Trailforks has finally released its long-awaited Apple Watch app, and you can now access and navigate trails offline, track your activities and monitor your performance all from your wrist. The move means you can access Trailforks' growing network of nearly 800,000 trails across the globe and seamlessly integrate your health and performance data across other apps.

Most of us run, hike or ride with a GPS watch these days, which allows us to do all of these things, but a recent survey by Strava reveals that the majority of people still prefer to use a third-party app, so it's no surprise that Trailforks has decided to get in on the action.

"Bringing our maps to Apple Watch is another way we’re meeting users where they are – with a unique app that puts the entire Trailforks trail network on an offline map, right on your wrist, making every adventure safer, smarter, and more fun,” says Trailforks founder Trevor May.

Just like AllTrails, there's both a free and a paid (Trailforks Pro) version, which offer different levels of access. Trailforks Pro users will have access to offline maps and navigation, the ability to add waypoints and Traildar directly from the map screen while you're on the go, plus you can view your current location on a Trailforks map, complete with nearby trails. If you have a trail you run or hike often, you'll also be able to quickly select it the next time you hit the trail.

Free users will have access to the following perks:

• Start and stop your recordings with a single tap.
• Record multiple activity types, including trail running, hiking, skiing and mountain biking.
• Auto-pause functionality when you want to take a break.
• Monitor your total time, distance, average speed, elevation gain, and heart rate in real-time.
• Post-run analysis seamlessly integrated with your Trailforks account.
• Visualize your ride or run with breadcrumb trails and location history.
• Sync your health data directly into Apple’s Health app.

Trailforks is a user-generated trail management system. Check out our comparison of Trailforks vs AllTrails and learn more about the new Apple Watch app here.

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If you're into trail running, chances are you've considered getting yourself a high-tech sports watch from Garmin. The American brand has been creating top-notch fitness wearables since the release of the Forerunner 201 in 2003 and has developed a stellar reputation for quality.

These days, Garmin is the biggest name in the sports watch market, selling upwards of 10 million devices every year. The best Garmin watches combine sleek and dependable design with super-accurate GPS and plenty of health trackers to help you monitor your progress on the trails.

If you've just got your hands on a brand new Garmin, there's plenty to get used to.

Along with their vast range of health and fitness features, Garmin watches have plenty of options for customization. Whether you're using a top-end device like the Fenix 8 or a cheaper alternative like the Forerunner 55, several aspects of your watch can be adapted to suit your preferences.

One of the best ways to add a little personality to your Garmin watch is by changing its watch face. This is the initial visual display on your device, where the clock hands would be on an analog clock.

How to change your watch face

Garmin offers three different ways to personalize your watch face:

• Personalize a pre-existing watch face on your device
• Choose a new watch face in the Connect IQ store
• Use your favorite photos to create a unique watch face using Garmin's Face It app.

All three methods can be completed in a few simple steps.

How to personalize a pre-existing watch face

Garmin watches come with an eye-catching handful of pre-existing watch faces, which you can customize to suit your individual preferences. There are loads of different parts of the watch face to personalize, including the layout, style of hands, style of numbers, and much more.

You can personalize a pre-existing watch face by following these simple steps on your Garmin device.

• Select Settings
• Select Watch Face
• Swipe up and down to choose your watch face
• Select Add New if you want a minimal watch face
• Once you've chosen a watch face, you can scroll through the available customization options
• Select Apply to save your new watch face

How to a choose new watch face in the Connect IQ store

The Connect IQ store is a platform where you can access additional apps and functions for your Garmin watch. Along with compatible apps and widgets, there are thousands of unique watch faces to choose from.

You can access the Connect IQ store through its app and see available watch faces in a few simple steps.

• Open the Connect IQ Store app on your mobile device
• Select My Device
• Select My Watch Faces

• Scroll through the options to find your chosen watch face
• Select settings
• Adjust the available options to customize your watch face
• Select Save

How to use your photos to create a unique watch face

Face It is an app, available on the Connect IQ store, which turns your favorite photos into watch faces. It's free to access and easy to use.

• Open the Connect IQ app on your mobile device
• Select Face It from the bottom menu
• Select Add
• Select Photos (to bring up your camera roll), Camera (to take a photo), or Preset Backgrounds (to choose from pre-installed options)

• Select Allow Access
• Select or take a photo, or choose a pre-installed option
• Choose display options
• Select Done or Save (depending on your device)
• Select Install to add the watch face to your Garmin device

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When you've got 150 million athletes using your app, you want to make it as user-friendly as possible, and that's presumably why Strava has rolled out yet another update, this time to the Record function.

Despite the fact that just about all of us run, hike and ride with GPS watches that can track our adventures these days, the 2024 Year in Sport report from Strava revealed that nearly 75 percent of users still use the app to log their activities.

Previously, the Record function, which tracks your activities, was on the clunky side, so this update streamlines the whole process, which will save you a few seconds when you just want to get out on the trail and be less irksome once you're on the move.

The big change to Record is that you can now view your stats while you're navigating, meaning you don't have to switch back and forth between screens. That means you don't have to break stride to check your pace, distance, or plan your next move.

Maps are also more detailed thanks to the new update, and are now powered by the recently updated Map Rendering Engine, so you can unlock map layers and see things like heatmaps and winter conditions.

There are other handy updates too, such as the ability to view your splits in real time rather than just getting a summary at the end. That could be useful if you're training for a race and want to gain a better understanding of your performance.

If you're a subscriber and a segment chaser, the addition of Live Segments means you'll be able to track your progress in real-time as you chase best efforts, and coming soon, laps will be added to the Record feature so you can set specific intervals or distances to track your journey.

The update is available now for Android users will be available on iOS in the coming weeks.

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If you're planning to take advantage of the warm weather and head out into the wilderness this summer, the AllTrails+ app can help you find new trails, navigate on the trail, and stay in touch with loved ones.

Right now, you can save 50% on an annual subscription to AllTrails+ app. This deal applies in all northern hemisphere countries (except the US and Canada) and means you can pick up this feature-packed hiking tool for just £17.99 in the UK or €14.99 in Europe. That's a full year of access for about the same price as a decent pair of hiking socks.

I've been hiking with AllTrails+ for over a year now, and I think it's great for finding new trails anywhere in the world, and it's only getting better with several huge new upgrades that were announced this spring.

AllTrails+ gives you access to premium features like offline maps, wrong turn alerts, 3D previews, and live location sharing, which is super handy if you don't want to fork out extra for a Garmin device but want to keep your loved ones in the know when you're on the go.

This great deal is available now through July 29. Click here to sign up for AllTrails+ and use the code SUMMERNOW2025 for a 50% discount for an entire year of membership.

AllTrails+ blends social media with navigation by allowing you to share your routes and times with friends. It boasts over 450,000 verified trails and makes finding a hike or trail run near you super-easy and with AllTrails+ you can also choose a trail by distance from you.

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The hiking app AllTrails has rolled out a massive update that focuses on member-desired features and innovative ways to use technology to enhance your outdoor experience. The suite of six new features marks the biggest update from the brand in a decade.

The San Francisco-based platform, which was awarded Apple's iPhone App of the Year award in 2023, has steadily improved its offerings for trail users since it launched in 2010. Last year, its Public Lands Program allowed land management agencies such as National Park officials to share time-sensitive updates with users, while AllTrails+, the brand's first subscription service, has added features such as offline maps, a Live Share function to keep your friends and family up-to-date on your location and wrong turn alerts to keep you on track.

"A lot of our time is spent listening to our members, doing user research, trying to really understand what they want," says Ivan Selin, chief product officer at AllTrails.

The brand has positioned itself as the world's leading hiking app, even despite Apple Maps trying to muscle in with its custom route feature, and we didn't think there was much more it could do to keep its competitive edge. Turns out we were wrong.

Today, AllTrails unveils Peak membership, its top-tier subscription, and we recently sat down with Selin to find out more. Here's what we're most excited about:

Custom routes

Find a route on AllTrails, but think it looks a little longer or steeper than you wanted? Planning a multi-day hike where you link together different paths? In the last couple of years, it has been possible to alter your route on the fly, since AllTrails does show other existing paths, but it hasn't allowed you to create a route at home. Now you can.

The Custom Routes feature combines more than 450,000 trails and millions of miles recorded by AllTrails members with the power of AI to allow you to create your perfect trail.

"You can use any existing trail as a starting point, or you can start from scratch. And you can do this all yourself, which we built to be really intuitive and fun," says Selin, who adds that you can also use the new Smart Routing feature, and all trails will create your perfect route for you.

Community Heat Maps

If you're a Strava user or own a Suunto or Garmin watch, you may already be familiar with heat maps, which shows you the traffic levels on routes and trails. AllTrails initially built its own heat maps for public lands managers, and it proved so popular that it has now been added to Peak membership.

"One of the most common challenges we often hear from our members is that the most popular trails around the world have become too popular," says Selin.

However, his team categorizes this as a good problem, partly because it means lots of people are enjoying the outdoors and also because they believe it's easily solved with Heat Maps, which allow you to see AllTrails user traffic over time on any trail.

"You can find the most popular trail or a hidden gem and everything in between."

Trail Conditions

AllTrails+ members have been able to see weather conditions along the trail for a while now, but this is another feature that's been turbo-charged for Peak membership.

Wondering if it's a Microspikes day or if you need to pack insect repellent? Conditions can change dramatically in ways that are really important for preparation. The new Trail Conditions feature provides you with a more comprehensive weather report that aggregates 15 different weather factors every hour across a grid that covers the entirety of every trail, as well as ground conditions, bug activity and snowpack.

"Not only will we be able to tell you if you should expect snow on your trail, but we'll actually be able to show you precisely when and where to expect it and how deep the snow pack will be," says Selin.

"With trail conditions, you'll always be a step ahead. So you can hit the trail with confidence by knowing what to wear and how to prepare.

Outdoor lens

If you've ever set foot on a hiking trail, you've almost certainly seen a plant or insect and wondered what it was.

You also may know that apps exist to help you identify such things, but this summer, you'll be able to do it within AllTrails if you sign up for Peak membership.

"It's the start of a brand new set of experiences that allow you to use our in-app camera on trail to better understand the natural landscape around you," says Selin.

Outdoor Lens will help you identify plants, trees, mushrooms, and even insects so you can learn more about the natural world on your hiking adventures.

AllTrails Peak membership

AllTrails Peak includes all of the features from both AllTrails Plus and Base (free) memberships, while other new features have been added at all levels, incuding Points of Interest, making it easy to spot the can't-miss highlights along the trail, and the ability to download an entire map area with boundaries that they set so you can see all trails available in a region or park.

AllTrails Peak will be rolling out to select members in the coming weeks and will be globally available with the official release of AllTrails’ 2025 Summer Update in June. The annual subscription will be priced at $79.99 / £79.99. To learn more about Peak and register for early access to upgrade, visit https://www.alltrails.com/en-gb/update/2025-summer.

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Strava has drawn some inspiration from Garmin and Coros and unveiled a new tool that gives you an estimate of how long it will take you to run your next race. Performance Predictions, which officially launched yesterday, is available to 150 million Strava subscribers and uses AI to take some of the guesswork out of your training plan.

Analyzing your recent run activity, the machine-powered learning tool draws on over 100 data points from your performance and uses insights into how similar runners on Strava perform to give you a prediction for how long it will take you to run your next 5k, 10k, half or full marathon.

This feature already exists on the Coros and Garmin Connect apps, but this tool means you can access it with any GPS watch linked to Strava. The predictions update automatically after every run and adjust during rest periods, so they always reflect your current fitness level. If you are training for a race, or even just working on your own running challenge or PB, the tool gives you target paces that you can adopt in your training using your sports watch.

In a press release, Strava says the tool furnishes you with a smarter and more responsive training experience.

"Runners can assess whether their training supports their goal pace, make informed adjustments, and track their evolving potential."

You can find your Performance Predictions now in the Progress tab within the Strava app. This news comes just one day after we reported that Strava had acquired Runna, a coaching app for runners. In 2024 alone, nearly one billion runs were recorded on Strava.

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Strava users are about to get a new coach. The leading active app has announced the acquisition of Runna, a run coaching app that provides AI-powered plans for runners seeking personalized guidance.

In a press release, Strava says the move was prompted by a sharp increase in race participation – nearly 1 billion runs were recorded on Strava in 2024, and 43% of Strava users say they want to conquer a big race or event in 2025 – and increased demand for online training.

“Coming off Strava’s accelerated innovation and unprecedented growth last year, it was the right time to look for complementary businesses that could create even greater value for our users,” says Michael Martin, chief executive officer at Strava.

“Runna’s mission to give every runner a personalised plan to achieve their goal is a perfect fit.”

Runna is a top-rated coaching app with an average 5-star rating on the Apple store and over 16,000 reviews. It was a finalist in last year's App Store awards and provides training plans for 5k, 10k, half marathon, marathon and ultra marathon distances for $19.99 per month / $119.99 per year.

The app syncs with popular GPS devices like Garmin watches and Apple Watches and supplements run workouts with insights on aspects of training like running form, nutrition, strength training and mobility exercises.

“Our passion is to give every runner a training plan and access to amazing coaching and this investment allows us to make even more improvements to everything we do at Runna, benefiting runners worldwide,” says Ben Parker, co-founder of Runna, which is headquartered in the UK and has a team of 150 employees.

If you're hoping to get an instant boost to your training plans via Strava, however, you might want to temper your expectations. Martin says Strava plans to keep the apps separate for the foreseeable future and further accelerate the development of the Runna app.

Runna joins over 100 training apps that currently connect to Strava’s API. The deal is part of Strava’s ongoing initiatives to innovate for its 150+ million registered users.

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Here in the UK, spring has well and truly sprung with magnificent hiking conditions seeing people shake off the winter heavies and get outdoors. Now, you can hit the trail with more information and support than ever, thanks to a massive 50% off an AllTrails+ membership for UK users.

The popular hiking app, which was voted Apple's app of the year in 2023, has some 450,000 curated routes around the globe, and tens of thousands of them are in the UK alone.

With the free version of the app, you can find and navigation new trails and read recent trip reports from other users, but with AllTrails+ you can download offline maps for use in the backcountry, receive alerts when you take a wrong turn and even Live Share your location with friends and family for safety.

I started using AllTrails+ a year ago after a trip to the Lake District with the brand where I got to know the app better, and I've been using it ever since, most recently just yesterday when I climbed Ben Nevis. Before leaving home, I downloaded the map and sent it to my GPS watch and checked out recent reviews to find out if I still needed my crampons. I nearly always use it to navigate to the trailhead from home, and sometimes, even when I'm heading up a clearly marked path, I find it useful just to get from my car to the trailhead when there aren't any helpful signs.

Usually, the perks of a paid membership will set you back £35.99 for the year, but right now, you can save a massive 50% on membership and unlock other benefits such as 3D flyovers of a route before you go and sorting trails by distance from you, all for less than the price of a couple of cinema tickets.

AllTrails is offering 50% off its annual AllTrails+ membership for UK users from April 11 to 16. To unlock this discount, use the code SPRING25 at checkout when you visit AllTrails.com.

