Bored with the usual things you do every day? If yes, then this could probably be the best reason to go out and explore the great outdoors. And while you are at it, I’m pretty sure no matter what happens, you will make sure to bring your handy smartphone. Here are some apps that may become useful for you when you finally take on that adventure.
Parks N Reviews
ParksNReviews is an app that makes it easy and fun to find a place nearby to see and explore nature. All you need to do is enter a distance and filter what type of park you are looking. Explore options range from dog parks to natural areas. This app is a great resource for a quick getaway!
Parkopolo
Parkopolo is a free app that searches for National Parks by activity, location, or topic. Let’s say you want to take up fishing, Parkopolo will enlist the best parks for fishing. If you are interested in history, scroll through the topic selections to see historic places of interest from Civil Rights up to the Revolutionary War. Each listing shows the park information along with hours, driving directions and operating hours. This free app is great for planning a trip in the great outdoors.
Motion X GPS
When using Motion X GPS, you can see your position on the map wherever you go. Find your way back to your starting location easily. You can cache maps for offline use and save way points as well. Motion X GPS is one of the best apps in the app store because of its versatility.
Camp & RV – Tenting to RV Parks
If you are planning a camping trip, you can find the perfect spot using All Stays Camp & RV – Tenting to RV Parks. This extremely well written app allows you to search for sites by criteria, such as tents only or location. It is one of the most comprehensive apps available, listing thousands of places to camp including national parks, military land, public land, and county parks. Each park listing contains ample information and a link to make reservations as well as the web site, if available.
Surf Report
Surf Report, a fantastic app that will tell you the surfing conditions of your favorite spots. Along with providing the swell of the waves, tide and direction of the surf, this app also has surfing news and a two-day weather report.
SAS Survival Guide
SAS Survival Guide is the ultimate survivor app. The lite version has the basic essential information for light explorers. If you like to venture out into the great outdoors beyond the reach of mankind, then the paid version is useful especially with its in-depth survival information. It could just be a lifesaver and is well worth the price.
Strava Cycling
Cycling is a great way to get to places rarely reached by car. The Strava Cycling app can help you find great trails while keeping stats of your rides. Rated with a solid five stars, this app will log your distance and speed, as well as let you compare with prior runs and other riders.
Spyglass
Spyglass is a useful and accurate tool kit for the outdoors. Using the camera, Spyglass overlays an impressive array of live-data tools: GPS tracker, speedometer, gyrocompass, Mil-Spec compass, sextant, inclinometer, angle calculator, rangefinder and more. You can likewise find out the incline level of a trail, height of a building, track location, find a target, email data and take photos.
The Night Sky
If you want to know where planets are and which constellation you are looking at, you need The Night Sky app. Using GPS, this app will overlay star charts for wherever the camera is pointed. It works whether you can see stars or not. It does not require a data connection and is universal, which means you can use it on your iPad too!
Launch Sites
Launch Sites is a fantastic app that displays over 17 thousand places to launch canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddle boards. Using the location tool, it is easy to find launches close to where you are and you can share the sites via email, Facebook, or Twitter.