Best all around GPS app?

[jimmiepoison]

I’ve used Gaia, maplets, All Trails, Trailforks MotionX, OnX, Earthmate, and am currently exploring BaseMap. I backcountry ski, hunt, mountain bike, hike, and climb. Each app has its own strengths but also requires too many subscriptions for essentially the same thing and I’d really like an app that crosses genres well. I think OnX has what they need, but they’ve split it across multiple apps (can you run the slope meter layer on their hunting app or hunting units on their backcountry app?)

What are you guys currently running for multiple sports and are there some layer importing tricks I might be missing?

[waveshello]

I switched to Gaia from Backcountry Navigator for hiking/skiing/back country rambling. All I really want to take with me in to the field is a good topo map and the ability to see my location on the map, make waypoints, and follow a route.

I also use fatmap (app and PC) for its superior satellite imaging + terrain modeling, and Caltopo on the PC for trip planning and research.

Trailforks seems to get the job done for MTB trails, I mostly just use the free version to find new trails, and I'll pull it out occasionally to find a trailhead or confirm I'm still going where I was planning to go.



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[Benneke10]

I've been a Gaia premium subscriber for years while dabbling in most of the others. It is pretty much perfect except for 2 major flaws: their slope angle shading and route building features are crap. Luckily Caltopo is great in both regards so I use both.

[Jeb McHardman]

I use the free version of Fatmap on my phone and caltopo on my computer. I think they both work well, though I only use them for skiing

[climberevan]

Locus is incredibly powerful, but I'm not sure if it's available to those stuck in the Apple cult. They now have a subscription version, but the OG standalone app is still available.

[jimmiepoison]

Just got a 30% off email for BaseMap and decided to spring for the pro version. The 3D earth function is pretty cool. I don’t think it’s quite as good as the laptop version of Google Earth, but lots of detail for a mobile app. Built in weather, wind, land owner layers, plus distance tools are all pretty cool. Liking it for the most part, but it seems to be lacking route building capabilities and I haven’t found a slope angle layer yet.

Seems like a few of these apps are just a few open source map layers and a a tool or two away from being cross genre powerhouses.

[jmedslc]

Been using OnX for dirt bike riding but haven’t gone beyond that with this app yet.

[fool]

I've used Gaia for trail running and ski mountaineering and it's worked well. However, a runner/backpacker that I trust, Andrew Skurka, just recently posted how he has converted to 100% CalTopo, so I feel like I might investigate that further: https://andrewskurka.com/review-calt...ps-navigation/

For the FatMap users, what's the reason/benefit of it? I downloaded it but couldn't see a situation where I would rather pull that up compared to Gaia.

[hafjell]

I've used Gaia for trail running and ski mountaineering and it's worked well. However, a runner/backpacker that I trust, Andrew Skurka, just recently posted how he has converted to 100% CalTopo, so I feel like I might investigate that further: https://andrewskurka.com/review-calt...ps-navigation/

Great blog post. Thanks for sharing.

[Bobcat Sig]

Gaia for me, with the occasional use of Maplets/Avenza for OHV trails.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I use caltopo -> Gaia. I bought Gaia years ago before it was a subscription service. This means I don't have to pay, but I also don't get some new features, like slope angle shading. I don't really care. Slope angle shading is useful for planning, I don't really see how it's all that useful in the field. It's not granular enough to trust for micro terrain decisions. Plus I go out with a a plan, along with my eyes and multiple other tools for measuring slope angle.

[cravenmorhead]

CalTopo's app has gotten much better. I was already using the site for desktop planning, and now that the app has improved I've been happy with it as my primary backcountry mapping tool. For a lot of the same reasons in the linked blog, above.

[Danno]

Bumping this. I bought Backcountry Navigator Pro years ago, but when I got a new phone it pulled over the app but none of the data. And in trying to use it on the new phone, to just get some basic maps downloaded, it is just not user friendly (and I never thought it was very user friendly anyhow).

Here is all I need: the ability to have preloaded topos and to load in a gpx file from Huts.org (and of course to track my progress to the hut via that gpx). That's it.

Would prefer free if there is a decent free app that can do that, but willing to pay a few bucks. Would strongly prefer not to pay a subscription given how little use it will get (a couple of huts/yr).

Maybe BCN Pro is still a good option and I'm just being a luddite.