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Strava has announced a quartet of updates to its activity sharing platform, with features to help its users plan and share adventures more easily. The updates include the utilization of FATMAP's advanced mapping technology, new ways for users to search for their saved routes, a redesigned activity details page and Strava Stickers for use on social media.

Strava says the changes are designed to bring "personalisation, visualisation, and connectivity" to its global community. The platform is the world's most popular app for sharing fitness activities, with around 150 million registered users.

Integration of FATMAP's Map Rendering Engine

The first major update is its proprietary Map Rendering Engine (MRE), which the brand says will provide "a deeper level of detail for Strava users". It utilizes FATMAP's mapping technology to provide lifelike 3D terrain, satellite imagery and map layers for winter sports and other mountain activities.

Subscribers will now have access to the Winter Map Style map type and three new map layers that are directly targeted at users undertaking snowy adventures.

The new Avalanche Gradient layer indicates snow slopes where avalanches are more likely to occur. The Gradient layer shows slope angle from 0° to 90°, enabling users to understand the steepness of the terrain they're taking on. The Aspect layer indicates which way a slope is facing and gives users an insight into how much sun it will receive during the day.

It was big news when Strava acquired FATMAP in 2022. FATMAP's innovative platform, with its pioneering 3D mapping, had a loyal following of 1.6 million people at the time. It was widely regarded as one of the best up-and-coming navigation apps.

Saved routes filtering and search

The second update is improved search and filter functionality for users' saved routes. Users can now find previously saved routes using keywords or filtering by length, elevation, difficulty, creator and more. Meanwhile, subscribers can search for their saved routes on their phone by heading to the Maps tab and tapping the bookmark icon. Strava says this update "simplifies route planning like never before."

Redesigned activity details page

The third update is a more immersive activity details page. Route maps, photos and videos are all now seen in one full-screen view, while it's easier than ever to toggle between the map and route stats.

Meanwhile, best efforts and segment times are now displayed as icons on the map, showcasing achievements. Users can enjoy an immersive experience by tapping on these icons for more stats and comparison with previous efforts. Subscribers are also able to create 3D fly-throughs of their routes with a tap of the Play icon.

Strava Stickers

The fourth update is Strava Stickers, a handy tool that allows users to easily share their activities on social media. By tapping the Share icon on their chosen activity, users will be able to swipe through various options featuring their stats and photos from the adventure. Once selected, they can choose between social platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp etc.

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Komoot users may be in for major changes after the navigation app was taken over by a tech firm with a history of slashing staff.

Popular with trail runners and hikers, the route-plotting platform specializes in crafting both short-distance and multi-day routes, which you can follow along using GPS and pin with pictures.

It's been acquired by Italian tech company Bending Spoons, which has a history of making mass job cuts in the companies it buys. Its plans for the platform are currently unclear.

Last year Bending Spoons bought WeTransfer and laid off 75% of its workforce. And in 2023 it acquired Evernote and made all of its staff redundant, absorbing the app's operations into its own teams.

A report from Sportive.com claims that Komoot's 150 staff have been told to expect 'big cuts' following the takeover. This has raised fears that significant staff losses could limit Komoot's wide range of mapping services and change the user experience.

The same report claims that Komoot could also pull its sponsorship of major adventure sports events like the Komoot Women's Rally Series and the Le Pilgrimage trail running and mountain biking events.

In a press release, Komoot CEO and co-founder Markus Hallermann said: "For 17 years, we have been on a mission to make outdoor adventures accessible to all.

"Komoot inspires millions to explore the outdoors, improving both physical and mental well-being, and continues to grow worldwide."

Hallermann co-founded the company as a student and said that new ownership will benefit the Komoot community.

"Scaling a company requires a different mindset and skill set than building one. That’s why we believe Bending Spoons, with its unique expertise in driving innovation and scaling platforms, is the perfect partner to lead Komoot into the future."

The move comes just a few weeks after Komoot opted to extend its paywall and limit the services users could get without a subscription.

As of last month, new users must pay an annual subscription of $59.99 (£59.99) to sync their routes to outside GPS watches and trackers.

Komoot isn't entirely behind a paywall. You can explore one free region to test out its various features. After that, you can buy new regions for $3.99 (£3.99) each, buy a region bundle and unlock several regions for $8.99 (£8.99), or unlock all world maps offline for $29.99 (£29.99).

You'll now need Komoot Premium to sync maps to your GPS devices. It also includes other features like sport-specific maps and up-to-date weather information.

For more on navigation and route-plotting, check out our expert guide to the best navigation apps.

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Thinking about upgrading to AllTrails' premium version of their navigation app? Then we've got some good news for you.

Right now, users in the US and Canada can get 50% off the cost of an AllTrails+ annual membership using the code SPRING2025. But you'd better be quick, because this deal is only live until today (March 25).

AllTrails says that members of AllTrails+ are three times more likely to hit the trail and do more outdoors.

The AllTrails+ membership offers a wealth of helpful features, with offline maps, wrong-turn alerts, and extra planning functionality.

You can use it to:

Discover trails: Search more than 450,000 trails around the world by location, interest, skill level, and more.

Plan your adventure: Get in-depth trail info, from reviews to photos to conditions

Stay on course: Stick to your planned route or chart your own course with confidence by navigating on trail.

Print back-up paper maps: No need to worry if your phone runs out of juice.

Find trails by distance from you: Spontaneous adventures are made easier when you can pick a route on the fly.

During March AllTrails is pledging a portion of the proceeds from sales of annual memberships to public lands organizations.

In a statement announcing the move, the company said: "In the US, public lands and trails go hand in hand. To show our support for America’s parks and park workers, we’re donating $5 for every new AllTrails+ membership in the month of March to organizations that directly support federal public lands."

You can learn more about the AllTrails pledge here.

Navigation apps have been one of the most exciting innovations in the outdoors world - giving you easy access to quality maps, live updates to routes, and connecting you with other adventurers.

AllTrails has been one of the key players in the field (no pun intended), and right now, users in the US and Canada can get 50% off the cost of an AllTrails+ annual membership using the code SPRING2025. The deal is valid until Tuesday, March 25.

But the company is going one step further, by donating $5 from every AllTrails+ annual subscription it sells in March to organizations supporting public lands.

In a statement announcing the move, the company said: "In the US, public lands and trails go hand in hand. To show our support for America’s parks and park workers, we’re donating $5 for every new AllTrails+ membership in the month of March to organizations that directly support federal public lands."

You can see more details on the AllTrails pledge here.

AllTrails says that members of AllTrails+ are three times more likely to hit the trail and do more outdoors.

The AllTrails+ membership offers a wealth of helpful features, with offline maps, wrong-turn alerts, and extra planning functionality.

You can use it to:

Discover trails: Search more than 450,000 trails around the world by location, interest, skill level, and more.

Plan your adventure: Get in-depth trail info, from reviews to photos to conditions

Stay on course: Stick to your planned route or chart your own course with confidence by navigating on trail.

Print back-up paper maps: No need to worry if your phone runs out of juice.

Find trails by distance from you: Spontaneous adventures are made easier when you can pick a route on the fly.

We’re huge fans of Polar wearable tech, and from today the Polar offering just got better as you can now automatically sync your TrainingPeaks workouts and training plans with your sports watch.

The new integration between TrainingPeaks and Polar Flow and Polar sports watches means you can ensure that workouts – whether created by yourself or prescribed by your coach – are immediately available in real time.

TrainingPeaks is the app for coaches and endurance athletes of all levels, allowing you to map out and upload your workouts, set goals, add events and view workout summaries,

Polar Flow is the place where you can see, analyze, and understand the data that you’re tracking with your Polar sports watch. It helps you gauge your current fitness level, track activity and rest, manage your weight.

During training sessions, your watch can now provide guidance through each workout phase, helping you target specific heart rate zones, maintain optimal speed or hit prescribed power targets.

It also allows Polar Flow users to access and import the extensive library of specialized workouts and comprehensive training plans available in TrainingPeaks.

For athletes working with more than five training zones, the integration intelligently maps these expanded zones into Polar's five-zone training system – preserving workout intent while maintaining the familiar Polar training experience.

After each training session, workout data automatically synchronises back to TrainingPeaks for you or your coach to conduct in-depth analysis, track progress against training goals, and make data-driven adjustments to future workout plans.

Polar has also revealed in its latest Instagram post (above) that there’s a new TrainingPeaks offer for all Polar users: get a free 30-day TrainingPeaks Premium subscription.

This extended trial period gives athletes full access to TrainingPeaks' premium features, including customisable workout builders and advanced analytics tools.

Watch compatibility

The TrainingPeaks integration is available across Polar's entire current line up of sports watches. It also includes a large number of past models, including the Polar Vantage V and Polar M430.

Joonas Rajaniemi, business director of services at Polar, said: "While Polar devices have long offered the ability to create phased workouts, this integration elevates the experience by connecting directly with TrainingPeaks – a platform that has become indispensable for athletes at all levels and coaches worldwide.

"By improving our TrainingPeaks and Polar Flow integration, we’re enhancing the user experience and making it effortless to transfer data and workouts across platforms. With this connectivity, athletes will easily receive upcoming workouts on their Polar devices, allowing them to concentrate on what truly matters—optimising performance and achieving their training goals.”

TrainingPeaks joins Polar's ecosystem of premium integrations, which includes Komoot, Strava, Adidas Running, Phlex and Equilab.

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It was at the end of 2024 that Strava disabled the ability for users to share URLs on the its multiple app surfaces. It also deleted all historical URLs that had been posted. The change was cited as necessary to protect the Strava community from a wave of harmful spam attacks.

"Recently our team has been dealing with a sustained campaign of inauthentic content posted to the platform and as a result we have taken certain necessary steps to safeguard the community," the company said at the time.

As workarounds, users who wanted to share links to charity fundraising pages, club pages and events and social media accounts and posts were having to replace periods with the word ‘dot’. They could also post QR codes as activity photos that other users could scan.

Strava has now announced news that it has improved its spam detection and prevention systems and once again users will be able to share URL links.

In a post on the Community hub, an administrator explained:

"At the end of 2024, we temporarily removed links in response to a surge in harmful spam that targeted Strava users with fraudulent and misleading content. These attacks put our community at risk, so we immediately took action to protect athletes from scams and malicious intent.

"We’ve been hard at work improving our spam detection systems to keep Strava a trusted space for users. With our upgraded machine learning model, we can better detect and block suspicious activity, so you can share links in the places that matter most.

"We appreciate your patience as we assessed the best steps for our Community moving forward."

New best practice for link sharing

Anyone on Strava can now add links to the following areas: athlete profile, club description, event descriptions, activity descriptions.

Only admins of verified clubs will be able to post links in club posts.

Strava has shared this best practice for links as it re-enables sharing across some of the "most engaging parts of Strava" and where it can be the "most meaningful".

• "Similar to other organizations, we ask that Verified Athletes use their profile for important links. This is similar to the 'Link in bio' feature available on other platforms.
• "While links to external websites are limited, all athletes can use Strava links. Please continue to promote your club and events using links.
• "For Verified Clubs, only Club admins will be able to use links in Club posts. If your club allows members to post in their Club, those users will not be able to use links."

Links that were restored for verified athletes and clubs will remain on the platform. For non-verified users, any previously shared links will not be reinstated across any surfaces.

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• The best trail running shoes: get a grip on the trickiest terrain

It's been a long time coming, but Strava has updated its AI-enabled Leaderboard Integrity function to help cut down on fake stats. The upgrade is part of a suite of new features rolled out by the fitness tracking up.

Leaderboard Integrity was first introduced back in May 2024 to cut down on cheating and now the brand says that every activity you upload will be automatically analyzed by a machine learning model, which it says looks at 57 different factors including speed and acceleration, to determine if any portion of your adventure was recorded in a vehicle rather than on foot.

If it's determined that you got a little 4WD assistance on your last trail run, you'll be prompted to either crop the activity or make it private so it doesn't affect your leaderboard stats. Guess it's finally time to work on your pace.

The brand says it will be applying the same technology to prevent bike rides on run leaderboards and e-bikes on ride leaderboards.

If you're worried about keeping your followers entertained now you can't impress them with your blistering pace thanks to occasionally grabbing a ride back to the trailhead, there's some good news too. The app has made its Flyover feature available to other platforms.

Now, when you get back from an awesome trail run, you can create a dynamic 3D map of your adventure and share it directly to your Instagram Stories or via a shareable link for other platforms.

Other small updates include a Progress Comparison feature, which lets you view side-by-side activities in comparison mode over time to track your progress and upgrade to the Athlete Intelligence program which launched back in October and analyzes your workouts to gives you insights and guidance. It is now out of beta and has been expanded to include virtual run/ride data, power insights, and segment analysis.

• The best Garmin watches: across the price range
• The best cheap GPS watches: track your progress without breaking the bank

I’m a relative novice to using hiking apps and GPS navigation on the trails, but after being introduced to AllTrails last year, I’ve become a bit of a convert, using it to find new hiking and trail running routes all over Scotland, England, Greece and the Alps. So when I heard that Apple Maps was muscling in on hiking apps’ turf and introducing a custom hiking route function with iOS 18.3, I decided to give it a go.

Here in the UK, Apple Maps doesn't yet show topographical details like it does in the US, but the custom route function is available, so from the comfort of my couch, I startec searching the hills of western Scotland to build a route.

I figured mapping a route somewhere I was unfamiliar with would give me the most realistic experience, but I also wasn’t keen to die for the sake of an article – let's not forget last year’s spate of hikers who were rescued from "clearly dangerous" cliffside after following a non-existent Google Maps trail. There’s also been quite a bit of snow above 2,000ft on my last few hikes which does make it easier to get lost, so I finally settled on some low-lying hills in Loch Lomond National Park that I’ve been meaning to check out for a while.

Fast forward a few weeks and I was on the trail, following a route I’d created on my phone in Loch Lomond National Park. It wasn’t a total disaster, and spoiler alert, I didn’t need to call mountain rescue, but let's just say there are a few reasons why I probably won’t use Apple Maps again.

1. Off to a false start

It turns out that with Apple Maps, you can’t plot a route just anywhere – if there are no existing paths where you want to go, you’ll get a message telling you to tap closer to a path or road. That put my mind somewhat at rest since I assume it at least reduces my chances of falling into a ravine from a non-existent trail.

After a few false starts, I found a path delineated by a dotted line just like on a topo map – part of the John Muir Way, a 134-mile path that crosses the midsection of the country. I tapped on a nearby glamping business where I assumed I’d be able to park and set that as my starting point and began creating an 8.3-mile hike that joined up several trails.

The next day it was grey but dry, so I pulled on my Columbia Konos TRS hiking shoes which are ideal for non-technical hikes and hopped in the car, using Apple Maps to get me to my starting point. About 30 minutes later I was heading up a one-lane country road where I realized my first problem: there was no parking. Driving to the nearest town wasn’t a great option, as it would add miles to my walk, most of it along a road, which I didn’t relish the thought of.

This isn’t Apple Maps’ fault – it’s on me as the user to do my research after all. But it highlighted one of the limitations of using iOS to plot a route – it really works best when you start at an established trailhead, or in a National Park, and then you arguably don’t need the app since there are likely to be maps and trail signs.

