Best Hiking Apps of 2026
There is no single best hiking app for everyone. onX Backcountry is our top choice for U.S. backcountry trip planning and navigation, with Route Builder, detailed offline terrain, and layers for dispersed camping, wildfire, smoke, air quality, and Offline Maps. AllTrails is best for discovering established trails, Komoot stands out for international and multi-device route planning, and Hiking Project is the best completely free hiking app. The right choice depends on where you hike and whether you need discovery, planning, navigation, workout tracking, or a combination of all four.
We evaluated each app by its strongest use case and checked feature availability against official product information in October 2026.
Quick answer: Choose onX Backcountry to plan and navigate U.S. backcountry trips with custom routes, detailed offline terrain, and layers for access and changing conditions; AllTrails to find popular, community-reviewed hikes; Komoot for international route planning and navigation across multiple devices; or Hiking Project if you want a simple app that is free (disclosure: onX owns Hiking Project).
The Best Hiking Apps at a Glance
| Hiking app | Best for | Free option? | Offline capability | Primary limitation |
| onX Backcountry | U.S. backcountry planning, navigation, and offline terrain | Yes; paid plans expand offline use | Downloaded areas, GPS location, tracking, markups, planning layers, and 3D terrain | Best suited to the United States |
| AllTrails | Finding established trails and reading reviews | Yes | Paid plans support trails, parks, and custom-area downloads | Community information can vary in quality |
| Komoot | International and multi-device route planning | Yes; includes one free region | Downloaded routes and regional maps with turn-by-turn guidance | Full map access depends on region unlocks or a paid plan |
| Hiking Project | A genuinely free, ad-free hiking app | Yes | Trail maps and GPS position work without cell service | Fewer advanced planning tools |
| Gaia GPS | Map layers and international backcountry trips | Yes; offline maps require Premium | Downloaded areas, routes, layered maps, and offline routing data | Steeper learning curve |
| CalTopo | Advanced planning, collaboration, and printable maps | Yes; offline downloads require a paid plan | Downloaded maps and routes with field edits | Technical interface for beginners |
| WorkOutDoors | Apple Watch-first hiking navigation | No; one-time purchase | Vector maps stored on the watch | Apple-only and not designed for trail discovery |
| OS Maps | Great Britain and Munro bagging | Yes | Paid plan supports downloaded maps and routes | Limited value outside supported mapping regions |
| Avenza Maps | Official, specialty, and custom maps | Yes; individual maps may cost extra | All downloaded maps work offline with GPS location | Not a conventional trail-discovery app |
| Strava | Activity tracking, performance, and community | Yes | Subscribers can save route maps offline | More fitness-focused than map-focused |
| PeakVisor | Peak identification and mountain photography | Yes; offline tools require Pro | Downloaded 3D maps, peak identification, and routing | Specialized rather than all-purpose |
Feature availability can vary by device, operating system, region, and membership level. Download and test any offline map before leaving service.
How We Chose the Best Hiking Apps
We compared the apps according to the jobs hikers actually need them to do:
- Discover an established trail.
- Plan a custom point-to-point, loop, or off-trail route.
- Understand elevation, slope, land access, weather, and changing conditions.
- Download useful map data before leaving cell service.
- Navigate and track progress with a phone or watch.
- Import, export, or share routes.
- Get enough value from the free version to evaluate the product.
Category winners were selected for a specific use case rather than through a single composite score. Features were reviewed using current product pages and official support documentation in August 2026. Prices and plan inclusions change, so confirm them with the app maker before subscribing.
onX Backcountry: Best for Backcountry Navigation and Offline Terrain
onX Backcountry is the best hiking app for serious U.S. backcountry navigation because it combines detailed terrain visualization, custom planning, offline tools, land-access context, and changing-condition data in one map. It covers more than 650,000 miles of hiking and backpacking trails and supports satellite, topographic, hybrid, and 3D views.
