5 of Our Favorite Outdoor Apps

Its the 21st century, and there are loads of digital resources to help you get outside! We asked the Parks Foundation team: "What app do you love for outdoor adventuring and why?"

Read on for our top 5!

1. AllTrails

"I am very thankful for Alltrails App because when I am traveling, I am able to look up trails nearby and read reviews and also see some recent pictures of the area which help me decide on which trail I will ultimately try.  I also like that it tracks how many miles I hike in a year."

- Shanna Kokosh, Office Administrator

"Whenever I need to find a location for my next outdoor adventure I use the app AllTrails. This platform gives locations, pictures, and advice for every outdoor enthusiast. To name a few alfresco activities, bikers, hikers, joggers, and skiers can find locations through AllTrails. Filters can be added to a search assuring that your open-air adventure can be fulfilled. Try AllTrails out now!"

- Nyaabila Apambire, Youth Recreation Leader

2. iNaturalist

"iNaturalist encourages me to pay attention to unique animals and plants that I found while outside. It has become a habit to take pictures of species I find to upload to the app. The app will suggest identifications, but the main bulk of ID'ing comes from other users. I also like this app because I like looking at the map of other people's identifications. If I want to know where a certain species is being spotted, the map gives me a cool look at where other people are seeing it."

- Chloe Kinerson, Wetland Restoration Technician

3. GAIA GPS

"Gaia is a tracking app that shows you directions (North, East, South, West), allows you to see hiking trails, ATV trails, miner roads, and highways whether you have service or not. My favorite thing about the app is the ability to set a waypoint, allowing you to mark the coordinates of a certain location so you can return to it at a later date. I use this mostly for hiking, and when I'm on a trail and there is something cool, a camping spot, or a particularly beautiful spot on the trail, I can mark it and it will automatically take the date and time and allow me to customize the name of that point so I can save it for later and even add photos!

This app also has different layers you can apply to your map, one of these layers that I always have on is the boundaries of private land, U.S. forestry, and BLM land so you can easily see where you can camp for free if going on a road trip and don't feel like paying for hotels. Another layer that is always enabled is the ability to see the slope of mountains and the topography when preparing for a hike to see what you are getting yourself into. You are also able to "record a track" which allows you to track where you are going on a hike, especially if you are going off trail, it tracks everywhere I have been letting me retrace my steps if I get lost (but this uses a lot of battery so be sure to have a portable charger)! I have had this app since 2018 and use it almost everyday, and certainly every time I hike, camp, and do any sort of recreational activity. It's fun to look at the map and see all the places I have been over the years (everywhere I have marked a point), and I take a point almost everywhere I go. I recommend this app to almost everyone since it has so many uses, and it has certainly saved me from being lost and lots of money over the years!"

Alex De Sousa, Wetland Restoration Technician

4. Soil Web

"SoilWeb is one of my apps I like to use outside, it's quicker than digging a pit but not as much fun. 

From the app company: The SoilWeb for Android application accesses soil survey information (the SSURGO dataset, published by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service) at your current location. This app was designed to be a lightweight version of the SoilWeb GMap web application. SoilWeb GMap features an interactive map for viewing and querying individual map units, while this app does not. However, SoilWeb for Android conveniently provides a link to the SoilWeb GMap web app. If you're interested in soil, this app is a must have!"

- Cory Strauss, Wetland Restoration Technician

5. Rock Identifier

"My favorite outdoor app is actually just called "Rock Identifier" in the app store. You can use it to scan any rock you find and it will give you pictures of similar rocks and suggest identifications for the rock. It also gives you a little blurb about the natural history and how likely the rock is to be found in your area. It’s really great for hiking with kids."

- Jennie Johnson, Wetland Restoration Outreach Coordinator

Thanks for reading! If there's an app you love that wasn't mentioned, be sure to comment it below.