Undeterred, I drove on and after another 10 minutes, I found a parking spot and trail signs indicating that this was an access point to the John Muir Way. Fortunately, I had enough cell service to quickly create a new route and download it onto my phone, then I could switch on Airplane mode to save battery and within a few minutes, I was making my way up a moderately steep forest track.

2. I’m not confident in its accuracy

My route promised me a 5.2-mile hike, which sounded ideal, but it also estimated it would take me three hours to complete, which sounded like a lot, and turned out to be about double the time it took me. This wasn't the only time I found it to have accuracy issues.

The day before, I tried plotting a circular route up a mountain I hike regularly as a test. At just over seven miles, it typically takes me a little less than three hours to hike. But once I’d plotted it out, iOS seemed to think it was 14 miles and would take me closer to 10 hours. Big difference.

Back on the trail, after I’d been walking for a while I was pleased to see that, much like when you’re driving in traffic, my ETA started to adjust, but I can imagine less experienced hikers being discouraged by the thought of a 10-hour hike that might only take them four hours. Obviously asking how long a hike will take is like asking how long is a piece of string, but for comparison, I usually find AllTrails reasonably accurate.

As for distance, my Coros Pace 3 clocked my walk at 4.7 miles, which is about half a mile difference. Apple Maps did include two unexplained little spurs it wanted me to follow and then backtrack, which I declined, so it's probably not far off, but I’d be hesitant to trust it for longer unknown routes.

3. No detours available – except one I didn’t want

Often when I’m hiking, I like to take detours. Just last week, I climbed up a new hill in the Ochils of Central Scotland that I’d found using AllTrails. The plan was an out-and-back hike but when I reached the top, my map showed another trail I could take that would take me over another summit to make a loop. On a clear day, I might have been able to figure this out without technology, but I was in a cloud, so it was thanks to the map that I felt confident to continue on.

On the John Muir Way, I reached the first trail junction after about a mile and pulled out my phone to see which direction I should go. Here I got the biggest surprise of all – once you hit Go and start hiking, Apple Maps doesn’t seem to recognize any other possible routes. It just indicates the route you’re following with a blue line. It was clear which way I should go, and I understand that the point is to take the effort out of navigation, but I can’t help but think that when you’re out on a hike, it’s helpful to know as much as possible about your surroundings.

This also meant I later took a wrong turn. Towards the end of my hike, I was heading downhill when the path split. As before, my app didn’t indicate the presence of another option, so I guessed and I was wrong. Shortly I found myself without a trail, picking my way through a deforestation project when Siri’s voice came out of the pocket of my jacket telling me to return to the route. It’s great that I got a wrong turn alert, but what I actually wanted was a more detailed map so I could have made the right decision from the start.

I’m not knocking the GPS or navigation – there was actually a pivotal moment in my hike where I’d have missed a righthand turn without the app, but I’d like to know more about what’s around me in case I want to go exploring or change my plans.

4. Other apps do it better

“You have arrived,” Siri informs me unhelpfully as I get back to my car, unscathed but looking forward to getting back to hiking without that voice in my pocket.

As John Muir himself once said, in every walk with nature we receive far more than we seek, and as always I’ve benefitted from my time outdoors. There are even aspects of Apple Maps I quite like. The map stays on the home screen of my phone rather than disappearing into the background when I open my camera to take photos – something that does happen with AllTrails. And I like that the routes are downloadable and therefore available when I’m offline, or out of cell service.

In fairness, I probably pushed iOS 18.3 to the limits with what I was asking it to do – it’s really meant for hiking on well-established trails and in National Parks. But the crux of all this for me is that if you want to hike with a navigational app, loads already do it better: AllTrails+, Strava, Komoot, Garmin and Trailforks to name a few.

I’m sure that Apple’s land grab is just the start of a plan to develop this feature and make it more accurate and useful, but other apps are years ahead of them in terms of development. Apple Maps is great for getting you to the trailhead, but once you’re there there are better ways to navigate, whether that means GPS or a good old-fashioned map and compass.

How to plot a hiking route using Apple Maps

1. Open the Maps app on your phone or other device
2. Select a starting point by tapping on a road, path, or trail to drop a pin
3. Tap on More and select Create Custom route
4. Build your route by tapping or clicking on other points you wish to visit
5. Choose whether you want to to go out and back, make a loop, or reverse the route
6. Save the route with a name
7. To navigate to the trailhead, tap Directions
8. To start turn-by-turn directions, tap Go

• The best GPS watches: feature-packed timepieces
• The best Garmin watches: across the price range

Do you want to keep running through the winter but are worried about safety? Or perhaps you're finding your after-work route a little too busy for your liking? Either way, there's good news as Strava just updated its heat mapping technology with two new tools to help you choose your routes carefully as the seasons change.

“Our global community powers our heatmaps and now we've made it easier for our community members to build routes with confidence, regardless of the season or time of day,” says Matt Salazar, Strava’s chief product officer.

The fitness app announced yesterday that its 135 million users now have access to Night Heatmaps, which shows heat from activities recorded from sunset to sunrise.

This update allows you to pick well-traveled routes for safety if you're running alone, or avoid busy corridors if you want some peace and quiet – whatever your preference, just make sure you bring a running headlamp and wear running gear with reflective details to make yourself visible.

Meanwhile, the Weekly Heatmap shows recent heat from activities recorded over the last seven days. During seasonal transitions and nasty weather, this helps you figure out what trails are closed or difficult to access to help you pick a different route or bring winter gear.

These two new tools come in addition to the existing Global Heatmap which is already available to all Strava users. Night and Weekly Heatmaps are available to subscribers and give you more refined insights into what spots are popular after-hours.

To access Night or Weekly Heatmaps on the Strava app or web, simply click on the Maps tab where you can also filter the heatmap by activity type if you want.

What do I need to know before going running at night?

Running at night can be an excellent way to keep your outdoor adventures going through the dark winter months so you're in fighting shape when race season rolls back around, but there are differences to running during the day.

As we've mentioned, you'll want to bring a light source and make yourself visible – we love the Columbia OutDry Ex Lightweight Shell Jacket for this reason – but you'll also need some extra kit.

Even if you're not running far enough to need to carry liters of water, invest in a running vest with storage like the Silva Strive Light 5 and bring an extra base layer, running gloves and a hat as well as a first aid kit with an emergency blanket since short days also mean cold nights.

It's a good idea to run with a buddy, and no matter what, always tell someone where you are going. Learn more in our article on night running safety.

• The best trail running shoes 2024: get a grip on the trickiest terrain

Garmin has launched an update to its Outdoor Maps+ solution with a range of new and enhanced features. While the focus of the mapping content is on US users of the brand’s GPS sports watches and hand-held gadgets,  there are some extras for people in Europe.

So what is being added to the Outdoor Maps+ functionality, and will it make you purchase the mapping for use with Garmin smart watches, such as the Garmin Fenix 8?

Garmin Outdoor Maps+ update in America

For Americans, there is a list of new features and some of the more interesting include heritage points, such as castles and lighthouses; US points of interest, like waterfalls, mountains and outdoor recreational activities; campgrounds in the US and Canada; plus United States Forest Service locations for camping, hiking, picnicking, outdoor learning, nature viewing

Other additions are LTE Voice Coverage for enhanced mobile communication, plus building locations for better route planning across the whole of the US, as well as Canada, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

Europe: Garmin Outdoor Maps+ update

In Europe, the Outdoor Maps+ content also offers access to worldwide coverage of Heritage Points, plus more detailed topographic 'raster' maps – with information such as trailheads and trails, camping areas, points of interest and water sources –  and greater relief shading so that hikers and runners can see elevation and terrain in more detail.

What's it cost? Garmin Outdoor Maps+ 

You need to pay for Outdoor Maps+ as an annual download of $49.99 (US) / £49.99 (UK), or do an update if you already have the mapping. 

It’s important to note that not all Garmin watches have mapping capability. You’ll need a compatible Garmin device. 

Amazfit users will soon be able to get more out of their GPS watch, with a new version of the Zepp app.

The Zepp 9.0 update, which goes live on October 14, includes an exertion score to monitor your energy levels, an entire mental health monitoring section to track your wellbeing, and a food camera diary, which Amazfit owners can use to keep on top of their eating goals by snapping pictures. 

These new metrics, which work as a companion to Amazfit sports watches, are in addition to the wide variety of features included in the app’s current iteration. Zepp already allows users to track several health and fitness indicators such as sleep, heart rate variability, physical recovery and respiration. 

The Zepp app is available across all phone operating systems and does not require a subscription or download fee.

• The best GPS watches 2024 tested by our experts
• The best cheap GPS watches 2024 improve your running without the cost

Do you love hiking with AllTrails but hate constantly looking at your phone when you're out in nature? Great news – the popular navigation app announced updates to its Apple Watch app today that make it easier for you to enjoy the trail.

Starting today, you can tuck your phone away in your backpack and use the new AllTrails compass feature on your watch whenever you need navigational guidance. You can also track your activity stats on your watch in real time via AllTrails if you want to keep an eye on how long you've been out on the trail, watch your pace, heart rate and how much elevation you've gained. You can even see how much time you have left before you can get back to the trailhead and take your hiking boots off.

“Now there’s no need to reach for your phone while taking in the views or holding your dog’s leash," says Ivan Selin, chief product officer at AllTrails.

"We built our Apple Watch app to make it easier than ever to explore the outdoors hands-free.” 

If you use the Apple Health app, you can integrate your hike, run or ride into it so that it offers a more accurate screenshot of your activity level and health stats. And if you're an AllTrails+ subscriber, your watch will buzz to let you know if you've taken a wrong turn to help keep you safe.

The Apple Watch update joins AllTrails’ suite of watch experiences, which includes AllTrails on Android and Garmin watches. 

When using a wearable for navigation on a hike, it's important to carry a portable charger in case your device runs out of battery and remember that for backcountry escapades, a backup topo map and compass will never run out of battery, so it's a good idea to pack them for backup.

• The best GPS watches: tested by experts

Tired of jumping through hoops to customize your adventures on Strava after a workout? Good news – a new update launched today lets you quickly edit your activities before you even get your trail running shoes off.

Quick Edit is now available to all Strava users and lets you effortlessly update and share (or hide) details of your time on on the trail, helping you to personalize each workout or adventure. The update takes the most common activity edits and privacy controls accessed by Strava's 125 million users and makes them instantly accessible as soon as you've uploaded an activity.

"Quick Edit puts the power in the hands of our users to easily tailor what they share and how they connect with their community," says Zipporah Allen, Strava’s Chief Business Officer.

Now, when you finish that hike, ride or trail run, as soon as you upload your activity, you can manage who sees it, hide specific workout data to protect your privacy, customize your activity title to gain more kudos and upload photos and videos with just two taps.

Quick Edit was initially unveiled in July and follows a series of recent feature launches including Dark mode, Family Plan and Weekly Heatmaps.

To access Quick Edit, open the Strava app after syncing an activity from a device and you'll be able to easily modify the following:

• Audience settings: Decide who can see your activity details – that can be everyone, just followers, or only yourself.
• Hide details: Conceal specific stats, such as start time, pace (for runs), power (for rides), calories and heart rate from other users.
• Activity title: Strava data shows that titled activities are almost 4x more likely to receive kudos. Unique titles also make activities easier to find and revisit later.
• Map visibility: Choose to hide the entire route and map for each activity. 
• Photos and videos: Upload media to visually enhance your activity for your followers or for your own enjoyment.

If you make no changes on the Quick Edit screen, your default settings will apply automatically.

For more in-depth customization, there is also an Advanced Edit option on the Quick Edit screen, where you can add private notes, specify what gear you used, adjust sport types and select map styles.

• The best GPS watches 2024: tested by experts

Hiking with Apple Maps is about to become a far more immersive experience, as the tech giant introduces a range of new updates. Designed to make Apple Maps a hiker’s best friend, the new features allow users greater control over their route and more information on the trails. 

From Yosemite to Yellowstone, users can browse hikes from all 63 US national parks, filtering by route type, length and elevation, while keeping on track with turn-by-turn GPS navigation. Users can also now access downloaded routes offline, tracking their progress without signal. 

Maps in the US and Japan have also become topographic, with contour lines indicating elevation. 

Available with the latest iOS 18, IPadOS 18, MacOS Sequoia and watch OS 11 system updates, Maps' latest upgrade puts power into users' hands, allowing them to create and save their own routes, tailoring hikes to their personal preferences.

Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior VP of services said: “Apple Maps is the best way to navigate and explore the world, and we’re excited to make that experience even better.

“Maps makes it easy and enjoyable to plan any journey, with beautiful, detailed, and useful features that only Apple can deliver.”

The update lands a fresh punch in Apple Maps ongoing fist fight with navigation app AllTrails, whose recent update of their own included some bold new features. 

The new Park Pages feature provides up to date information on national and local parks, recommending trails highlighting opening times and warning of fees and permits. 

The redesigned trail page is equally handy, citing hikes' lengths, elevation and difficulty all on one page.  

• Map and compass vs GPS which serves you best when exploring the wilderness
• The best navigation apps 2024 find your way in the great outdoors

Right now, adventurers in the US and Canada can save 50% on an AllTrails+ membership using the promo code EXPLORENOW. That's means users in the US get a saving of $17.50 on a year's worth of access to the navigation app's full suite of hiking features.

We've been hiking with AllTrails+ since the spring (and trail running with it too, for that matter) and enjoying the ability to download maps for offline use so that we can turn our phones onto flight mode and not have to worry about finding cell service in the backcountry.

Other super useful features include wrong turn alerts when you accidentally get off trail, real-time trail conditions and the LiveShare function, which lets your loved ones track your progress and raise a flag if things go wrong. Learn more in our review of AllTrails+.

With cooler weather on the way, you might be feeling a little despondent about some of your favorite trails soon being obscured by snow, but with 450,000 verified trails, AllTrails is bound to have a few new ideas for you to keep you in your best hiking boots all year and you can gift it to others, too.

Use the promo code EXPLORENOW to claim your discount from AllTrails.com. This offer is valid from today through Tuesday, September 3.

Still shopping around? Check out our guide to the best navigation apps for your adventures.

• The one simple act that could save your life on a hike

You’ve no doubt heard the motto, “If it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen.” It appears that's not always the case in Indonesia, where teenagers have found a new way to make a fast buck (or rupiah). 

Cheating Strava users are paying surrogate runners and cyclists to clock up their stats for them. These teens are being called “Strava Jockeys”, and the trend is rapidly becoming the rage in a social media-driven environment where appearance is everything, and that includes how your fitness tracker stats appear.

According to Channel News Asia , Jakarta teenager Wahyu Wicaksono Wahyu charges 10,000 rupiah (US$0.64) per kilometer to run at “Pace 4” (1km in four minutes) or 5,000 rupiah (US$0.32) per kilometer to run at “Pace 8” (1km in eight minutes), he charges 5,000 rupiah. 

“I am active on X and it is booming there,” said Wahyu, 17, of the Strava Jockey trend. He says he gained eight clients in his first six days, with his most lucrative job so far earning him 100,000 rupiah (US$6.35).

And he’s far from the only one offering such a service, which apparently was triggered by a joke post on X at the start of July.