Its standout capability is the amount of terrain context that remains useful away from service. Hikers can download high-resolution maps and view their GPS position, follow trails, record a breadcrumb track, add waypoints, and draw lines offline. Premium and Elite members can also take LiDAR-based topo, 3D terrain, and peak labels into the field. That makes it easier to interpret ridges, drainages, slope changes, and possible alternate routes when a flat trail line does not tell the whole story.
Route Builder snaps a custom route to nearby trails or roads, while public-land boundaries help clarify access. Private-land boundaries and landowner information are included with Elite. Weather forecasts, dispersed camping, cell coverage, active wildfire information and smoke forecasts help hikers decide whether to change the day, destination, or route.
Best for: U.S. hikers, backpackers, mountaineers, and anyone who regularly travels beyond reliable cell coverage.
Key strengths:
- Offline 3D terrain, LiDAR-based topo, and peak labels.
- More than 650,000 miles of hiking and backpacking trails.
- Custom Route Builder, waypoints, GPS tracking, and breadcrumbs.
- Topographic, satellite, hybrid, and 3D maps.
- Public-land context, with private-land information on Elite.
- Integrated weather, wildfire, smoke, and air-quality information.
- Free access and a seven-day trial, with paid plans expanding offline features.
Main limitation: onX Backcountry is strongest in the U.S. It is not the first choice for hikers whose main priority is international coverage, the largest possible library of community reviews, or watch-only navigation.
Bottom line: Choose onX Backcountry when understanding the terrain and retaining rich map detail offline matter more than browsing the largest trail-review catalog.
AllTrails: Best for Trail Discovery
AllTrails is the best hiking app for finding established trails. Its collection of more than 400,000 hand-curated trail guides, approachable search filters, community photos, and recent reviews makes it especially useful when the first question is, “Where should I hike?”
Trail pages consolidate practical information such as distance, elevation, route type, directions, photos, and user reports. That structure works well for beginners, visitors, and hikers comparing several popular options in an unfamiliar area.
Paid membership adds more capable offline use. Depending on the plan, users can download an individual trail, a park, or a custom area containing its trails and map tiles. Wrong-turn alerts notify a hiker after drifting off a loaded route. Live weather and trail-condition tools add context, though recent reviews should never be treated as a guarantee of current conditions.
Best for: Beginners, travelers, and hikers who want to browse established routes with photos and community feedback.
Main limitation: Reviews and user-submitted information vary in recency and accuracy. Verify closures, permits, hazards, and official access with the relevant land manager.
Komoot: Best for Route Planning
Komoot is the best hiking app for route planning, particularly for international travel. Its planner accounts for the activity, trail or road surface, elevation, difficulty, and fitness level. It can build point-to-point or loop routes and provides turn-by-turn visual and voice navigation.
Komoot works across a wide collection of devices. Plans sync between web, iOS, Android, Apple Watch, Garmin, Wear OS, and other supported hardware. Its standalone Apple Watch app can store routes and detailed maps, record an activity, and provide turn prompts and haptic alerts without an iPhone or data connection.
The purchasing model is unusual but potentially attractive. New users receive one free region. Additional individual regions, regional bundles, or the World Pack can be unlocked with a one-time purchase; Premium adds features such as worldwide maps, multi-day planning, sport-specific maps, weather along a route, and 3D maps.
Best for: Hikers who create their own routes, travel internationally, or want navigation across multiple devices.
Main limitation: Komoot has community content, but its core experience emphasizes planning and navigation more than U.S.-style trail reviews.
Hiking Project: Best Free Hiking App
Hiking Project is the best free hiking app for hikers who want straightforward trail discovery and offline orientation without a subscription. The app is free on iOS and Android, shows your GPS position on the map, and is designed to work without cell service.
Its uncluttered interface is part of the appeal: find a route, read its details, and see where you are. It currently lists more than 282,000 miles of hiking trails.
Best for: Casual hikers, budget-conscious users, and anyone who wants a simple offline trail reference.
