Apps for Hiking and the Outdoors
We all carry our mobile phones nowadys almost all the time - mostly also while hiking. The smartphone not only serves as emergency device but also for other helpful purposes. Before diving into some of the useful apps a few word on “emergency device”.
The Smartphone as an Emergency Device
The smartphone can be a wonderful helper in case of an emergency. There is so much comfort in calling the emergency services and have the opportunity to exchange crucial information in both directions. In Switzerland we have very good mobile network coverage so that more often than not the device has connectivity and can be used as such. But do not rely on this fact and always bring a “spare battery” in form of a USB power bank. Especially in winter time and cold temperatures batteries can die a lot faster than expected. And do not forget to bring the right cables ;)
Apps on the Hike
There are a number of apps I’d recommend for the outdoor and especially hiking use. Some of them are specifically for Switzerland, others have a more worldwide usage. All the apps mentioned here are available for iOS devices - in most cases I would assume also for Android (but I haven’t specifically checked).
PeakFinder
Did you ever wonder what that mountain peak on the horizon is called? Did you ever wanted to take a picture of the panorama and label all the peaks?
PeakFinder is a great app designed exactly for that. The app uses your GPS and augmented reality capabilities to label all the mountains around you. Simply amazing and so very useful. In one of the latest releases the sun’s rising and setting times and places are indicated - very handy more often than not. A must have app for a very small fee (less than 10 swiss franks).
Swiss Topo
Newly released by the Swiss administration. Great app supporting the best maps there are. You can bring some interesting layers in such as slope angle. You can also download map tiles for offline usage - with a subscription (around 40.- per year) you can download larger chunks and also additional layers. In my point of view definitively worth the price.
Love this solution for the best map material, fast access, great download options and the slope class coloring layer (e.g. indicate steepness of the slope by “a heatmap” type of coloring).
SwitzerlandMobility
Also an interesting option for Switzerland offering the same high level map material als Swiss Topo. In addition there is a web page on which you can plan and store hikes. They can be accessed on the mobile phone as well. Especially handy is the “magnetic trail” option on the web which you can use to plan trips fast. You click on point A and point B and the app automatically finds the shortes hike connecting these two points using official hiking trails. To be able to use this feature you need a subscription which is close to 40.- per year.
I personally use this solution often for planning purposes. What it lacks (for my usage) is the coloring of slope angles (it only offers an option to colorize all slopes > 30° in one color and not indicate steepness by multiple colors such as Swiss Topo).
Outdooractive
Great platform to plan, organize and navigate your hikes. It offers some very promising if not unique features on planning and organizing hikes. Outdooractive also offers an extensive library of hike to get inspiration from or simply re-hike yourself. The cumminity is quite active and to my experience is very helpful if you are visiting an area you are not too familiar with.
They offer different subscription (and also free) plans - with the subscriptions you get better quality maps for example. I personally like the easy usage for planning trips (including also some route guiding / routing options) and also taking maps offline. There are good alternatives in Switzerland, for other European areas I did find Outdooractive to be one of the better (if not best) option.
Gaia GPS
Gaia GPS is one of the better known navigation apps also offering interesting web options. Can be used for Switzerland to plan and navigate.
In my opinion there are far better options for usage in Switzerland - being this better map material or planning features specific to the Alpine outdoor. For international travel one of the best options in my view.
White Risk
White Risk is an app by the Swiss Avalanche Research Center (SLF) especially useful for winter usage while in the outdoors. It not only offers good insight into current avalanche risks (a must have in winter) but also tour planning support on the web and app. Tours can be stored and accessed at any time.
The app offers some unique features on avalanche safety on the map itself - not only can you color slope angles (as with Swiss Topo) but also get insights into alvalanche terrain or avalanche risk info. Accessing ski tour and snow shoes tour recommendations is as easy as hitting that button.
To access all features there is a small subscription fee of around 35.- swiss franks.
Peakhunter (Pro)
Peakhunter (Pro) is your logbook. A handy app I’m using mostly to register visited peaks - just start the app when you are close to the top and register your “summit push” by hitting a button. You can add some notes and pictures. It is always great to check later when you’ve been last to a certain peak and revisit some memories.
Rega
We shortly talked about using the smartphone as emergency device - installing the Rega (Swiss Air rescue service) app puts your emergency services just a button away. Using the app simplifies rescue actions by not only alerting but also providing GPS location and background information on you. Highly recommended - and also consider entering a Rega patronage (see https://www.rega.ch/ for details).
Closing Words
There are tons of handy apps for outdoor navigation and usage. Most probably there are lots more I’m not aware of. What app do you use regularily on your hikes and mountain adventures?