“I’m opening a Strava jockey service!!” posted @hahahiheho posted, along with an image from a route from Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. “But the person who will run is my brother/family member who is a great runner. The price is dependent on the pace, km, etc. DM (direct message) me.”

That text certainly inspired Satria, 17, who admitted to Channel News Asia that he started the Strava jockey account @Satzzyy on X “just for fun” after seeing @hahahiheho’s post.

But who’s using the service and why? Wahyu says, “I don’t know their exact age, but they are all older than me. They have day jobs and are unable to run.”

And it seems that they’re doing it simply to maintain good-looking stats and bragging rights in a social media age where self-image is all important. Strava “races” which encourage users to compete for top spots on leaderboards, may also be a reason to employ cheating tactics. Some people are just addicted to Likes.

And there’s the possibility that as well as being immoral, it could in some cases be illegal, for the cheaters. Mr Glenn Wijaya, a Jakarta-based corporate lawyer at Christian Teo and Partners, tells Channel News Asia that the the cheats might be entering a legal minefield if they’ve secured sponsorship based on their Strava stats or following, but it still might be difficult for the sponsor to prove they’ve actually lost money. He suggests sponsors should draw up contracts with clear anti-fraud clauses and strict sanctions for violations to avoid risks.

At the moment it seems the phenomenon hasn't spread much beyond Indonesia. But we wouldn’t be surprised if it gradually travels elsewhere. There are fit, cash-strapped students and busy businessmen with an image to maintain and expensive sneakers gathering dust in the wardrobe across the globe.

• The best Garmin watches 2026: recommendations for every sport
• The best navigation apps 2026 for every occasion

It's difficult to keep pace with the developments of the best navigation apps. The various platforms are engaged in a technological arms race to provide the best tools and features to hold on to their respective customer bases. 

Sometimes the main players move strategically when they like the look of another platform's tech and features. Smaller platforms with loyal followers have been swallowed up by bigger fish. This was was the case with the ever-popular ViewRanger when it was bought out by Outdooractive in 2021, to the dismay of many. In October 2024, the much beloved FATMAP will be fully integrated into the all-conquering Strava. It's unclear how much of FATMAP's former functionality will be carried forward, but it could spell bad news for the rest of the competition if the full potential of this merger is realized.

One thing is for sure, these excellent apps are making the backcountry more accessible than ever and are a real boon to any adventurer, becoming as essential as carrying a waterproof jacket on your escapades. To help you choose the best navigation app for your projects and planned trips, we asked our hiking experts to break down your options.

The quick list

This is the quick list, showing a brief overview of the apps in our selection. For a more detailed look at these excellent platforms, navigate further down this guide.

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The best navigation apps 2026

The best navigation app for worldwide adventures

The standard free version of Gaia gives you the ability to navigate, create routes and record activities using the platform's basic Open Street Map layer. Visually, it's better than some of its competitors when it comes to mountain adventures, with clear contour lines and shading that bring the landscape to life. The route planner is easy to use and powerful, though quickly finding and selecting popular routes isn't as easy as on platforms like AllTrails or komoot.

Gaia's main strength is the range of over 300 topographical maps that are accessible with a Premium subscription. These include USGS and USFS topos, as well as many great European maps too. They can also be layered on top of each other for a customized view.

The basic tools are free to use, though for offline use, weather & terrain features and the more advanced topographical maps, you'll want a Premium subscription. However, if you're a member of Outside+, you get Gaia's Premium features as part of the package.

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The best navigation app for multi-sport planning

Komoot has been rapidly growing in popularity over the last few years and, having conquered Europe, is now expanding its US focus. In 2024, it announced it had reached the milestone of 40 million users worldwide.

It’s arguably better for pedallers than plodders, but the redeeming feature is that it can be the best friend of a lazy planner, as you can simply pop in the start/finish location for your chosen adventure and it will work out a suitable route for you based on your selected sport type – with options on paths, roads or trails. It's also great for quickly finding popular routes in your chosen region.

The maps are based on OSM and are relatively straightforward, nowhere near as detailed as a topo map for serious hikers and mountaineers. Unlike some platforms, komoot doesn't support additional regional map layers. The free version gives you basic functionality, while you can buy regions for offline navigation or you can buy the whole world in a single one-off payment. A Premium subscription opens up advanced features like live tracking, sport-specific maps and the ability to use the komoot map on a Garmin device.

Navigationally it provides turn-by-turn directions. Of particular use is that they highlight routes suitable for road/mountain biking as well as cycle touring, and allow you to see what sections of the road are paved and which are dirt tracks. Part of its popularity is down to the the social media/community aspect, as users are encouraged to log in and highlight favoured spots and make recommendations, which definitely adds value to the user experience and makes it one of the best navigation apps you can download today.

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The best navigation app for quickly finding popular routes

If blazing your own trail is not what you’re about, and you’d sooner follow ready-made routes that are tried and tested, then AllTrails is a great option.

The free version allows you to search the database (there’s over 400,000 featured trails) to find a whole host of hikes close to wherever you find yourself – including dog-, wheelchair- and stroller-friendly options, which all come with distance, elevation and timings as well as (handily) images and reviews, not to mention a function to be directed (via Google Maps) to the start of the walk, and a quick weather forecast too.

You can also write and submit your own route if you want to share your favorite strolls. AllTrails+ provides offline maps, alerts you when you make a wrong turn, allows you to live share your activities, preview your route with 3D flyovers and gives access to over 200 guides.

It’s one of the best navigation apps for when you find yourself in an area you are not familiar with, though the level of mapping detail means it isn't ideal for the mountains. At the moment, you can also buy AllTrail+ and a National Park Annual Pass Bundle for $99.

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The best navigation app for the UK

You can’t think about maps of Britain without picturing the ubiquitous orange and pink folded gems of the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 (Explorer) and 1:50,000 (Landranger) charts, respectively. Still the tool of choice for any orienteering training, it’s good to see that OS has moved with the times and made an app available on your phone. Revamped in early 2024 and with 5 million users worldwide, is it as good as its paper counterparts or its arguably more digitally savvy, international app rivals?

The free version of OS Maps – which includes basic mapping and sharing, creating and printing routes – is OK, but not really detailed enough on the ground. The free route planning tool is a little bit cumbersome and doesn't automatically snap to the trail like on other platforms. 

However, once you pay the annual subscription, the entire range is at your disposal – in all scales – meaning you can plot, share and follow a route, for walking, running and cycling anywhere in Britain and download it to your phone, then track your position once there.

It also unlocks a 3D Tabletop rendering to give you a good idea of the terrain you’ll encounter as well as a nifty augmented reality option so when you stand on a summit you know exactly what you are looking at. The brand new home tab is a big improvement, giving users for personalized information and route suggestions when they open up the app. 

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The best navigation app for local map layers

Like komoot, Outdooractive is a German product that offers route planning and navigation capability for a range of outdoor pursuits, from hiking and mountaineering to road cycling and mountain biking. The company bought the popular Viewranger in 2019 and the teams have been working together to optimize the platform going forward.

Outdooractive is chock full of route suggestions from Sunday strolls to epic alpine adventures, making it one of the best navigation apps for exploring new locations. Like komoot, the community plays a big part and you can share your routes and suggestions. One big plus is the inclusion of regional topographical map types, such as Harvey Maps in Britain or Alpine Club maps in the Alps, which are much more detailed than what you tend to find when using maps that used Open Street Maps as their base. However, to access these you do require the Pro or Pro+ subscription. There are also Travel Guide pages where you can read exciting stories and travelogues from expert writers.

There are three membership levels. Basic is free and gives you the option of planning and navigating routes, as well as the ability to download GPX files. You can also rate and review routes and accommodation. Pro is $34.19 (£26.69) per year and gives you access to the regional topo maps, enables you to use maps offline, plus a range of other feature and even discounts with the likes of Aku, Garmin and Helly Hansen, among others. Pro+ is $68.39 (£53.39) per year and gives you access to an even wider range of detailed topo maps, such as the excellent Harvey maps in the UK; allows you to embed your routes onto your website or blog; and features 3D maps.

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The best navigation app for US National Parks

For those heading out to explore America's national parks, the National Park Service (NPS) app is the best navigation app by far. It features a wealth of features that go way beyond navigation. There's information about local amenities, access to webcams, lodge reservations, suggested itineraries, restaurant bookings and even virtual postcards so that you can share your experiences with family and friends. Best of all, the app is totally free!

Of course, any hiking app worth its salt will be judged by its maps. The NPS app's are detailed, interactive and user friendly. Most importantly, they work offline too, which is great if you're concerned about signal in remote areas or data usage. Having all the national parks in one handy app is a real game changer. The National Park Service are adding features all the time so, while the app is already great, it will only get better.

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The best navigation app for trail runners

Strava, the all-conquering app that boasts over 120 million users, is better known for tracking workouts and giving fellow athletes kudos than it is for route planning and navigation. The free offering is very basic where backcountry adventures are concerned. However, subscribers can use its route planner to plan runs, hikes and bike rides etc and, in fall 2024, FATMAP will be integrated into the platform.

This is a big deal. Before FATMAP was swallowed up by Strava, it had a loyal following of 1.6 million users and was highly rated as one of the finest adventure apps around, particularly with regard to its high-res 3D mapping, seasonal map layers and curated content. Mountaineers and backcountry skiers adored its functionality and its was this fast-growing reputation that obviously attracted Strava to move on in.

So, while much of Strava's functionality as a navigation app for hikers is hidden behind the need for users to subscribe, if it gets its FATMAP integration right – and it's a big if – it may become the ultimate platform. Watch this space.

The best navigation app for rock climbers

Championed as being "built for adventurers, by adventurers", onX Backcountry brings mapping and curated content together in a package that's very appealing, particularly to US users. With 24k topo for the entire US, satellite, hybrid and 3D views, the map interface is smart, while the mapping is linked to expert-curated content from companies like Beacon Guidebooks and groups like Colorado Mountain Club. 

There are modes for hikers, backcountry skiers, mountain bikers and rock climbers. Particularly impressive is the range of curated content, with over 4,000 backcountry ski lines with guidebook descriptions and over 300,000 rock climbing routes and approach trails.

If this all sounds too good to be true, a major drawback is that it's only available for free as a 7-day trial, after which you'll be paying for Premium, albeit at a heavily discounted rate for the first year. The very expensive Elite mode gives full access to the guidebook quality content, as well as info on private land and recent satellite imagery that reveals local snow conditions. Elite members also get discounts from selected brands, such as Mammut and Backpacker's Pantry.

The best navigation app for multiple map types

Less of a platform in itself and more of a store from which to purchase and store the maps you need, Avenza is an intriguing proposition. Useful for more than just outdoor adventures, you can purchase city maps, regional topographic maps, offroading maps, hunting maps, fishing maps... the list goes on. You can search for maps based on location, adding them to your library and the range is extensive, including USFS, USGS, National Geographic, HarperCollins, National Park Service and Harvey, just to name a few and there are thousands more.

The app uses your phone's GPS to accurately track your location offline on whichever map you've downloaded, allowing you to navigate accurately. You can add place marks to your chosen map, add notes and photos to any location, measure distances and estimate timings. 

There are various pricing options beyond the Free version, which gives you basic functionality and the ability to import up to 3 maps at a time. The Plus subscription enables you to create and manage geofences, access the satellite basemap layer and import up to 20 maps at a time. Pro and Enterprise are more sophisticated and are aimed at businesses and government.

Comparison Table

How we test the best navigation apps

We test each navigation app in the backcountry, testing its route finding, planning, navigation, third-party integration and post-activity features to the full, while considering usability, the range of features and value for money.

For more details see how Advnture tests products.

Meet the testers

How to choose the best navigation app

Route planning

Some of the best navigational apps have powerful route planning tools, meaning you can dream up your ideal hike, plot it using the platform and get an idea of things like how long it will take you and even how many calories you can expect to burn. Many work in tandem with a desktop version and you can usually download your planned routes as a GPX file, which will be compatible with other platforms and GPS devices.

Live tracking

You can alleviate the worry of your friends and family by allowing them to live track your movements. Of course, this means you will all have to be on the same app platform, but this is an excellent safety net that means you'll never go missing without a trace (as long as you have battery). This is also great if you're taking on a big peak-bagging challenge or a ultra run, as your friends can track your progress.

Social media sharing

'If it's not on Strava it didn't happen' has become something of a saying in the online running community. With apps like komoot providing a fun and easy to share your adventurous exploits on social media, the same could be said of hiking these days. After a walk, the best hiking apps allow you to share your photos, your thoughts, your personal highlights and create your own content for the platform, giving you a great sense of ownership. You can label other people's contributions as useful or not useful and get inspired by each others' antics.

Multi sports

These days, many apps offer sport specific maps and features. After all, what's useful for a speedy road cyclist is different to what's useful for someone who's loaded up like a mule on a thru-hiking expedition. Some platforms now offer voice navigation, which is tremendously useful for fast pursuits like cycling, mountain biking and trail running, where you don't want to be looking at a map every time you reach a junction.

FAQs

AllTrails+: first impressions 

AllTrails has been around since 2010, long enough to collect 450,000 verified routes across the world, but recent upgrades via its subscription-based AllTrails+ membership reveal a commitment to becoming essential for hikers and walkers everywhere. This navigation app was named Apple's iPhone App of the Year in 2023 and a suite of upgrades they've rolled out since then prove that they're positioning themselves as the most comprehensive and user-friendly app out there for hikers.

Anyone can download the AllTrails app for free and search for trails, finding details such as distance, difficulty and attractions, but for $35.99 a year, AllTrails+ subscribers unlock a whole host of additional features, such as searching for trails by distance from you, route preview, weather along the trail, route conditions and even mosquito activity so you know whether or not you need your insect repellent. Though it's primarily a hiking app, you can select from a long list of activities including trail running, cross country skiing and mountain biking and navigate and track your activities.

With both the free and paid versions, you can search for a trail using filters which group hikes into Collections with titles like epic views, among the trees or waterfalls. When you find a trail you like the look of, only AllTrails+ users can download the map for offline use which means you can save on battery life and avoid annoying pings while you're hiking (not to mention the fact that the best hiking spots have zero cell service). Hit start when you reach the trailhead then follow the prompts to stay on course. With the paid version, you can even live share your location with loved ones and if you take a wrong turn, your phone or device will alert you.

At the end of each hike, you'll be given a roundup of stats such as calories burned, pace and elevation gain and be prompted to rate the trail and share comments and photos so that other hikers can benefit. This feature is available to all AllTrails users and helps keep trail information current. The smartwatch integration isn't great and the 3D maps aren't interactive, so if you see an interesting landmark on the map, you can't tap on it to learn more, but we're struggling to come up with much we don't like about this route-finding app.

All in all, a lot of the great aspects of AllTrails such as the incredible array of features and GPS tracking are available for free, but for just $3 a month, you can get pertinent details about a trail and hike with confidence.

AllTrails+: in the field 

After years of thinking of AllTrails as a browser app to research hiking routes, I finally downloaded the app to my phone this spring when I was offered the opportunity to test the AllTrails+ app on a hiking trip in the Lake District here in the UK. Since then, I've used it to find new trails for hiking and running at home in Scotland, in Yorkshire Dales National Park and even tried it abroad in Corfu, the Alps, Copenhagen and Sweden.