[mrkbrnblm]

Danno - I think caltopo's the best option of the lot, but it's not free. They have several pre-built maps with all sorts of hut detail which may mean you don't need to import anything. For example, this one - https://caltopo.com/m/CN0U

AvenzaMap is a great free option with a TON of pre-made maps available in their store and it does what you're asking for. I don't know if it has any pre-built maps for the 10th mountain huts or otherwise. To my knowledge, it doesn't do some of the more ski-specific stuff like slope shading for aspect, elevation, and angle. But it's a good app. I use it for hiking and running around the local state parks all the time because of the pre-built maps.

[GrantN]

At home:
I use google maps/earth on a desktop for satellite view of the area or route for familiarization. Then I use the free version of caltopo on desktop for detail if I feel I could use it for an objective or new area, with time constraints or to maximize camp site location, (sun, snow, angles, trails, etc
In the field:
I use topo maps canada app as my backup free offline maps for reference & out in the field to locate myself via gps. It is dead simple & actually better than all paid apps in my experience. It has come to be my main map tho because it barely uses battery & is simple & easier UI than earthmate, gaia or any other on mobile. It has a little gps accuracy thing that works well ime plus a navigation & measuring tool. It never tries to make you get a subscription because there is no option. That’s not even the best part.

Relief maps is also another free one to check out for visuals on mobile before leaving cell service, but I mainly use google/caltopo at home then pretty much only canada topo maps in the field. Earthmate just feels clunky & felt painful using markers & whatnot for a route when I did a rural a-b hike.
These are all free besides Earthmate which I look at as a bonus offline map for using the inreach. I occasionally use it in tandem with canada topo.

Less often I’ve used trailforks when searching for a trail but I minimally bike. It’s been good enough the few times I’ve needed it.

Sometimes I just do it all on desktop for free, then take screenshots on desktop & send to ohone so it’s effectively a big high res scanned map that’s downloaded to on mobile. Has worked for references & remembering new area/terrain. Photos app to canada topo seems to do the job.

Highly recommend only using AllTrails for recent trail condition updates in reviews & pictures. And not much else given it’s inconsistent ratings & poor public data(consistently underestimates distance & elevation on popular multi day hikes in BC & rates serious hikes as ‘easy’ & ‘intermediate’). It & instagram are good for trail/area condition updates since forums at mostly dead. Forums are still good for detailed trip reports ime & sometimes have answers to my specific questions 15yrs ago

Generally free is sufficient

[climberevan]

I'm still mostly using Locus on the phone for ski, moto, and hiking navigation. It's the most powerful & customizable of them all, IMO. Caltopo's app has improved, but is still pretty weak compared with Locus.

The "Locus store" vector maps have improved dramatically, and they make really small file sizes, so you can have whole countries on your phone without filling it up.

For mtb on existing trails I use Trailforks and occasionally MTBProject.

For bikepacking planning in the field and on-bike navigation I use RideWithGPS (paid) and Locus.

For planning trips on the computer I use Caltopo, RWGPS, and various other GIS maps available from USFS etc. Once I have my tracks created I'll upload them to Earth to fly around and try to verify whether the "roads" actually exist.

[singlesline]

Can anyone recommend an iPhone GPS app that provides you the same sort of screen that a dedicated handheld GPS gives you plus some sort of dumb waypoint routing (e.g. not trying to follow streets, just telling you the waypoint is North, then when you get there telling you the next waypoint is NE).

On Android I had GPS Essentials, which gave you a customizable dashboard like this where you could choose what you wanted to display:


Would want to be able to see things like, Speed, VMG, Heading, Bearing, Distance to waypoint, etc.


Also had some level of offline maps, route recording, etc., but plenty of apps offer that...none seem to provide a full-featured GPS readout like a Garmin.

[lucknau]

If you’re not already doing it, just thought I’d mention that you can export your own customized maps from Caltopo (via web browser) as GeoPDFs, and use them in the Avenza App. Caltopo has a slope shading overlay, among a ton of other stuff. I think you get 5 free map files on the website, but you can do all of your work, for as many locations as you want, on a single file, and export whatever areas you want to use as PDFs. You can have 3 maps in Avenza without a subscription, and I just store files offline in Google Drive and shuffle them in and out of the app as needed.


:::::@:::::

[climberevan]

On Android I had GPS Essentials, which gave you a customizable dashboard like this where you could choose what you wanted to display:

Just get a $50 Android phone and you'll be in business. It's good to have a backup device when depending on digital navigation anyway.