Main limitation: It lacks the richer layers, advanced route-building controls, changing-condition tools, and watch experiences offered by paid competitors.
Gaia GPS: Best for Map Layers and International Backcountry Trips
Gaia GPS is a strong choice for experienced map users who want worldwide coverage and a deep catalog of maps and overlays. Gaia Topo covers the world, while Premium unlocks more than 250 maps and overlays, including select national mapping products, public- and private-land data, satellite imagery, hillshade, contours, and slope-angle layers.
Users can create routes and waypoints, record tracks, download rectangular areas or maps along a route, and sync data between the web and mobile apps. Current versions also download offline routing data, allowing new routes to be built when disconnected.
Best for: Experienced hikers traveling internationally or comparing several specialized map sources.
Main limitation: The large map catalog and layer controls take time to learn, and offline map downloads require a Premium subscription.
CalTopo: Best for Advanced Trip Planning and Printable Maps
CalTopo is the best hiking app for technically experienced planners, trip leaders, and groups that want precise route design. It combines detailed custom routes, stackable layers, collaborative map editing, recent satellite imagery, and high-quality printed map output.
Multiple people can edit the same map and see changes in real time. Paid plans support offline map and route downloads; field edits sync after service returns. CalTopo also offers slope-angle shading, elevation-specific weather forecasts, stream data, public-land information, and high-resolution weekly or lower-resolution daily satellite imagery.
Best for: Group leaders, advanced backcountry travelers, and anyone who wants to pair digital navigation with a custom paper map.
Main limitation: Its analytical depth comes with a more technical interface than mainstream trail apps.
WorkOutDoors: Best Hiking App for Apple Watch
WorkOutDoors is the best hiking app for Apple Watch users who want maps, route guidance, alerts, and workout data directly on the wrist. Its vector maps can be downloaded to the watch, so the map remains available without a phone signal.
The app imports route files and can display turn-by-turn information when that data is included. Bend detection can create turn cues when it is not. WorkOutDoors also supplies off-route alerts, colored ascent and descent profiles, waypoints, a breadcrumb trail, and more than 800 configurable metrics.
Unlike most premium navigation apps, WorkOutDoors uses a one-time purchase rather than a required recurring subscription.
Best for: Apple Watch hikers who want a configurable, watch-first map and workout experience.
Main limitation: It is built for Apple devices and is better at following an imported route than helping users discover which trail to hike.
OS Maps: Best for Great Britain and Munro Bagging
OS Maps is the best hiking app for Great Britain. A Premium subscription provides digital access to all 607 OS Explorer and Landranger maps, including the rights of way, footpaths, contours, and terrain detail British hillwalkers rely on.
Users can discover, plot, record, and follow routes; import GPX files; download maps to a phone; and print custom backups. These capabilities are particularly valuable in Scotland, where Munro routes can involve faint paths, pathless ground, and quickly changing visibility.
Best for: Walkers in England, Scotland, and Wales, especially hillwalkers and Munro baggers.
Main limitation: Its defining advantage is authoritative Great Britain mapping, so it has less relevance elsewhere.
Avenza Maps: Best for Official and Custom Maps
Avenza Maps is the best choice when the map itself matters more than the app’s trail catalog. Its Map Store offers official and specialist maps from government agencies and other publishers. Users can also load compatible geospatial PDFs, GeoPDFs, and GeoTIFFs, subject to plan limits.
Every downloaded map works offline. The phone’s GPS can display a hiker’s position on that map without cellular or wifi service, and users can record tracks, add placemarks, attach notes and photos, and measure distance.
Best for: Hikers who need an official park, agency, Canadian topo, specialist, or custom map in the field.
Main limitation: It is a map viewer and store more than an all-in-one trail-discovery and route-planning experience. Some maps cost extra.
Strava: Best for Tracking, Performance, and Community
Strava is the best option for hikers who care most about recording activities, measuring progress, and sharing adventures. It supports hiking activity recording, social feeds, challenges, personal heatmaps, community-informed route creation, and Beacon location sharing.