Here’s how it performed: 

Finding trails

AllTrails boasts 450,000 verified trails across the world which are available for free and I find the route-finding function super easy to navigate. I travel a lot so I often find myself in a new place where I wouldn't necessarily know where to find trails, so I tend to go straight to the map and check out the nearby trails. Even if it's obvious where there are trails, it's nice to find recommended routes and that's just what I did when I was exploring a large forest in Sweden recently. One thing I've noticed is that I do  have to zoom in to see all of the nearby routes and it's easy to miss some if you don't do this. You can also search using filters, such as whether it's dog-friendly or has a beach, which I think is a great feature.

These tools are all available in the free version of the app, but what the subscription allows is for you to search how far trails are from you, and that's really helpful for me since I'm virtually always traveling without a car and looking for something I can reach on foot or public transport. When I find a route I like the look of, I can tap for directions and Google Maps will take me right to the trailhead, which I love.

Navigating on the trail

I always thought of AllTrails as a place to find trails, but the app makes it really easy to navigate while on the trail. I first tried this out on a trip to the Lake District with AllTrails where I was shown how to download my chosen route so it would be available offline – this takes seconds and is only available for plus subscribers. That means I could put my phone on flight mode and save battery while still accessing GPS.

At the trailhead, I was able to use the Live Share function to let my emergency contact know where I was at all times (he could also follow my progress and cheer me on, but to be honest we haven't tried this yet, he has better things to do), then I just tapped start and could use the app to guide me during our 10 km hike. 

Another function of the paid version is the Wrong Turn Alerts, which are exactly what they sound like. As an experiment on our way up Loughrigg Fell in the Lake District, we deliberately took the wrong turn at a junction and within seconds my phone was letting me know. You can also override this function if you're deliberately going off-piste, which worked to my advantage in Sweden when I wanted to explore more.

I find the screen on my phone is small enough and I don't have any interest in navigating via my GPS watch, but if that's your preference the other journalists on my Lake District trip and some of the folks at AllTrails have explained that the smartwatch integration isn't necessarily the best and it works better on a phone.

Post-trail stats and community

When I finish each hike or run, the stats in terms of distance are always slightly different to my Coros Pace 3 watch readings, but since I only want to use the app for navigation, I'm not too concerned about that and I'm aware that there are always slight differences between GPS devices.

That aside, the app concludes each adventure with the stats you'd expect such as calories, pace, splits and elevation gain, which is a nice bonus especially if you don't use a running watch.

The app also prompts all users, free and paid, to rate their hike and honestly, in a world where we're expected to rate everything, I wasn't sure I'd be into this, but I actually really like it. I love hiking and running and it feels like a really community-minded (and responsible) thing to do to share my experience with others and even warn them if the conditions are tricky. 

If you love social media, you can connect with other users and comment on their hikes, just like any social platform, but obviously this has the benefit of allowing you to ask other trail users specific questions which is really helpful.                            

AllTrails+: the bottom line

As a hiking app, there's not much to quibble with when it comes to AllTrails. It's not got the competitive aspect of apps like Strava, but personally, I appreciate this because hiking isn't a competitive activity (running doesn't have to be either, while we're on the topic). After speaking with representatives from AllTrails, my understanding is that this is a deliberate strategy to differentiate from Strava, which I think is smart. 

Do you need to pay extra for the AllTrails+ version? If you want to be able to find out how far trails are from you, download maps for offline access, get real-time trail conditions and better guidance on the trail then I don't think $35.99 a year is a huge amount to ask. It's true that you could download a GPX map and access it on your device and there are other ways to live share your location with family and friends, but I think having all of those features in one place is much more convenient, and puts less strain on your battery.

Finally, you can give the paid version of AllTrails a test run with a free seven-day trial to see if you like it, and if you don't think it's for you you'll still get loads out of the free version.

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Like the idea of a Strava Premium subscription, but can't quite justify the expense? Good news - there's now a Strava Family Plan option that lets a group of four athletes share a subscription at a steeply discounted rate. 

Despite the name, the other athletes in your group don't have to be relatives, or live in the same household - they can also be your friends, teammates, or anyone else you want to join in. The only limitations are that all members must live in the same country, and must not already be subscribers. 

Once signed up, each member will get access to premium features like detailed workout insights, group challenges for motivation, the ability to set goals and track your progress towards them, and perhaps most importantly for outdoor enthusiasts, the ability to make and share your own routes.

Strava lets you create routes for  running, riding, walking, mountain biking, hiking, trail running, and gravel biking, and gives you the option to follow a route from one waypoint to the other, or choose your own course. If you've chosen a dirt activity, the route creator will automatically favor off-road routes.

You can also use global heatmaps to see commonly used routes near you, and Strava will soon offer the ability to toggle between night and daytime heatmaps so you can plan accordingly and keep yourself safe by avoiding paths and roads that may be unit or isolated after dark.

A Strava Family Plan costs $139.99/£99.99 per year, which works out 56% cheaper than each person buying their own individual subscription for members in the US, or 50% cheaper for members in the UK.

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It's been a long time coming, but today Strava has finally rolled out a dark mode for its mobile app, and it's available to use now.

Some apps have always offered dark and light options, but interest in dark interfaces spiked about six years ago while I was covering software for Advnture's sister site TechRadar. One of the main reasons for the sudden enthusiasm was the more widespread use of AMOLED for phone displays. Unlike LCD screens, OLED renders black areas by turning off pixels entirely, thereby reducing power usage and extending your phone's battery life (however marginally). 

Another popular reason for using dark mode is that the reduced light output of a darker screen can reduce eye strain. It also means less exposure to blue light, which may affect your circadian rhythm and disrupt your sleep when viewed at night. 

Strava users should hopefully find the new mode beneficial when working out before dawn or after dusk, when a white screen can be dazzling.

Finally, a lot of people just prefer how dark mode looks, which is also a perfectly valid reason. The image below shows what you can expect if you make the switch within Strava.

So why the long wait for Strava? At a press briefing last week, members of the company's senior team told Advnture that creating dark mode wasn't as simple as changing a few lines of code. The foundations of Strava's interface were laid a long time ago, when changes to the default color scheme weren't considered likely, so offering a dark version meant going through and painstakingly changing thousands of assets to make sure everything looked as it should.

At the same time, the design team took the opportunity to modernize the way the interface is built behind the scenes to make future changes less onerous. 

How to enable dark mode for Strava

If you want to try Strava's dark mode for yourself, first make sure that you have the latest version of the app installed. Open the app and go to the 'You' tab, then tap the settings icon at the top right of the screen.

Under 'Preferences' select 'Appearance' and take your pick from default (which will change to match your phone's system settings), light mode, or dark mode.

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Despite the benefits of exercising outdoors, for many people – particularly women – safety is still a major barrier. Those working full-time may have no option but to exercise at night, when routes that are fine during the day might suddenly feel dark and isolated. Workout apps that share maps of your runs are great for motivation and receiving encouragement from friends, but they can also let strangers work out where you live, and when you're likely to be running or cycling alone.

Earlier this week, we sat down in London with several members of Strava's executive team, including CEO Michael Martin and CBO Zipporah Allen, to hear what you can expect from the app over the coming months, and what's happening behind the scenes to help keep you safer. 

Martin explained that the company has "a long-term commitment to reduce the barriers faced by women in sport", and Allen went on to discuss two new features that will be rolling out soon to help you feel more safe and comfortable. 

Night heatmaps

First, the app will soon offer night heatmaps, which show the most popular routes people use between sundown and sunrise. These might be very different from those used during the day, but you may not be aware of that, particularly if you are new to the area. Allen explained that her work takes her all over the world, and she often runs at night in new cities, so knowing the routes that local people take after dark is extremely helpful, allowing her to avoid areas that are popular during the day, but unlit and unwelcoming after dark.

Personally, I can think of several parks and one long mixed-use cycle path that I use all the time during daylight, but wouldn't touch at night. Toggling between day and night heatmaps will give others that same knowledge at the tap of a finger so they can plan a suitable route.

Quick editing

The second key safety feature coming to your phone soon is quick editing, which will allow you to edit key bits of information about your run as soon as it's logged. 

This feature will make it more straightforward to give your workout a new name ("no more 'Morning Run'", Allen explained with evident satisfaction), but also hide the start and end point to prevent people working out exactly where you're staying, or even hide the map entirely if you prefer. The new feature will also make it simple to edit or hide the start time or fitness data, giving you more direct control over what appears on your profile.

At the press briefing, several people were unaware that hiding parts of your route was even an option, but Quick Edit will bring that option to the fore.

I'm looking forward to testing these features in the near future. As safety tools, both will be available to all Strava users, not just those with a premium subscription. For more details, check out Strava's full press release.

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Got your hiking boots at the ready? AllTrails has rolled out a suite of new updates to its popular navigation app to help its 60 million users across the globe make better decisions about where to hike, and what they'll need to do it.

The news comes after we reported on Apple Maps sauntering off with some of the apps' best features earlier this week, and is a strong indication that AllTrails has no intention of being surpassed any time soon in the hiking app world.

"This is our biggest update yet," AllTrails Chief Technology Officer James Graham tells us, as he unveiled the new features on Wednesday. 

I recently went hiking in with AllTrails to better understand how the app works. Some features, such as Live Share which alerts your emergency contacts to your location on a hike if you want it to, are only available to AllTrails+ users for $35.99 per year, the new functions are available free to everyone. Just download or update your app to get the latest.

Here are the ones we're most excited about:

1. Collections

The collections feature allows you to add filters to your search so you can home in on the hikes you really want to do. Now when you open the AllTrails app anywhere in the world, you'll see Collections across the top which group local hikes together by features that the data shows many hikers are interested in. 

Prefer to visit a hidden gem over a hot spot? Want to see a waterfall? Need a dog-friendly trail? Just click on the collections that suit your needs and wishes and the app now recommends a thoughtful list of hikes perfect for you.

2. Park Pages

There's no denying that National Parks are a popular location for hikers in the US –Graham points out that the annual visitation as of the 63 National Parks is about the same as the entire population of the US. 

With Park Pages, you can now go directly to the park you want to visit – that can mean a National Park like Yellowstone, a State Park or a local park in your backyard. and access information like opening hours, top trail recommendations, and fees and permits which Graham explains helps hikers avoid disappointment.

As we've previously reported, AllTrails launched its Public Lands Program at the beginning of the year, which gives land managers access to edit and update these pages to ensure all information stays current.

3. Redesigned Trail Page

When you're considering a hike using the AllTrails app, you want to find the most important information upfront, and Graham explains that they've examined the data to determine exactly what hikers are looking for first, and used that information to redesign the trail page.

Now when you arrive at the page for your intended trail, you'll be able to see how long it is, how difficult and the elevation gain without having to search or scroll. The photo gallery of snaps from other users has been curated so you can preview the trail visually, see what the top sights are and what the trail looks like in different months to help guide your decision, and know what gear you might need. 

That last function is especially valuable as more and more of us have started getting out with our trekking poles in all seasons, and need to be prepared for changing conditions throughout the year.

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Late last year, Apple crowned AllTrails the best iPhone app of 2023 – now the tech giant is planning to integrate some of the navigation app's best features into its own maps app. 

In its 14-year history, AllTrails has become an integral part of the hiking community, used by 60 million people worldwide to access details of over 400,000 trails in nearly 200 countries. Earlier this year, the San Francisco-based company unveiled its Public Lands Program, which gives land managers from agencies like the National Parks Service access to trail-use insights and the ability edit trail information and send real-time alerts for more accurate information. 

Companies like Apple know good ideas when they see them, and in yesterday's iOS 18 announcement, the Cupertino-based corporation revealed exactly which features of AllTrails they're most impressed with by revealing their intentions to imitate them.

Later this year, users of Apple Maps – that's the free maps app that comes preinstalled on any iPhone, iPad, MacBook and Apple Watch – will start to see features that will be very familiar to AllTrails users. In Apple Maps, you'll soon be able to access topographical maps and browse thousands of hikes across US National Parks, and create your own custom walking routes which you can download and access offline. You can also save your favorite National Park hikes to an all-new Places Library where you can add details and notes about each trail.

These functions will be free to Apple Maps users – for now, at least – but in AllTrails they're currently only available in AllTrails+, which costs $35.99 per year, or $3 per month. There's no doubt that Apple is muscling in on territory that AllTrails has been comfortably dominating for a while now, but it's also clear that Apple Maps is nowhere near close to being a replacement for the hiking app, which provides hikers with a full suite of curated features such as 3D maps, route preview, wrong turn alerts and a Live Share function so you can share your location with loved ones, all in one place. 

Making matters more interesting, AllTrails is making an announcement later this week to roll out further updates, so watch this space to find out what they're doing to stay ahead of the navigation game.

Also of interest to hikers with iPhones, iOS 18 will allow users to send messages via satellite for times when cellular and Wi-Fi connections aren’t available, which is often the case in the backcountry. Remember to carry a portable phone charger if you're relying on your iPhone for emergency communications, and consider also investing in a satellite communicator like the Garmin InReach, which if you're only using it for emergencies can stay charged for a couple of weeks.

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Standing in a hotel lobby with a group of journalists, I’m dressed for the trail in my hiking boots with a waterproof jacket on hand in preparation for the unpredictable weather here in the Lake District. We perform all the typical checks before a hike – water bottle, sunscreen, insect repellent – then we all get on our phones.

We’re here learning all about the AllTrails+ app and, despite the San Francisco-based company entering its 14th year, it’s all a bit new to me. Over the years, I’ve become accustomed to it popping up at the top of my search results when I’m looking up a route, and I’ve used it to find out the length of a hike or try to locate a trailhead. But as for using it to navigate? I’m afraid I’ve been putting it off.

My resistance no doubt has a trace of thinking that paper maps are better, but mostly it’s come down to me not wanting to be on my phone more than I have to when I’m hiking. But here I am, for the greater good, giving it a good college try.

“We want people to get outside and feel confident when they get outside,” explains AllTrails Head of PR Juliana Ead, who’s flown here from California and shows me how to search for the route we have planned today – a 6.4-mile loop taking in Loughrigg Fell, a Wainwright, Grasmere Lake and Rydal Cave – then download it.

Now, she explains, I can put my phone on flight mode for the duration of the hike and avoid pesky pings and a dying battery without losing access to my map. I’m already warming up to the idea. 

On our ride to the trailhead, I explore the route. The opening page shows the trail on the map highlighted in green, and a helpful graph details the elevation profile. The 2,000 or so feet of climbing ahead of me takes place over the first half of the hike and looks fairly steady. The descent starts out a bit steep before leveling out, then there’s one more short but steep push at end to get us back to the trailhead – my knees might want my trekking poles for the initial downhill, I think. 

Next, I set up the Live Share function and the app sends a text to my boyfriend letting him know where I’ll be, in case things should fall apart at the seams and he needs to report me missing. I watch a simulated preview of the hike on a 3D map that gives me a better idea of the climbing and terrain. Scrolling down, I see the current weather conditions for the area. I won’t be needing my waterproofs after all.

