Looming at sunset from the top of a peak is an amazing experience that every traveler should absolutely experience in life. Finding the best hiking trails could be quite a challenge, though.
To plan a good route we need to control a few factors. Those go from the climate and the humidity, to the difficulty of the trail and the material we need to carry. However, we often miss something in the pipeline and it is the beauty of the landscape. Although the satisfaction of the climb is a blow of adrenaline, finding out which are the most beautiful routes will make our expedition the desired one.
Technology, as always, is our perfect ally to help us find those gems of nature and make sure we choose the best hiking trails for our expedition. Discover what are the most professional apps for hiking, biking, sailing and skiing that also mention the most beautiful climbing routes near us:
FIND THE BEST HIKING TRAILS
One of the most complete apps in the navigation of routes to climb is Alltrails. This application works as a collaborative platform between hikers who share and upload their routes. They are accurately labeled so that other users can find them.
In this app we can find routes for biking, walking or climbing and filter them by its proximity to the sea, the mountain, a lake or a specific type of vegetation. In addition, it shows the levels of difficulty of the trails and updates the weather and humidity in real time. Alltrails include a GPS navigator to follow the chosen route and make sure we don´t miss a detail.
We believe that it is one of the best options to find hiking routes that are really beautiful. That it is because it counts with the help of thousands of users. Also, it has already more than 50 thousand routes. However, it still has a lot of world to explore and has much more information in the United States than in any other country. It’s free with in-app payment products on Android and iOS.
FIND THE BEST 3D MAPS FOR HIKING
Maps 3D Pro Outdoor GPS gives us the opportunity to take a tour in three dimensions of the route we want to do and see all its details. We can see the orography of the landscape, discover viewpoints and lakes. We can also understand from what height we will have the best view before leaving home.
In addition to the three-dimensional map, the app has another 9 types of maps of sources such as NASA. They come with images of the route to complete our visual experience of the landscape.
Once we have made our ideal route, both for hiking and cycling or horseback, we can keep our waypoints in our profile.
If we are winter athletes, we can also see our ski or hiking route in the snow. Once we have decided the best trail, the app will trace our way to share it later with friends or family.
DOCUMENT THE LANDSCAPE
The most seasoned outdoors athletes know how useful it is to keep a compass, to guide their way and not have to continuously follow the GPS.
Technology has created really sophisticated gadgets. It has also built apps that have interesting features such as augmented reality. This last brilliant combination is the one that presents Spyglass, an app that places the athlete anywhere in the world with high precision. This way it helps us orient our way, discovering the best spots to stop along the way.
Splyglass is a must-have app for our trips in the seach of the best hiking trails. Once we position the smartphone on the road, the augmented reality shows us the location of objects in real time.
In addition to hikers, Spyglass is a professional app for sailors who want to orientate themselves by simply focusing their camera towards the sea in search of the best route. At night, the star-sensing system will inform us of the location of the moon, the sun and Polaris.
FIND FRIENDS WHO HIKE WITH YOU
Wave is a great tool to have when going skiing, snowboarding, biking, hiking or camping. It helps people to locate their group of friends anywhere in the hiking trail. Friends can split for a while and get found whenever they want or whenever they have a problem.
In the mountain it is difficult to give directions or explain where someone is, so with Wave friends can spot easily other contacts on a private map. It shows them moving in real time so they can feel safe and connected.
Once we install the app, we can open a group or select only one contact and send him/her a request to share the location with us. When our friends accept it, a map opens in real time with a top notch technology built in-house where we can spot each other.
Wave also offers the possibility to set a meeting point that is convenient to all, get directions to arrive there and chat. We can create the group before to share and find the best hiking trail with our friends. The best part is privacy, no one else will see our location.
Pablo Clemente Pérez 