Subscribers can build routes for hiking and other sports and download route maps for offline use. On supported devices, the Apple Watch app shows a saved route and live position during an activity and can issue off-route alerts.
Best for: Fitness-minded hikers who want performance history and an active social community.
Main limitation: Strava’s identity and feature set remain more fitness-oriented than terrain- or map-oriented.
PeakVisor: Best for Peak Identification and Photography
PeakVisor is the best hiking app for identifying mountains. Point the camera toward the skyline and its augmented-reality view labels surrounding summits. It can also identify peaks in geotagged photos you have already taken.
The app includes worldwide 3D mountain maps, hiking trails, route planning, GPS tracking, elevation profiles, and flyover visualizations. PeakVisor Pro unlocks offline 3D maps, routing, and peak identification for areas downloaded in advance.
Best for: Peak baggers, mountaineers, travelers, and mountain photographers who want to understand the skyline.
Main limitation: Peak identification is a compelling specialty, but PeakVisor is less complete as an everyday trail-discovery app.
How To Choose the Right Hiking App
Choose Based on Where You Hike
Geography can narrow the list quickly:
- U.S. backcountry: Start with onX Backcountry for offline terrain, custom navigation, conditions, and land-access context.
- Established local trails: AllTrails offers the strongest discovery experience and the largest review ecosystem in this comparison.
- Europe and international trips: Komoot is a versatile planning and navigation choice; Gaia GPS is stronger when you want multiple specialized map layers.
- Great Britain: OS Maps provides the most relevant national topographic detail.
- Canada: Compare AllTrails for discovery, Gaia GPS for layered topo maps, and Avenza for official or specialist map products.
- Remote destinations: Confirm that the exact map source covers the destination, can be downloaded, and retains the features you need offline.
Decide Whether You Need Discovery, Planning, or Navigation
These functions overlap, but they are not identical:
- Discovery helps answer, “Where should I hike?” AllTrails and Hiking Project are strong starting points.
- Planning turns an idea into a route. Komoot and CalTopo stand out, while onX Route Builder is designed for U.S. backcountry objectives.
- Navigation shows your position and helps you stay on route in the field. onX Backcountry is our U.S. pick, while Gaia GPS and Komoot travel well internationally.
- Tracking records the hike and performance data. Strava and WorkOutDoors are particularly strong here.
Many hikers get a better result from two specialized apps than from asking one app to do everything.
Check Exactly What Works Offline
“Offline maps” can describe very different capabilities. Before subscribing, find out whether the app downloads:
- One route corridor or an entire rectangular area.
- Every trail in a park or region.
- Topographic, satellite, and specialty layers.
- 3D terrain and peak labels.
- Turn instructions and off-route alerts.
- Routing data needed to build or change a route offline.
A phone can determine its position using GPS satellites without cell service, but it cannot display map detail that was never downloaded. Save your route and surrounding area over Wi-Fi, let the download finish, then test it in airplane mode before the hike.
Consider Your Watch and GPS Devices
For Apple Watch-first use, WorkOutDoors provides the deepest customization in this list. Komoot also offers standalone offline route navigation, while Strava combines route following with performance tracking. AllTrails can display navigation information and wrong-turn alerts on Apple Watch, though its experience remains closely tied to trail discovery on the phone.
If you use a Garmin or another GPS device, check direct synchronization and GPX import/export before committing. A technically capable app is less useful if moving a route onto your regular device becomes a chore.
Compare the Free Tier, Not Just the Subscription Price
Ask what you can actually accomplish without paying. Can you browse trails, create a route, record a track, download a map, and navigate offline? Hiking Project is the clearest no-cost option because it is free. Komoot includes one free region. Free tiers from onX Backcountry, AllTrails, Gaia GPS, Strava, and PeakVisor are useful for evaluating their interfaces, but their most valuable offline or advanced tools may require a trial, purchase, or subscription.
When onX Backcountry Is the Better Choice
onX Backcountry is likely the better choice if you:
- Regularly hike, backpack, or climb in the U.S.