Then there are recent reviews from other users who have hiked the trail, describing it as straightforward to navigate with “stunning” views and it sounds like we might be just in time to catch the end of bluebell season.

It’s the reviews that Pitt Grewe, head of AllTrails Public Lands Partnership, says are one of the most compelling features of the app, which only accepts trails from users after verifying them, and updates them using hikers’ reports which might describe a trail being snow-covered or washed out by recent rain. 

“It makes a difference to have that most current information. It pulls together a really good way to prepare and know what to expect and that’s what keeps people safe.”

AllTrails launched in 2010 in Silicon Valley, purchasing some 30,000 GPX hiking routes from other organizations to get started. Between massive fundraising efforts, acquiring smaller apps and the surge in interest in the outdoors during the pandemic, AllTrails has emerged one of the most recognizable route-finding apps today. It has over 400,000 trails across the globe, more than 50 million users and was voted the best iPhone app of 2023.

At the trailhead, I hit start on the route and an arrow points me in the right direction as we briefly cross the picturesque town of Ambleside before beginning our climb through a shaded forest. Soon, we break free of the trees and are quickly rewarded by the mountain views I’ve been promised by recent hikers.

As we climb, AllTrails UK Country Manager Gareth Mills tells me that it’s accurate reviews – not necessarily glowing ones – that are crucial to the success of AllTrails.

“We want the honest feedback. We don’t want every review to be five stars because we want the next people who come out here to be prepared and have a good experience.”

As we near the summit of Loughridge Fell, several trails lead in different directions. An avid hiker, I know how easy it is to take a wrong turn in moments like these. We experiment with taking the wrong path and almost instantly, a message flashes up on my phone advising me that I’ve gone off route. I have the option of ignoring it, which in this case I do for a scenic vista, or following the arrow to get back on course.

“The main mission is that we want to get more people outside, particularly the generation that hasn’t been brought up reading maps properly,” says Mills, and it’s quickly clear that you could use the app with no previous navigation experience and most likely get yourself up, and back down, a mountain if you were prepared for the conditions and fit enough.

Despite its useful features and popularity – the app reached over a million paid subscribers in 2021 – AllTrails hasn’t been without its negative press. Last year, SF Gate reported the app was still giving directions to Hawaii’s deadly Queen’s Bath despite the trail being closed at the time, and we’ve previously reported on North Carolina hikers falling into trouble in a quest to view daffodils each February after reviews on AllTrails fail to mention its difficulty and lack of signage.

Today, though, both of those trail descriptions have been updated to warn aspiring adventurers on the potential dangers of the trail, and pressing them to observe closures. Keeping trail descriptions accurate is a constant job in the background of AllTrails, where a Data Integrity Team constantly mines reviews for flag terms like “closed” and “dangerous.” 

Meanwhile, the Public Lands Partnership launched earlier this year gives land managers such as National Park officials direct access to trail descriptions so that they can issue alerts and provide updates on conditions. Already, the program has been indicated in a 66 percent decrease in search and rescue efforts in Olympic National Park.

With all this information, is it possible to still get lost on a mountain, or find yourself over your heads on a trail you don’t have the gear or fitness for? Sure, but it’s difficult to say that’s down to incomplete information from AllTrails.

“We all agree that you can’t solve for people making bad decisions, but ultimately you can solve a lot of those problems by just helping people be better prepared,” says Grewe.

As a test, I check out the description of a popular waterfall hike that I used to do regularly in Vail, Colorado. It’s the end of May, so I know the trail will still be snow-covered and treacherous, even if the snow in town has melted. But I’m curious to see if off-season visitors taking advantage of the cheaper hotel rooms in the area will be advised of that. Sure enough, the first reviews I see advise of slippery conditions and the need for traction devices like crampons and poles before attempting this hike.

As Mills says, hikers have been going out unprepared “since the dawn of hiking,” but now they at least have a little more information at their disposal. What they choose to do with it, of course, is up to them. 

One thing AllTrails users don’t seem to be using the app for is to stoke a sense of competition, something certain other navigation apps have become notorious for.

“AllTrails is built for everybody, to help those that want to go on the half-mile stroll around the pond to help them be happy and healthy to the person who is planning a rugged, multi-day adventure across mountain terrain,” says Grewe. 

“It’s a resource to help you be outside the way you want to be outside. There’s no adventure too big or too small.”

When I get back to the trailhead, I hit pause and end navigation. Live Share alerts my boyfriend that I’m safe and I am instantly prompted to share a review of my experience. Ordinarily, when I’m asked to review my Uber driver or a purchase on Amazon, I gripe bitterly about how sick I am of living in a world where we all review everything – and each other – to death. But in this case, I’m keen to let others know what I thought of the hike. It was beautiful, and I don’t want my fellow hikers to miss out, but I also want to them to be aware that there’s some scrambling involved. 

I give it five stars, add a few photos, and hope I’m leaving enough to the imagination to allow others to have their own adventure. 

Popular multisport fitness tracker Strava has unveiled a bunch of upcoming innovations at its annual event, Camp Strava, including a dark mode, an AI-enabled integrity leaderboard and a family plan – reportedly three of the most requested features among its 125 million users.

The theme of the event is “Progress, Together” and the brand is making some ambitious claims about the way they hope to empower their global community to make progress in the way they explore, move and connect on Strava.

“Strava is gaining momentum to realize our vision of a world connected through movement,” said Michael Martin, chief executive officer of Strava, who added that “building for women and leveraging Artificial Intelligence” would be fundamental in unlocking new community-and-partner-powered experiences across the platform.

The first of new updates announced is AI-enabled Leaderboard Integrity, which is supposed to address a problem that has irked many Strava users for some time – fake stats. The new features will harness machine learning to automatically flag irregular, improbable or impossible activities recorded to the platform. Trained by millions of activities, the aim of the feature is to help Strava users to play fair and have more fun.

The AI doesn't stop there, either. Strava are also introducing Athlete Intelligence, a beta feature which, they claim, turns subscribers' training data into "an easily digestible summary that contextualizes their accomplishments and fitness goals".

Users will also be relieved to hear that Strava have introduced a Dark Mode, to reduce eye strain when they’re trying to check out data while out in the dark or low-light situations. Athletes can expect a rollout of this feature later this summer with options to keep their mobile settings always dark, always light or to match their device settings. 

Additionally, Strava have announced a new Family Plan subscription, the sister of the company’s Student Plan. With Family Plan, you can share an annual subscription with up to three other people – friends, family or anyone in your fitness family. It will launch in select countries this summer, with plans to roll out globally by the end of the year. 

At their event, Strava also highlighted several other features and updates to current products like Flyover, with its next iteration offering an overlay with activity stats and off-platform sharing capabilities. The overlay is available today for Strava subscribers and an off-platform sharing option will be released later this year.

The company also claims that several new initiatives designed to benefit women using the platform will ultimately serve everyone in the Strava community. They include:

• Night Heatmaps Strava claim this function will give you an idea of which roads, trails and paths are used at night by only showing activities that take place after dark.
• Quick Edit This feature is designed to give you more control over what's visible online by making it easier to make common edits - such as your start time or your route map.

• Running watch vs fitness tracker: which wearable do you want?

A growing body of research shows that 'green exercise' like hiking air is great for your physical and mental wellbeing, and to mark Mental Health Month, AllTrails is giving you three months' free access to the Calm app to add meditation and mindfulness to the mix.

Calm is an award-winning relaxation and sleep app that's packed with tools and programs to help you wind down and relieve stress, including breathing exercises, grounding sessions, breath work, music, sleep coaching, and guided meditations to name just a few.

To get your free Calm subscription, download the AllTrails app if you haven't done so already, and record at least one hike using the Navigator tool before the end of the month.  As its name suggests, Navigator allows you to follow a route plotted by you, or another AllTrails user, whether it's a hike,  bike ride, or trail run.

Once you've recorded your hike, you should receive an email containing a link that you can use to unlock your free three-month Calm membership. It might take up to 10 days for the email to arrive, so be patient.

Click the link and follow the instructions to set up your account. As is often the case with free trials, you'll be prompted to enter payment details, but you won't be charged anything during the free three-month period, and if you cancel before the end, there'll be nothing to pay at all. You can cancel at any time.

• Strava vs AllTrails: the battle of the apps

Route-finding app AllTrails has rolled out a suite of new features this week designed to improve user safety and enhance the experience of planning an adventure with your friends.

The new features include Live Share, which allows real-time location sharing so you can stay connected with friends and family when you hit the trail, allowing them to track your journey and improve response time if you should get into trouble and require assistance. Telling someone where you are going when you leave for a hike is a fundamental component of hiking safety, and now your loved ones can quickly pinpoint and communicate your location to mountain rescue if they need to. 

Of course, most hikes don't end in disaster, and the new feature also allows them to cheer you on when you're getting close to the summit and if you're lucky, get dinner on when they know you're finished and heading home.

In addition, the platform has announced Collaborative Lists, an interactive expansion on the existing AllTrails' lists feature that allows you and your trail companions to share ideas for where to hike next and plan your adventures together without having to create yet another separate group message.

“Our work to make outdoor exploration more accessible and fun for people worldwide is never done,” says Ron Schneidermann, Chief Executive Officer at AllTrails.

“Our new 2024 features are all about better connecting the AllTrails community to adventure and each other. These are game-changing updates, and we’re just getting started this year.”

The platform was awarded Apple's 2023 iPhone App of the Year award at the end of last year and these new updates come hot on the heels of their AI assistant to help you discover new places and the groundbreaking Public Lands Program giving land managers access to their online routes so they can correct inaccuracies and share real-time updates.

• Best hiking boots: hit the trails

Wear your Garmin watch overnight, and in the morning, you'll be given a Sleep Score - a number out of 100 that reflects your quality of sleep.

But what does your Sleep Score really mean? How is it calculated? And how can you improve yours?

Read on your our guide to Garmin's in-depth sleep tracker, including our top tips for improving your Sleep Score.

What is your sleep score?

If you have a relatively new Garmin watch, you'll see your Sleep Score as part of your Morning Report. If your watch is older (or if it's later in the day) then you can find it by scrolling through the Glances on its face, or opening the Garmin Connect app's main menu and selecting Health Stats, then Sleep. Here you'll also be able to see how your Sleep Score has been trending over the last week, month, or year.

Garmin has also 'gamified' Sleep Coach, adding a handful of badges that can be earned while you snooze: Sleep Savant (wear your watch overnight and track your sleep for 30 nights in a row), Sleep Streak (get a sleep score of 75 or above for seven consecutive days), and Mythical Sleep (achieve a sleep score of 100).

Sleep Savant earns you one point, Mythical Sleep is worth two, and Sleep Streak will get you four. That's the same number of points you'll earn for completing a half marathon without lifting a finger, so how can you improve your chances of getting them?

How Sleep Score is calculated?

When you first set up your Garmin watch, you'll be prompted to enter the times when you usually go to bed and get up. Your watch will still detect if you fall asleep wearing it outside these hours (decreases in heart rate and movement are big giveaways), but during this period it will be more sensitive to such changes.

Your watch will track not only how long you sleep for, but also your sleep stages (light, deep and REM), restlessness, and periods of wakefulness. A little restlessness and a couple of short periods awake overnight are normal, but if your sleep is fitful then your Sleep Score will drop. Similarly, if you get less than the recommended amount of sleep (particularly deep and REM stages) considering your recent activity level, your Sleep Score will be lower.

The final part of the puzzle is the activity of your autonomic nervous system (ANS). During sleep, your watch will measure your heart rate variability (the changes in how your heart beats from one moment to the next) to determine stress and recovery states as you sleep.

How to improve your Sleep Score

Garmin Sleep Coach gives personalized advice to help improve your sleep hygiene, improve your Sleep Score, and generally feel better. For example, if your bedtimes are all over the place, your watch may kindly suggest that you try to settle down at the same time every night instead. If you're consistently getting too little sleep, you'll be advised to go to bed sooner, and if you're working out too close to bedtime, your watch will suggest you hit the gym at a more reasonable hour.

Certain Garmin watches also have automatic nap detection, which is a feature many users had been requesting for years, and was already available on running watches from rivals like Amazfit. It's not quite perfect (some people may find it over-sensitive), but the company's developers are fine-tuning the algorithm, and if it does record a nap incorrectly, you can delete it, as long as it's on the same calendar day, using Garmin Connect.

Napping for less than 30 minutes around the middle of the day is generally regarded as a good thing, and will reduce your recommended Sleep Need (the amount of rest you should get that night), but if you nap for too long, or too close to either end of the day, your watch will give you a mild telling off.

Our top tips

Even if your watch doesn't offer Sleep Coach, there are still plenty of steps you can take to improve your sleep quality, and thereby your sleep score:

• Avoid alcohol in the evening
• Avoid eating dinner late
• Don't drink caffeine within six hours of bedtime
• Exercise during the day (but not immediately before bed)
• Go to bed and get up around the same time each night
• Aim to get around seven hours of sleep (approximately)
• Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and not too warm
• Try gentle movement like yoga in the evening
• Don't nap too long during the day

For more tips and tricks for getting a good night's sleep, check out our expert advice for falling asleep wherever you are.

• The best sleeping bags: our top recommendations for a cozy night
• The best 4-season sleeping bags: warm and packable bags for a cozy night's sleep, whatever the weather

This weekend you can go for a hike that could have a positive tangible impact on the planet, if you use popular hiking app AllTrails to log your efforts.

AllTrails has pledged to plant a tree for everyone who records a trail activity of at least an hour onto its app over the weekend of April 6-7.

Here’s how it works: hikers, walkers, trail runners and anyone else using the AllTrails app will need to use the Navigator tool to record their activity. AllTrails will then add those activities together to come up with grand total for the weekend and, in partnership with global reforestation nonprofit organization One Tree Planted, will plant a tree for every person who logged activity for at least one hour on the trail. The more AllTrails users get outside, the more trees will be planted – up to 100,000 trees (which would create a small forest about the size of Vatican City).

Whether you're an experience hiker who’s been using AllTrails for years (it first launched way back in 2010, believe it or not), or just starting out, so long as you're a member of the global AllTrails community, you're eligible to join in.

You can download the AllTrails app for free, then opt into the initiative by clicking “join in” and hit the trail using the Navigate feature to record your activity. The more, the merrier (though since the AllTrails community numbers over 50 million users worldwide, they must be expecting a awful lot of them to be keeping their feet up if the upper limit is 100,000 trees – so don’t be one of the lazy ones!).

• The best hiking shoes 2024: trail-friendly shoes for all seasons

It's never been easier to find new routes for hiking, trail running and cycling thanks to online platforms and navigation apps that you can access on your phone or GPS watch. The accuracy of online hiking reviews hasn't always been the most reliable, however – we frequently report on hikers requiring mountain rescue after following non-existent trails they've found on platforms like Google Maps. To tackle that issue, AllTrails has launched a new program partnering with land management officials.

The Public Lands Program, which was announced earlier this month, allows land management agencies such as park officials to share time-sensitive updates with the more than 60 million trail-users who access AllTrails' platform. Land managers from agencies like the National Parks Service can now view trail-use insights, edit trail information and send real-time alerts.

