorama.

It provides an in depth profile for each peak along with altitude, topographic prominence, mountain range and the nationwide parks or reserves it’d belong to, along with pictures and associated entries on Wikipedia.

PeakVisor consists of detailed 3D maps, allowing you to preview trails, summits, passes, viewpoints and parking sooner than setting foot on the trail.

7. Spyglass

Platforms: iOSAndroid
Price:
$5.99 per merchandise
Good for: Stargazing

one of the best designed hiking appsone of the best designed hiking apps
Spyglass Spyglass has a seamless interface

Considered one of many coolest outdoors apps on the market, Spyglass might be by far in all probability essentially the most visually spectacular. A complete GPS toolkit is obtainable with the identical outdated monitoring choices nevertheless blended with a shocking augmented actuality view.

The app moreover incorporates a heads-up present, a high-quality compass with map overlays, a gyrocompass, a speedometer, an altimeter, an astronomical object finder, a sextant, an inclinometer, an angular calculator and further.

8. OS Maps

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Main Free, Skilled $6.99 month-to-month or $34.99 yearly
Good for: Mountaineering inside the UK

os maps is one of the best hiking apps for britainos maps is one of the best hiking apps for britain
OS Maps OS Maps is a standard

Whenever you dwell inside the UK you then’ll most definitely know that Ordnance Survey is the home of British mapping and has been for a whole bunch of years. Whether or not or not you’re mountaineering or biking, Ordnance Survey produces the UK’s most detailed leisure maps.

Their accompanying apps are simple to utilize, feature-rich and an excellent addition to paper maps.

The route-plotting operate is a bit clunky and desires some enchancment, nevertheless for navigation features (i.e discovering your house on the UK’s most detailed maps) the app is nice.

Its augmented actuality operate permits prospects to pan the panorama to see what’s shut by, along with hills and mountains, forest and woodland, transport, settlements, coast and water.

9. Geocaching

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Main Free, Skilled $5.99 month-to-month or $29.99 yearly
Good for: Geocaching

screenshots of geocaching appscreenshots of geocaching app
Geocaching The app of other for geocachers

That’s the app of other for geocachers internationally. Whether or not or not you’re off to look out your first geocache or your thousandth, this app will help you through the journey.

Entry particulars of geocaches near you, full with an overview of attributes and all newest train. Navigate to the cache using a map, compass or driving directions and research trackables: geocaching sport gadgets that journey from cache to cache.

Skilled prospects can filter geocaches by dimension, kind, difficulty, terrain, and positioned/owned, and kind by determine, distance or favourite elements.

10. iNaturalist

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free
Good for: Nature walks

iNaturalist hikign app screenshotsiNaturalist hikign app screenshots
iNaturalist iNaturalist focuses on biodiversity

Developed by the Nationwide Geographic Society and California Academy of Sciences, iNaturalist encourages hikers to contribute to biodiversity science.

Hikers are invited to doc observations and encounters equal to an unusual butterfly or unknown plant species by the use of the app. Clients’ findings are then shared with scientific data repositories similar to the Worldwide Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists uncover and use the data.

The highest outcome’s that hikers transform ‘citizen scientists’ and help really smart people with their obligatory work of defending animals and conserving nature.

11. Knots 3D

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: $5.99
Good for: Learning knots

screenshots of knots 3d – learn how to tie over 135 knotsscreenshots of knots 3d – learn how to tie over 135 knots
Knots 3D Knots always transform helpful for hikers

That features over 135 knots, Knots 3D is the go-to reference for climbers, arborists, fishermen and firefighters all all through the globe.

Clients can watch a knot draw itself or use a finger to tie and untie the knot to see the place the digital rope goes in and out and spherical.

The 3D knots are organized by class (climbing, boating, fishing and plenty of others) and sort (bend, loop, stopper), and are listed with detailed reference data along with tying pointers, power and reliability, structural data and Ashley reference numbers (ABoK).

12. Local weather Keep: best local weather app

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Main Free, Skilled from $1.99 to $9.99 month-to-month counting on bundle
Good for: Local weather planning

screenshots of weather livescreenshots of weather live
Local weather Keep Top-of-the-line local weather app for mountaineering

Local weather Keep is perhaps the proper local weather app on the market all through every platforms and undoubtedly the proper making an attempt. Numerous the best choices are the dwell local weather scenes that mirror real-world conditions and the completely customisable construction.