- Travel beyond reliable cellular coverage.
- Want to understand ridges, drainages, slopes, and peaks in offline 3D.
- Build custom backcountry routes instead of only following listed hikes.
- Need public- and private-land context when evaluating access.
- Use recent imagery, weather, wildfire, smoke, or air-quality information to make trip decisions.
It may not be the better choice if your main priority is:
- Browsing the largest possible collection of community-reviewed trails.
- Hiking primarily outside the United States.
- Navigating entirely from an Apple Watch.
- Recording workouts and participating in a fitness community.
For serious U.S. backcountry travel, however, the combination of terrain detail, custom planning, offline navigation, land information, and current conditions makes onX Backcountry our top recommendation.
Start a free seven-day onX Backcountry trial.
Can You Use More Than One Hiking App?
Yes. Using two hiking apps can give you better discovery, planning, or recording tools without forcing a single product to cover every need. Useful pairings include:
- AllTrails + onX Backcountry: Find a popular hike and read recent reports in AllTrails, then inspect terrain, access, and conditions and save the surrounding area in onX.
- Komoot + Strava: Build and navigate a custom route with Komoot, then record and share the activity through Strava.
- OS Maps + a mountain-weather service: Use detailed Great Britain mapping alongside a forecast designed for mountain conditions.
- Avenza + a general GPS app: Carry an official local map in Avenza while using another app for route creation and activity history.
Whichever combination you choose, avoid switching apps constantly in the field. Prepare the route, download every necessary map, and know which app will be your primary navigation tool before leaving the trailhead.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best hiking app depends on the job. onX Backcountry is best for detailed U.S. backcountry navigation, AllTrails is best for discovering established trails, Komoot is best for custom route planning, and Hiking Project is the best completely free option. Choose based on your location, offline needs, and preferred device.
Hiking Project is the best free hiking app because it is free and works without cell service. Free versions of onX Backcountry, AllTrails, Komoot, Gaia GPS, and Strava may be better if you are evaluating advanced features before a future upgrade.
AllTrails is generally better for finding well-known hikes and reading community reviews. onX Backcountry is better for detailed U.S. backcountry planning, offline terrain visualization, land-access context, and custom navigation. Some hikers use AllTrails for discovery and onX in the field.
AllTrails is better for discovering and navigating hiking trails. Strava is better for recording activities, tracking performance, and sharing hikes with a fitness community.
onX Backcountry is our pick for detailed offline U.S. backcountry terrain. Gaia GPS is strong for worldwide map layers, OS Maps is best for Great Britain, and WorkOutDoors is best for offline maps directly on an Apple Watch. Always download and test the required area before the trip.
WorkOutDoors is the best hiking app for a watch-first experience because it stores maps on the Apple Watch and combines route guidance, off-route alerts, elevation profiles, and highly configurable metrics. Komoot is a strong alternative for standalone turn-by-turn navigation; Strava suits performance tracking, and AllTrails suits hikers starting from its trail catalog.
Komoot is the best broad choice for planning and navigating hiking routes across Europe. It offers international coverage, sport-aware routing, offline maps, and support for phones and watches. For detailed hiking in Great Britain, OS Maps is the more specialized choice.
There is no single winner for Canada. Use AllTrails to discover established routes, Gaia GPS for layered topographic mapping, Avenza for official and specialized maps, or WorkOutDoors for Apple Watch navigation. Check coverage for the specific province, park, or remote area before subscribing.
Yes, hiking apps can use a phone’s GPS to show location without cellular service. However, the relevant map, route, and any required routing data usually must be downloaded beforehand. Offline features vary by app and paid plan, so test the app in airplane mode before every remote trip.
Google Maps can help with driving directions, trailheads, and some popular paths, but it is not the best primary map for most backcountry hikes. Dedicated hiking apps generally provide better trail detail, elevation information, offline downloads, terrain layers, route creation, and off-route guidance.