"Public and private sector partnerships are key to unlocking a more sustainable outdoor experience," says Pitt Grewe, Head of Public Lands Partnerships at AllTrails. 

"For the first time, we're combining land-manager expertise and trail data at scale to improve outdoor experiences and inform trail-goers. The AllTrails Public Lands Program will support the public lands community in the critical work of educating visitors and protecting our wild spaces."

Land managers can now prepare trail users for their adventure by editing details such as route lines, starting points and parking locations. They can also send out alerts communicating real-time trail conditions and closures, rules, regulations, and route recommendations. Improved accuracy on the platform should reduce the risks of hiking and increase user enjoyment. According to a press release, land managers are already seeing "measurable benefits " in working with the Public Lands Program.

The announcement comes just two months after we reported that AllTrails launched an AI assistant to help you discover new places, and even pick the right shoes for hiking and running.

• Best hiking trails: hit the trails

Strava has announced a new way to add extra details to your recorded workouts, helping you keep track of stats that the app doesn't currently cover, such as sleep and recovery. If you have an Oura smart ring, you can now connect your Oura and Strava accounts to import data between the two, and add wellbeing stats to your activities in Strava for extra context about your health.

To connect your accounts, open the Oura app on your phone, then tap Settings > Data Sharing > Other Apps > Available Apps > Strava. Read through the terms and conditions and if you're happy to go ahead, select Continue and give permission for the two apps to exchange data. You'll need to enter your Strava login details to do this.

Once everything is set up, activities in Strava will automatically appear as activity cards in the Oura app. They will count towards your activity goal and activity score, even if you weren't wearing your ring when they were created.

Activities recorded using your Oura ring's Workout Heart Rate recording feature will also be synced to Strava automatically (though manual and auto-detected activities will not).

Perhaps most interestingly, you can also add stats from your Oura ring to activities on Strava by importing them as stickers. These work like other media files, such as images. They're not interactive, but they can add useful extra context to your workouts, such as your Readiness Score or recovery data.

To do this, open the Oura app and select Today > Share. Now pick which health metrics you want to show and pick a background image for the sticker. Once you're done,  simply select Share to Strava, and select which activity you want to add the sticker to.

• Strava vs AllTrails: everything you need to know about the activity apps

As all dog owners know, if you let your four-legged friend off the lead when you go for a walk or a run with them, they’ll run about randomly all over the place (although it’s best to know when it’s okay to hike with a dog off-leash). Which invariably leads to the thought, “How much more distance do they cover over the walk than I do?”

Now you have the potential to find out accurately, thanks to a new feature being introduced by renowned sports tracking service Strava.

Strava and the smart collar manufacturer Fi (you did know you could buy smart dog collars, right?) have partnered up to provide a way you to keep a track of your dog’s fitness and how far it’s been roaming.

With this new integration, if you dog’s wearing a Fi dog collar, all the information will automatically upload onto Strava so you can compare it with your data.

Bringing advanced GPS tracking together with activity, sleep and behavior monitoring, Fi is a new breed of dog collar. It lets you keep tabs on where your dog is at all times, provides notes on their sleeping patterns, and even gives dogs some friendly competition with their own leaderboards.

Your Fi activities upload to Strava with a graphic featuring stats from the walk. You’ll get to share your pup’s athletic prowess with your community and get you both your well-deserved kudos (we’re not sure if your dog can give you kudos on your workout though). Better yet, it’s another excuse to share cute pics of your dog.

The best part? Once you’ve connected Strava and Fi, you won’t have to lift a paw. Fi will automatically detect and record when you take your dog for a walk and when that walk finishes. Easy.

If all that hasn’t tempted you to buy a smart collar, currently Strava athletes can access a special offer of $20 off and up to three months free. Use the code STRAVA20 and learn more about the smart collar on Fi's website.

• The best road to trail running shoes 2024: footwear for all terrains

If you’ve ever wondered what hiking on the third largest island in Canary Island is like, wonder no longer. Because Gran Canaria has just launched a new interactive online map to the island’s 800km of trails, and it’s so detailed (and addictive) it’s like a bespoke, tourist-friendly version Komoot with extra idiosyncratic local detail.

You don’t even need to be planning a trip to the idyllic Spanish holiday island to have fun browsing  it. 

The site boasts an extensive amount of information on over 100 trails. The centerpiece of the site is an interactive map showcasing linear, circular, and long-distance trails, providing a comprehensive overview of the diverse options available. 

The trails are meticulously classified based on their length and difficulty, catering to a variety of walkers preferences and users can easily filter their search to find a route that serves their hiking requirements.

Each trail is accompanied by a downloadable information sheet available as a pdf, as well as in kml and gpx formats that integrate with hiking mobile apps. This multi-format accessibility ensures hikers have the necessary information for their journey, enhancing the overall experience and ensuring proper orientation and safety on the trails.

There are also plenty of photos of each route and even video guides so you can see exactly what you’d be letting yourself in for on any given routes (though you might spoil some of the surprises, like unexpected views).

Admittedly, we’ve found a few teething problems (images not displaying, links not working, the fact that you keep on re-signing in), but it was only launched this week, so we expect they’ll be sorted soon. Also, there don’t seem to be language options at the moment but Google Translate is your friend if you no hablas español.

And none of these issue spoil the overall user experience. So have a browse, and dream about your next holiday.

Visit: grancanariasenderos.com

• The best hiking shoes 2024: trail-friendly shoes for all seasons

When you're trying to pick something as important as a tent, sometimes looking at pictures on a screen isn't enough – to decide whether it's the right one, you might really want to try it in person, get inside, and picture yourself spending the night there. Heading to a physical store isn't always feasible, which is where VR comes in.

Decathlon, maker of some excellent budget-friendly hiking and camping gear, has just announced a new app for the Apple Vision Pro headset, which will let you check out tents, jackets, base layers, e-bikes and much more in close detail before making up your mind.

Not only will you be able to get a 360-degree view of products (useful for seeing the construction from all angles and counting pockets), you can also see how they will look in your home, which should be especially handy for indoor exercise equipment. No more worries about whether that treadmill will actually fit in your spare bedroom.

The app will include a selection of the company's outdoor and cycling products to begin with, and more will be added in future.

The Apple Vision Pro is currently available to pre-order, and will go on general sale tomorrow (February 2) in the US.

• The best budget hiking boots: tested for performance on tough terrain

Strava has just launched a new messaging platform, letting you connect with other athletes one-on-one, or in groups, sharing tips, co-ordinating activities, and exchanging routes.

The first version of messaging, available now, lets you send direct and group messages. Your app's default settings will be based on your profile visibility, but you can adjust them to decide who can invite you to a group message or message you directly ('following', 'mutuals', or 'no one').

From early next year you'll also be able to start conversations on specific topics within your Strava Clubs, share photos within messages (great for showing off your latest race bling), and share links to clubs, post, and events within messages.

You might sigh at the thought of yet another messaging platform, but I can see Strava's new service being very useful. My running club currently uses workplace favorite Slack to co-ordinate events, which mostly works well (it's good for arranging lifts to races, sharing photos from group runs, and giving members and leaders their own spaces to chat) but also has drawbacks.

Sharing GPX routes is a particular nuisance, but a necessary one when taking members out on a new route. Most of us use Garmin watches, but not all, meaning Garmin Connect isn't feasible. However, most of us (Apple, Garmin, Polar and Coros users alike) are on Strava, so using it for messaging makes a lot of sense, and would avoid the need for new members to install and get to grips with a new app.

• The best running watches: find your perfect training tool with our recommendations

It's Halloween, which means it's time to lace up your running shoes and prepare to earn Garmin's 2023 holiday badge. It's easy to get, but you only have 24 hours to add it to your collection.

Luckily, if you've got a busy day planned, running isn't your only option. In fact, you can get the badge for completing any activity, so if you're taking the kids trick-or-treating, you can count that as a walk and get a treat of your own when you're done. As long as you log something between 00:00:00 and 23:59:59 on the day, it'll do.

Garmin badges don't actually earn you anything other than bragging rights between friends, but they're still oddly motivational. If you want to see a list of all the ones that are currently available, the Garmin Badge Database has a complete list, including time-limited awards and ones specific to particular countries. If you're feeling sneaky, you can earn badges for other locales by changing your location in Garmin Connect's settings, but we'd never condone such behavior.

Instead, why not try to earn one of the new sleep badges that the company has recently added? If you leave your watch on at night the possibilities include Sleep Savant (receive sleep data for 30 consecutive days), Sleep Streak (get a sleep score of 75 or above for seven consecutive days), and Mythical Sleep (get a sleep score of 100).

Alternatively, check out our list of 23 easy Garmin badges you can earn this weekend, even if you don't get a decent night's rest.

• We're rounding up all this year's best Black Friday Garmin deals

A small but passionate debate is currently rumbling among users of Garmin watches: should the company develop widgets to show key fitness stats on your phone's lock screen, or does that defeat the whole point of your wearable?

First of all, I should note that the company hasn't hinted at any plans to add such widgets to its Garmin Connect app, so this is all hypothetical at this point. While it certainly does take input from its users seriously, and invites them to submit ideas to improve its products and services, it has to be choosy about what it implements, and even some popular suggestions (like the ability to track naps) may never make it into development.

The initial suggestion for lock screen widgets, from a Reddit user who has since deleted their account, suggested that they could be used to display key metrics such as recovery time, distance run that week, and remaining battery life. The poster owns a Whoop Band, whose app does exactly that, and finds it helpful to see the data at a glance without unlocking their device.

However, as many other users noted, most of that data is available right on the face of your Garmin watch – and if the particular stats you want to see aren't there as standard, you can easily download a custom watch face from the Garmin Connect IQ marketplace that includes them. Whoop is a different story; the band doesn't have a display of its own, so displaying stats on your phone's lock screen is the next best thing.

The original poster is perhaps a bit of a niche case, because they only wear their Garmin watch when they're training and opt for a regular analog watch the rest of the time, but I can still see their point.

If you own an Apple Watch, there's a tool called WidgetKit allows you to extend its display onto your phone or iPad, and Garmin lockscreen widgets could work in a similar way, perhaps showing the data you'd usually find by scrolling through your watch's Glances. Perhaps you might like to see the structure of your next planned workout, or a graph of your body battery over the last 24 hours.

I've recently started following a marathon plan with TrainingPeaks, and seeing the format of the day's training run on my phone's homescreen could definitely be handy to help me prepare and decide how long to allocate for it. You can't fit that onto a watch face without it looking super cluttered. It would be a major time and cash investment to develop, but I might join the original Reddit poster in making a feature request just in case.

• Best GPS watches: the latest models from Apple, Garmin and more tested

Whether you're new to running and aiming for your first 5k, or you are an experienced ultra runner, there are running apps that aim to help you to keep track of training and also to improve your performance. Here we've rounded up a list of our top recommendations to help you find the one that's right for you.

Many of these apps can connect to your GPS watch, and can be used to keep track of a range of data, such as route, distance, pace, cadence, time and calories. Most also offer coaching and fitness tips too, often personalized to suit your current activity and fitness levels.

Most running apps are free to download and use, but there's often a subscription cost if you want to make use of more detailed features. Many of the running apps are better for different types of runners, such as runners who spend most of their time on a treadmill, those who want to route plan and others who are more focused on gathering data and stats.

Strava

The saying goes: If it's not on Strava, it didn't happen. The app combines sport analysis with a social media platform and it’s very popular. You can check out a wide range of data on Strava, from distance, time, pace, elevation gain and route.

If you sign up to a subscription, you’ll also see extra data such as relative effort and heart rate, plus the maps become downloadable.  The subscription also gives access to customised training plans, and segment leaderboards, which shows how your actives rate against other runners on the same route. 

Cost: Free; £8.99 per month or £54.99 annually.

Platforms: iOS, Android

See: Strava

Zwift

Another popular training app is Zwift. You might think it’s cycling specific but it also offers plenty of useful info for runners. 

The app is useful for remote training for runners and brings a gaming-style focus to running. Just like cyclists can take on turbo challenges on Zwift, so runners can do the same with treadmill sessions. 

To use the app you pair with a Bluetooth-enabled treadmill. There are many hundreds of workouts to choose from, as well as group challenges and races.

Cost: Free (there is a fee if you use it for cycling)

Platforms: iOS, Android

See: Zwift 

NHS Couch to 5K

This is a free running app aimed at newcomers to running, or people who re returning to running. It is a guide to building up to a 5k run. The app has been created by a partnership of the NHS and the BBC and provides a step-by-step training guide over nine weeks. 

There are tips, progress awards and trainers to help keep you motived. You might recognise the voices of celebrities such as comedian Sarah Millican and presenter Jo Whiley. In addition, the app allows you to connect with an on-line community of Couch to 5k runners.

Cost: Free

Platforms: iOS, Android

See: NHS Couch to 5K

Nike Run Club

Several running brands, including Nike, have created their own running apps. The Nike Run Club app has a range of features and tools for all levels of runner, from beginner to ultra.

You’ll find all the usual run tracking features, including distance, pace and heart rate, plus training plans for runners aiming fro different goals and distances. Some of the sessions are audio guides so, for example, you are instructed on intervals for a speed session. 

There are also guided mindful runs led by experts from mental health app Headspace. 

As well as being able to see a host of data and analytics, Nike Run Club operates like a community so you see what friends are doing and also stay motivated thanks to different challenges and rewards . 

The app integrates with Spotify and Apple Music and it is compatible with Apple Watch, TomTom and Garmin devices.

Cost: Free

Platforms: iOS, Android

See: Nike Run Club 

Adidas Running

The free version version of this app ticks off most of the run tracking aspects you’ll need, including distance, pace, time, time, calories and heart rate. 

The brand has included a range of motivational features, such as virtual races and challenges and the app allows you to connect with and track the activities followers.

There is a membership that you pay for and that gives access to a range of customised training plans, for example if you are aiming for a 10k or marathon, or you want to lose weight. 

The app is compatible with Apple Watch and other apps such as Zwift and Garmin Connect.

Cost: Free; Premium £9.99 per month, £49.99 per year.

Platforms: iOS, Android

See: adidas Running

Runkeeper

The Runkeeper app – supported by Asics – allows you to track and plan running routes as you go.  You can also create running goals and take up different in-app challenges. The app allows you to connect to virtual running groups and provides rewards to keep your motivated. All the usual metrics are covered, from distance to pace.

If you pay for Runkeeper GO, you gain access to personalised training plans and more in-depth running data. Plus there are guided workouts with Asics coaches should you want them. The app is compatible with Garmin, Apple Watch and Fitbit.

Cost: Free; subscription £7.99 a month, £29.99 a year. 

Platforms: iOS, Android

See:  Runkeeper

Garmin Connect

This app is useful and free to use if you own a Garmin device, such as Garmin Enduro sports watch. The app syncs with Garmin watches and provides a wealth of running data. As well as the usual  analytics, there are plenty more metrics such as blood oxygen, sleep pattern, hydration, respiration, stress etc. 

The app offers information in graph format for better understanding of fitness and health. 

You can also use the Garmin Connect app as you would social media and share and like other user’s activities. The app aims to help with motivation for runners by creating challenges and rewarding with badges. 

