The Best Apps for Camping and Hiking

Do you find yourself getting cabin fever? Are you wanting to get outdoors and enjoy the fresh air? Well, preparing for your next camping trip or hike in ANY season has never been easier or more exciting with these best apps for camping and hiking.

AllTrails

• Access to over 50,000 trail maps.
• Connects to your maps to give you driving directions to the trailheads.
• Map your next hike by those nearest to you, difficulty, length, time, and rating by other AllTrails users.
• Filter to find the trail that’s perfect for you such as: dog-friendly, kid-friendly, and great views to name a few!
• Save your favorite trails or ones you’d like to explore for easy access.

Cost: FREE

PeakFinder Earth

• Shows the names of mountains and peaks with a 360° panoramic view.
• Uses GPS & Compass to help find coordinates and the peaks around you.
• Works offline and worldwide.
• Access to over 250,000 peak names.

Cost: $3.99

First Aid by Red Cross & Pet First Aid by Red Cross

• Instant access to information on handling common first aid emergencies.
• Be prepared for weather-related issues that could arise.
• Find the nearest hospitals for severe emergencies.
• Be prepared for pet emergencies and learn how to treat and handle common issues.
• Find pet-friendly hotels, tips on traveling with your pet, and training tips.

Cost: FREE

Looking for tips on how to build your own first aid kit? Check out this post.

MapMyHike

• Track and map your hike workouts – for every mile you’ll get feedback on how to improve performance.
• Receive stats on your hike including pace, duration, distance, calories burned, elevation, and more.
• Set personal goals to help you improve your workouts and choose from over 600 different sports/activities.

Cost: FREE

Topo Maps+: The Ultimate Outdoor App

• While using Topo Maps+ you never have to fear being lost again. Between the combination of your phone’s GPS and compass while using downloaded Topo Maps+ you can view your current location even when miles away from even a spot of cellphone service.
• Have an Apple Watch? Topo Maps+ offers support for that too so you can stay handsfree while viewing offline maps.
• Prepare for your trip by tracing routes and find distances, elevation profiles, and more between each location.
• If you enjoy hiking, camping, long distance treks or traveling a lot this app is a gold mine!

With Topo Maps+ PRO you have access to many high-resolution map passes such as:

• USGS & US Forest Service topo maps with hill shading and trail overlays
• Partial US Forest Service Maps
• US National Maps
• Partial US National Park Visitor Maps
• NRCAN Canada Maps
• Thunderforest Topo Maps with hiking and biking trails
• Glacier Topo with hiking and biking trails
• MapBox, Run, Hike, Bike Map
• MapBox Satellite Map – worldwide satellite imagery
• MapBox Terrain & Street Map
• Open Cycle Map
• US NOAA Marine Charts
• New Zealand Topo Map to NZ mainland, the Chatham Islands, and offshore islands
• Best of all? When your subscription runs out you can still use all of your downloaded high-resolution maps for free!

Is Topo Maps+ PRO worth it?

With all of the added features that the PRO version offers and the fact that you can keep the maps after your subscription expires, we think the PRO version is a no-brainer!

Cost: FREE to download basic Topo Maps + or $19.99/12 months of Topo Maps+ PRO

GoTenna

• Send and receive text messages without internet access.
• Share your GPS location on detailed offline maps even without service.
• Encrypted 1-to-1 & group messaging.
• “Shout” broadcasts for anyone within range for emergency situations.

Cost: FREE
Must have GoTenna devices to use the app.
Cost of devices: $149

Yonder

• One of our favorite apps! Yonder features over 20,000 destinations worldwide.
• Gather new ideas and experiences from other people in the Yonder community.
• Discover thousands of geo-located images and videos from around the globe.
• Upload your own ideas and adventures to inspire others while saving your favorites.

Cost: FREE

ParkFinder

• Find the parks closest to you with activities you want to do.
• A huge database of national parks, state parks, local parks, and the federal public in America.
• Includes park overviews, activities and descriptions, maps and directions, lodging information, nearby attractions, and weather/seasonality.

Cost: FREE

RecGovCamp

• Find available campsites at National Parks, forests, and other Federal Recreation facilities.
• Filter by type of site, equipment length, hook-ups, driveway, waterfront, pet-friendly, accessible needs.
• Gives campground details including photos and driving directions.
• Reserve your selected campsite on the recreation.gov website.

Cost: FREE

 
Spyglass

• Sophisticated tool to find your way around areas with no obvious maps or checkpoints.
• GPS Toolkit for outdoors and off-road navigation.
• Features include: high-quality compass with map overlays, gyrocompass, speedometer, altimeter, angular calculator and more

Cost: $3.99 (on sale)

 
National Parks by National Geographic

• Contains interactive guides to 25 of America’s most visited national parks.
• Free photo galleries, visitor information, and maps.
• Each guide contains all of the information you need to know in order to plan your trip!

Cost: FREE

Sky Guide

• Study thousands of stars, comets, and satellites.
• Easily see what constellations are above you as you star gaze.
• Receive information about specific planets, constellations, and stars.
• Get notifications about upcoming astronomical events and more.

Cost: $2.99

 
What Knot To Do

• Learn to tie the perfect knots for fishing, sailing, backpacking, hunting, building a shelter, and more.
• Access to over 70 must know knots in six categories.
• Step-by-step tying instructions and illustrations to meet any outdoor and safety need.

Cost: FREE

MyNature Animal Tracks best apps for camping

• Database with 7 search-able track categories and 5 searchable categories for scat.
• Fully illustrated by size and shape for quick identification.
• Full-color digital images of tracks, scat, and animals.
• Sound files for identifying animal vocalizations.
• No wireless connection needed.

Cost: $1.99

Coleman® Campfire Tales best apps for camping

• A collection of scary stories to read around the campfire.
• Categories for kids, teens, and adults.
• Stores even have sound effects to make these spooky tales creepier!

Cost: FREE

Are you ready to take your next trek or camping trip? What are some of the best apps for camping and hiking you use to make exploring the outdoors easier?