Discover the natural wonders of the world
AllTrails is the perfect app for hikers both old and new. Tim Bothwell shows you why.
If you’re looking to get out and about, then what better way to explore the great outdoors than with a hike. While an opportunity to get up close and personal with nature, part of the challenge is actually knowing where to go. AllTrails offers over 100,000 hand-curated trails from all over the world, complete with photos and reviews left by members from its online community. In addition to helping you discover routes nearby, AllTrails can record your movements during a hike, helping you stay on track from start to finish.
The basics
Getting started. If you’re new to AllTrails, start by downloading the app from the Google Play or Apple App store. When you first open the app, you’ll be asked to sign up for a new account – while it’s not a requirement, doing so will unlock a number of features including the ability to mark trails as favourites, plus track hikes in real-time. Once registered, you’ll be taken to the main area of the app organised into a series of tabs displayed at the bottom of your screen.
Explore. The first thing to get familiar with is the Explore tab. It’s here you’ll find trails organised into a series of categories, along with routes that are nearby. You can use the search tool if you know the name of a particular trail, while tapping the map icon will display nearby routes overlaid on an interactive map. After discovering a trail you like, tap its name to be taken to a page with a detailed summary including duration and elevation. If the trail is one you’ve already completed in the past, tap the ellipses icon in the top-right corner and select Add to Completed to log it in your history.
Tracking. Ready to begin a hike? From a trail’s description screen, tap the record icon to be taken to a page with your chosen route overlaid on a map. As you move, the app will track distance, elevation and total time. Along the way, you can also add photos by tapping the camera icon. Once finished, tap Pause and then hit Save. Recordings are saved to your account and synced across all your devices. You can adjust the privacy of a recording from the edit screen.
Step it up a level
Filters. While browsing for trails, you can refine your search using one of the many filters that are available. From the Browse tab select the filter icon located next to the search bar. In addition to difficulty and duration, you can also filter results to a particular activity type such as hiking, running, or bird watching, along with key attractions like waterfalls, beaches, or historic sites.
Reviews. One useful thing to look at when considering a trail are reviews. For every route you’ll find a five-star rating, plus
You can see a complete list of your past hikes and recordings on the History tab. For trails that you track (rather than manually mark as complete), the app will reward you with a verified completion badge.
reviews left by other users. It’s a great way to find out what to expect before actually enduring a trail yourself. To leave your own review, on a trail’s description screen tap Write a Review. You can also publish photos by tapping the ellipses icon and selecting Upload Photos.
Favourites. It’s likely that you’ll come across a number of hikes that you’d like to do in the near future. AllTrails makes it easy to mark routes as favourites – just tap the heart icon displayed next to any trail. In addition to favourites, you can also organise routes into lists by tapping the heart icon and selecting Create New List. Both favourites and lists can be accessed from the Plan tab.
History. You can see a complete list of your past hikes and recordings on the History tab. For trails that you track (rather than manually mark as complete), the app will reward you with a verified completion badge. On the Stats screen you’ll also find your total accumulated distance and elevation, plus personal bests.
Going pro
Privacy. One important thing to be aware of is the information visible to other users. By default, all of your recordings and completed routes are public for others to see. To make your account private, tap the ellipses icon on the profile tab and select Edit Profile.
Sharing. The app makes it easy to share routes and recordings with friends who aren’t necessarily AllTrail users. To share a trail, on its description screen tap Share and select a photo to accompany it. You can then send it via email, SMS, or by copying the link. To do the same with a recording, from the details screen tap the ellipses icon and select Share. Note that your recording will need to be public in order to do this.
Desktop. Not limited to a smartphone, many of the app’s features are also available in desktop form. Accessed via
https://www.alltrails.com/, you can browse trails plus see a history of your activity from a web browser. Also available exclusively on the desktop site is a map creation tool, letting you build custom maps and routes that you can then access from your smartphone. To do this, from the homepage click Plan > Create Map.
Premium. If you’re serious about hiking, then you may want to consider AllTrails Pro. Priced at $30 a year, this premium subscription gives you plenty of additional features, including the very useful ability to download offline maps to your device so you can find your way without an internet connection. Other features include real-time map overlays for things like weather and air quality, plus the ability to keep friends and family informed when you’re hiking in case something goes wrong.