Cost: Free (when you buy a Garmin device)

Platforms: iOS, Android

See: Garmin Connect

Weav Run

This app is useful if you like to run while listening to music. It’s actually a clever app and can help you to find music on your playlist that matches your running cadence. It even remixes songs to sync with your pace. A newer feature is instructor-led workouts.

Cost: Free; some in-app purchases 

Platforms: iOS

See: Weav Run

Map My Run by Under Armour

This is a useful app for people who are looking for new routes to follow. You can choose from one of more than 70 million routes on Map My Run. The app allows you to create your won routes and share them with other people. 

Map My Run also records all the usual data while you run, including distance, pace, elevation and calories etc.

There are paid-for premium features such as live location tracking for safety, heart rate zone analysis and audio coaching.

Cost: Free; premium £5.49 per month, £27.99 per year

Platforms: iOS, Android

See:  Garmin Connect

Runna 

This app, which has been created by running coaches and focused on running plans, whether your goal is a 5k or marathon. You can create customised running plans that provide step-by-step sessions.

The app syncs with Garmin, Coros, and Apple watches, so the sessions can be downloaded to your sports watch. You do need to pay for this app after the first free week.

Cost: Free for the first week; £15.99 a month after that 

Platforms: iOS, Android

See: Runna

• Best Garmin watches: all the latest models tested and rated

As any seasoned explorer knows, the best advice that leads to the most exciting and extraordinary experiences and discoveries rarely originates from guide books or magazine articles – it comes from fellow travellers. And the same is true with cycling, walking and running adventures. 

In 2023, however, instead of being cascaded by ‘word of mouth’, priceless information about the best routes to ride, run or ramble is shared through interconnected online networks, such as the komoot community, a 30-million strong collective of cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts spread across the planet. 

This fantastic fellowship of like-minded explorers and tourers has an ever-expanding box of tools to improve how they can access, experience and pass on route knowledge. The latest advance comes via komoot’s new Recommended Tours features, which marries real feet/tyres-on-ground activity with some very smart technology to take information uploaded by millions of hikers and bikers, and use their experiences and highlights to generate suggested Tours all around the world.

Find the perfect adventure for you 

The Tour search features are available on the komoot app (iOS, Android) and web platform. So, whether you’re exploring your own backyard or straying far from home, seeking out adventures well beyond your immediate horizon, komoot’s newly updated Tour search tool is a font of information about what awaits you on and around the tracks and trails.  

The new features are best accessed via a game-changing, easy to use, map-based interface, which helps you to discover the most exciting adventures in your local area, or cast your eyes much further afield for ideas and inspiration all across the UK, Europe and well beyond. By simply clicking a particular spot anywhere on the map, you will get a range of suggested routes that begin at that exact point. 

The app supplies hard information about the distance, descent and ascent of your planned foray, but additional layers of functionality also offer so much more than that. Komoot’s Tour overviews will tell you the type of terrain you’re going to encounter, suggest some Highlights to check out along the way and even give you the latest on the weather conditions you’re likely to experience. 

Better still, you can filter your Tour search according to your interests and preferences by selecting the kind of terrain you want to explore, the distance you’d like to travel, the amount of elevation you’re happy to take on, how hard the route is and whether you’d like to do a point-to-point or a circular adventure. 

This is how to explore smart, to go wild while having confidence that you’re not just fumbling and trundling around in the dark, blundering through an assault course of unknowns. You can even focus on routes that pass by something of natural, historical or cultural interest, from waterfalls and woodlands to castles, cathedrals, ruins and battle sites.

The feature is also accessible via the komoot website. For example, if you go to the ‘Discover’ page and select mountain biking from the dropdown menu on the left, and then punch Quantock Hills into the search panel, you will get over 50 Tour recommendations in the Quantock Hills AONB, all generated by a clever algorithm using multiple activities completed by other people on komoot in the area.

Start komooting 

To follow a route that has piqued your interest, you can navigate within the komoot apps, sync komoot with your preferred GPS device or wearable, or download the relevant GPX file.

And this flow of info is far from one-way traffic. Whenever you upload details and images of your latest adventure from your watch, smartphone or GPS unit https://www.komoot.com/devices, it can be added to the ever-expanding wealth of content that populates the komoot Discover Feed, expanding the resource for everyone who taps into it.

Outdoor enthusiasts love nothing more than a bespoke adventure, and with these new and improved komoot functions it’s never been easier to access and plan a personalised tour. Open the map, pick a spot and peruse the suggested Tours, then customise the route to suit your preferences. 

Join the komoot community and see where your discoveries take you. 

https://www.komoot.com/discover/tours?max_distance=20000&map=true

A phone can be a bikepacker's best friend, and loading yours up with the right apps in advance can make your expedition a whole lot easier. Whether it's planning your route, checking the weather, or getting advice on how to change an inner tube, there's an app to help.

Of course, you'll need data connectivity to get live updates or download maps and videos, so you'll only be able to use some of these apps in areas with cellular connectivity. Thankfully, apps like YouTube and Komoot allow you to download content so you can access it offline.

For advice on other devices to make bikepacking a breeze, see our guide to must-have bikepacking tech.

Komoot

Komoot isn't just one of the best navigation apps for hiking, it's also superb for bikepacking. It makes it easy to plot a route on a mobile device or your desktop computer, taking into consideration the terrain, gradient, and overall difficulty, then provides turn-by-turn directions on your phone. Alternatively, you can export the route as a GPX file to follow on your bike computer or GPX watch. You can also plan a route around certain landmarks and popular sightseeing spots to make the most of your expedition.

Download Komoot for iOS
Download Komoot for Android

what3words

Sometimes it's hard to describe an exact location, particularly if there are no big landmarks or street intersections around. What3words is an ingenious service that splits the entire world into 10ft x 10ft squares, and assigns each of them a set of three words. The app lets you find the what3words reference for your current location, or navigate to one. It's particularly handy in emergencies, or if you're traveling to a campsite in a remote area.

Download what3words for iOS
Download what3words for Android

WeatherBug

There's no shortage of weather apps available for iPhone or Android, but WeatherBug is one of the best. Not only does it provide you with free 10-day forecasts, it also gives you the pollen count (great for allergy sufferers), heat index (so you can plan your clothing and hydration), wind chill (so you can choose your layers), and even a lightning map so you know if it's wise to take shelter. For $10 a year, you can get rid of ads too.

Download WeatherBug for iOS
Download WeatherBug for Android

YouTube

If you have a mechanical problem on the road, and you're not sure what to do, there's almost certainly a YouTube video to help. The guys and girls at GCN have some particularly good guides, including how to change an inner tube quickly, how to stop your disc brakes rubbing, and how to remove tubeless bike tires from your wheel rim. Before you head out, you might also like to check out some of the guides from my friends at Cycling Weekly, who can show you how to puncture proof your tires and how to set up your bike for bad weather.

Download YouTube for iOS
Download YouTube for Android

This article is part of Advnture's Bikepacking Week 2023 (running from Monday 22 to Sunday 28 May), our ultimate guide to adventuring on two wheels including essential advice, gear, and features to help you plan the perfect expedition.

Earning Garmin badges can be very satisfying. These virtual awards are just little graphics attached to your profile, but amassing them can be weirdly addictive – particularly once you start comparing them with your connections.

Some badges are a lot easier to earn than others, so I've put together a guide to ones that you can earn in a weekend. You probably already have some of these – perhaps most – but there are probably a couple of low-hanging fruit that you didn't know about too. Some badges can be earned by recording an activity on a certain day, such as Finish Strong and Strong Start (for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day respectively), but here I'm focusing on badges that you can get right now.

Ideally you'll earn badges the honest way, but since they don't actually have any value, I'll also share a few sneaky cheats that'll save you time and effort. Let your conscience (or lack thereof) be your guide.

Garmin Connect badges to grab now

Getting Started - record an activity with your Garmin device
You probably earned this particular badge the day you unpacked your Garmin Watch, and it's much like the 'achievements' some computer games give you for successfully completing the tutorial.

Heating Up - record an activity two days in a row
This badge is exactly what it sounds like, and the activities don't have to be different. Two walks or breath exercises will be fine.

Personal World Record - set a personal record
The easiest way to do this would be to run 5k or go for a bike ride. However long the ride is, it will set the benchmark for your longest ride to date. If you hop on your bike, you'll also get the Saddle Up badge.

Weigh In - record your weight
If you have a Garmin Index smart scale connected to your account then you'll earn this badge the first time you step aboard, but you can also get it by entering your weight manually in Garmin Connect. Open the main menu, expand Health Stats, tap Weight, and tap Add a Weigh-In. Entering your weight also allows the app to calculate your Fitness Age, so there's another reason for doing it.

Well Rested - get eight hours of sleep
It's a tough sacrifice, but getting to bed early or having a little lie-in while wearing your Garmin watch will net you an extra badge. Can't do it? Okay, you can cheat. Open the main menu in Garmin Connect, tap Health Stats and select Sleep. Tap the menu icon at the top right of your previous night's sleep summary and select Edit. Enter how many hours you wish you'd slept and tap save to get the badge. Now change it back, you naughty person.

Photogenic - add a profile photo
Don't stick with that default avatar! Open Garmin Connect and tap your profile icon at the top (just to the right of the menu button). Tap Edit, then tap Change on the profile picture to choose something from your phone, or take a selfie using its camera. It'll earn you a badge, and make it easier for your friends to find you in the future.

Networking - link your account with a social account
Fire up Garmin Connect, open the main menu and tap Connections. Tap Find Friends, then select Facebook (the only social network that's actually available) and tap Connect. Even if you don't have any Garmin-using friends, you'll get the badge for trying.

Beat Yesterday - beat yesterday's step count while hitting your goal
This one will probably be pretty easy, but you can tweak it if you're struggling. Open the main menu in Garmin Connect, expand Activities, tap Steps and tap Edit Goal. You can turn off Auto Goal if you don't want it to change in future.

Milestone - run one mile in a single activity
Speed doesn't matter, so if you're a new runner you can mix running and walking. Just take it at your own pace.

Thanks For Sharing - share an activity
If you're the modest type, you might not have this one yet. Open the summary of your most recent activity on your phone, then tap the share button (which looks like three dots joined together in a < shape). You can now send the details of your workout to a friend or rival via Facebook, WhatsApp, or your social network of choice, earning yourself a nice badge in the process.

Saddle Up - go for a ride
If you've got a bicycle or access to an indoor exercise bike, hop on with your Garmin watch and record an activity. It doesn't have to be long.

Planning Ahead - schedule a training plan on connect.garmin.com
Scheduling a plan is easy, and you don't need to complete it in order to earn this badge. Visit connect.garmin.com in your web browser, click the blue Sign In button at the top right, and enter your username and password. Expand the Training and Planning menu on the left hand side and click Training Plans. Choose one of the options available, click Set Up Plan and follow the on-screen instructions.

Let's Get Physical - create a workout on connect.garmin.com
If you're just trying to get badges as fast as possible, you don't have to actually complete the workout. Go to connect.garmin.com, expand Training and Planning, and select Workouts. Choose a workout type from the drop-down menu, click the Create a Workout button. Save the default options and enjoy your (somewhat ill-gotten) badge.

Garmin Fan - add more than one Garmin device to your account
Got a friend with a Garmin and a kind heart? If they reset their watch and let you pair it with your account, you'll get this badge. Then you can reset it, they can reconnect it to their account, and all their data will sync again via Garmin Connect. Then you can return the favor.

Deep Breathing - record one breathwork activity
You can stop a breathwork activity after a few seconds and it'll still count, though the shortest one doesn't take very long to do properly. If you're feeling really sneaky, you can do it five times and earn the Deep Breathing 2 badge. Feeling bored? Doing it 25 times, 50 times, or 100 times will net you Deep Breathing badges 3, 4, and 5 respectively.

First Gear and Goodbye Old Friend
You can complete this in a few seconds if you don't mind bending the rules. Open the main menu in Garmin Connect, select Gear and tap Add. Leave all the defaults and enter a brand and model, then tap Save. That's your first badge. Now tap Edit next to your newly added piece of gear, scroll down to the bottom and tap Retire. That's your second.

Pathfinder - create a course
Fire up the Garmin Connect app, open the main menu and select Training & Planning. Tap Courses, then Create Course. Choose any type you like, select Automatic, then tap Next. Wait a moment for the app to calculate a route, then tap Done, give it a name, and save it. Enjoy your badge!

I Am the Night - record an activity between 10pm and 4am
Exercising just before bed can disturb your sleep, which isn't good if you're trying to earn the Well Rested badge, Thankfully, the activity recorded for I Am The Night can be a relaxing breathwork exercise, which will also net you the Deep Breathing badge.

Early riser - record an activity between 4am and 7am
This badge is earned in exactly the same way as I Am The Night, and can also be completed using a quick breathwork activity if you don't want to lace up your best road running shoes in the wee hours of the morning.

Commentator - comment on an activity or a challenge
Once you've made a connection or two, tap 'Feed' in Garmin Connect and leave a nice, encouraging comment on one of their recent activities. They get a nice warm glow inside, and you get a shiny badge.

Weekend 5k
You can earn this badge once a month by running 5km between Friday and Sunday. Parkrun is a nice easy way to achieve it on a Saturday morning, and speed doesn't matter.

Double Duty - record two activities in one day
These don't have to be long, and you can combine them with I Am the Night or Early Riser by doing one of them in the wee hours of the morning. A walk and a breathing exercise will do.

• Best GPS watches: all the latest models tested and rated

Sports watch maker Coros has completely revamped its mobile app, making it simpler to navigate and adding a wealth of new features, including a route planner and improved fitness tracking.

The apps for some GPS watches can be overwhelming, but the updated Coros app now comprises just four main pages: Progress, Activities, Explore and Profile. Perhaps the most exciting of these is Explore, where you can plan a route and sent it directly to your phone without the need for any third-party tools. 

Unlike Garmin's in-app route planner, which only lets you specify a start point, overall bearing, and distance, the new Coros tool allows you to draw your own courses, add waypoints, and edit routes on your phone. Once you're done, the app allows you to transfer the route straight to your Coros Apex 2, Apex 2 Pro, or Vertix 2. There's also a firmware update for the Coros Pace 2, which adds breadcrumb navigation

I'll be testing the new app soon with a Coros Vertix 2, and seeing how the route planner compares to its rivals. Early signs look promising.

Smarter training

Coros has made big updates to its EvoLab training tool too, making it more accurate when it comes to monitoring your baseline fitness. You should find it easier to access your data as well, and there are new Running Fitness and Training Status scores, as well as extra fitness tests to assess your progress.

The company has also added support for Google Health Connect, which allows Android users to sync data with apps including Peloton, WeightWatchers, MyFitnessPal, Google Fit, and others.

Firmware included in this release is available to download direct from Coros until mid-May, when it's expected to roll out to all watch owners.

There's also news on the pricing front, too. From April 20, Coros has reduced the prices of the Apex 2 and Apex 2 Pro in USD, EUR, GBP, and CAD. If you bought your watch before April 20 in one of those currencies, you can apply for a coros.com credit to offset the difference.

• Best navigation apps: find your way in the great outdoors