There often is the standard meteorological data along with wind route and tempo, humidity, precipitation, pressure and visibility along with the very spectacular satellite tv for pc television for laptop worldwide cloud and rain maps enhanced with animated local weather radar (US solely) allowing prospects to quickly see what local weather is coming their method.

13. Cairn

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Main Free, Skilled $4.99 month-to-month or $26.99 yearly
Good for: Safety

cairn is one of the best hiking apps for safetycairn is one of the best hiking apps for safety
Cairn Cairn is doubtless one of many best mountaineering apps for safety

Cairn has been generally known as ‘the ultimate phrase mountaineering safety app’ and is an important part of our safety bundle, notably when mountaineering solo.

Cairn crowdsources cell safety spots and divulges you the place others have found safety on the trail, broken down by service. That’s useful in the event you ought to substitute your loved ones members or definitely make an emergency title.

You can configure the app to ship updates to named contacts firstly and end of each journey along with an ‘overdue’ notification in case you don’t check-in. Cairn moreover enables you to acquire topo maps offline and navigate the trail with stats, making the premium mannequin the best mountaineering apps for mountaineering solo.

14. First Help by British Crimson Cross

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free
Good for: Medical emergencies

screenshots of the British Red Cross First Aid appscreenshots of the British Red Cross First Aid app
British Crimson Cross First Help by British Crimson Cross

The British Crimson Cross First Help app provides pre-loaded content material materials offering instantaneous entry to safety data {and professional} suggestion for frequently emergencies.

There are motion pictures, diagrams, interactive quizzes and straightforward step-by-step suggestion to help prospects maintain and put collectively for a variety of emergencies.

15. Recreation.gov

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free
Good for: US nationwide parks

Recreation.gov app screenshotsRecreation.gov app screenshots
Recreation.gov Recreation.gov focuses on US outdoors leisure areas

Recreation.gov is the right companion to the official NPS app, although it isn’t merely restricted to nationwide parks as a result of it covers all outdoors leisure areas all through the US.

The app helps prospects uncover and reserve campsites, buy passes, analysis location particulars for upcoming journeys, entry particulars about reservations and even enter lotteries for in-demand experiences.

It moreover has a particularly useful ‘scan & pay’ operate for collaborating campgrounds to streamline the check-in course of so prospects can arrive out of hours, bypass prepared in line or steer clear of carrying cash.

The app has over 100,000 specific particular person areas and is continually together with new campsites, excursions, passes and completely different actions at federal recreation web sites all through the US.


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Lead image: RSplaneta/Shutterstock

Komoot

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free

Komoot claims to be Europe’s major outdoors app and comes with all the identical outdated route planning, navigation and offline choices one would depend on. Nonetheless it is the app’s user-friendly and trendy interface that makes it stand out from the group.

Komoot being used on devicesKomoot being used on devices
Kamoot Komoot is reportedly Europe’s major outdoors app

The app’s well-liked location-based ‘tour recommendation’ operate is superb, allowing prospects to seek out mountaineering and biking routes after which sort them by a variety of choices equal to public transport entry, size and difficulty.

It’s then doable to customise the route by adapting start and endpoints or completely edit the course using the intuitive route planner operate.

Wikiloc

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free

Having significantly flown beneath the radar in US and UK, Wikiloc is essentially the most well-liked mountaineering app in Southern Europe (Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece). The app has a gaggle of 10 million outdoors adventurers who’ve collectively mapped over 34 million trails and contributed larger than 60 million path footage all through 190 nations.

screenshots of the Wikiloc hiking appscreenshots of the Wikiloc hiking app
Wikiloc Wikiloc is essentially the most well-liked mountaineering app in Southern Europe

Launched in 2006, Wikiloc has been a pioneer inside the mountaineering and outdoors recreation apps class. It was the first Apple Watch app to operate interactive maps on a smartwatch. As such, Apple gave it a selected level out all through their 2019 Apple Watch keynote.

It was moreover the first mountaineering app to implement Keep Monitoring, a operate allowing hikers to share their real-time location with their family and associates for peace of ideas. It was moreover the first mountaineering app to hitch the 1% for the planet initiative – contributing 1% of earnings to environmental initiatives.

Choices embody outdoors navigation for mountaineering, biking and completely different outdoors actions; free offline maps for use all through outdoors adventures; dwell monitoring; and “search by passing house” for finding trails in a selected house of the map.

