AllTrails
I find almost all of my hikes from the AllTrails app – it’s free & I can’t recommend it enough if you’re heading out on any trail!
I always, always read the comments before I go out on a hike. The reason is because the comments offer a recent look at the hike. The conditions, if there’s something weird to watch out for on the trail, what type of shoes they wore, if it’s shaded or not. I find this one especially helpful with spring hiking, to find out if there’s still snow on the trail or not.
The Trail Map:
I don’t know what I’d do without the little blue dot. You can upgrade to download the maps for when you’re out of cell phone service but most of my hikes have been in service so it hasn’t been an issue. I run into forks in the trail a ton and a lot of time they’re not marked, so I’ll pull out the app and see
The Explore Section:
One of my go-to’s when I’m bored is to plug in random towns and check out the different hikes! Once you find a hike you like, just hit the heart & add it to your list. When I finally have a day when I can get out and hike, I just hop into my favorites & pick one! I also make lists for upcoming trips & which hikes I’m interested in near that city.
The App’s not perfect and every once in a while there will be a wonky trail map or hard to follow info, but for the most part it’s pretty reliable.
Strava
This is the app I use to track my hikes! I tried a couple others for running and thankfully this one omits the updates every mile and the obnoixous voice alerting you that your “workout is paused” if you stop to tie your shoe.
You just start it at the beginning of your hike then at the end you get a full look at the mileage, plus how much elevation you covered! (Perfect for bragging rights!) You also get a map of where you went and a breakdown of how long it took, pace, breaks, etc.