PeakFinder

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: $4.99

Similar to PeakVisor, PeakFinder enables you to be taught the names of any mountain in view. Merely keep your digicam as a lot because the world and be taught in regards to the panorama.

peakfinder is a nifty hiking apppeakfinder is a nifty hiking app
PeakFinder PeakFinder is a mountain-tracking app

The app works offline and worldwide and presents real-time rendering of the encircling panorama to a variety of 300km.

Hiiker

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free (skilled mannequin for $9.99 one-off price and limitless for $1.89 per thirty days)

Hiiker is dedicated to long-distance mountaineering trails everywhere in the world. Along with that features a whole bunch of inspiring backpacking and mountaineering mapped routes, the app moreover encompasses a analysis system, particular person pictures and the selection to avoid wasting a lot of the maps and data offline.

Hiiker app screenshotsHiiker app screenshots
Hiiker Hiiker focuses on long-distance mountaineering

The app moreover helps with discovering campgrounds and lodging alongside the trail, accommodates a stage-by-stage breakdown of the trail so that you already know exactly what’s arising each day, suggests completely different routes away from the busier sections and even provides long-term native climate traits to help with planning an expedition.

REI Nationwide Parks

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free

REI Co-op Info to Nationwide Parks is a whole data to mountaineering and sightseeing in US nationwide parks. It comes with full path data along with hike difficulty scores and elevation profiles along with educated insights on seasons, tenting and lodging, guided excursions, meals and drinks and further.

screenshots of rei's hiking appscreenshots of rei's hiking app
REI The REI app is especially for US Nationwide Parks

Clients can look for hikes using the map view or a park’s ‘higher of’ guidelines curated using group star scores. No matter its value (free!), it stays the best mountaineering apps for exploring the very best nationwide parks along with Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Zion, Grand Teton and loads of further.

Outdooractive

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free (Skilled from €2.50 and Skilled+ €5.00)

ViewRanger was a broadly well-liked mountaineering app on both facet of the Atlantic, which is presumably why it was acquired by Outdooractive.

Outdooractive screenshotsOutdooractive screenshots
Outdooractive Outdooractive is Europe’s largest outdoors platform

Sadly, considering Outdooractive is Europe’s largest outdoors platform, it is going to appear that the app has switched focus to European mountaineering trails. I used the app to look out trails all through my mountaineering journey in Berchtesgaden Nationwide Park and positioned it to be reliable.

The app focuses on serving to hikers plan, navigate, doc and share their outdoors adventures. On the Skilled and Skilled+ subscriptions, prospects can acquire high-resolution Ordnance Survey maps for the UK and a variety of high-quality topographic maps for all crucial European map producers and alpine golf tools.

Maps.me

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free

I had on no account used Maps.me sooner than, but it surely certainly gained me over on my K2 base camp trek in Pakistan. I had downloaded the route using my commonplace assortment of mountaineering apps and was feeling pretty assured sooner than we set off. As quickly as on the distant path, nonetheless, I couldn’t get appropriate data on our place or altitude on any of my apps.

Maps.me screenshotsMaps.me screenshots
Maps.me Maps.me is a journey app

In its place, it was a fellow hiker using Maps.me – a journey versus a mountaineering app – that was ready to persistently report on our progress and altitude. As such, as quickly as once more on-line, I promptly downloaded Maps.me and have continued to utilize it as my ‘backup’ mountaineering app for every trek I’ve been on since.

The maps are rudimentary for mountaineering and it is vital so as to add your private GPX routes, but it surely certainly on no account fails to seek out or current the requirements equal to the closest footpaths, elements of curiosity and altitude.

NPS official: best app for US nationwide parks

Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free

The Nationwide Park Service (NPS) simply these days launched its private official NPS app and, unsurprisingly, it blew the rivals out of the water. For starters, and in distinction to others, the app covers the whole 420-plus web sites inside the Nationwide Park System.

Screenshots from the official NPS appScreenshots from the official NPS app
NPS The NPS app is the proper for nationwide parks

The official NPS app provides authoritative data from its park rangers and combines it with a wonderful suite of choices along with interactive maps, park amenities, accessibility, points to do, fees and buyer centre hours

The app moreover boasts distinctive choices that completely different apps merely don’t have entry to equal to self-guided excursions, the latest data, alerts and events launched straight from the NPS and particulars about how dog-friendly an NPS web page is.

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