Trip Preparation Apps



Roadtrippers

Find interesting stops along the way to your camping destination. Database includes over 100,000+ destinations/attractions. Enter your route and select destinations/attractions to overlay onto your path. Whatever information you input/save on www.Roadtrippers.com, automatically appears on your Roadtrippers app. App can also estimate total fuel costs with your chosen route. Price: Free

Platform: iOS | Android

Packing Pro



One of the best travel checklist apps. Comes with sample templates (yes, it has a camping template) and everything is customizable (delete and add items to your list easily). E-mail your list to other campers and yourself. Price: $2.99

Platform: iOS

Camping Checklist

The BEST camping checklist for the Android. Pre-loaded with more than 225 camping trip related items. Price: $0.99

Platform: Android

Driving/Road Apps



Waze

A crowd-sourced, social network GPS application. The app provides directions like any other GPS app (Google Maps, Mapquest, etc.), except additional information is provided by other WAZE users around you. Waze users report: traffic jams, police sightings (hidden speed traps), accidents, hazards, redlight/speed camera’s and closures. All up-to-date information provided by users just like you. Price: Free

Platform: iOS | Android

IExit

Uses your devices location to determine where you are on the highway. It proceeds to show you the next 100 highway exits and the upcoming junctions, where you can tell the app if you plan to merge on a different highway ahead. Just select your new travel path and a list of exits will show up. Can also filter results for particular businesses/amenities (gas stations, diesel stations, food/restaurants, rv, camping, etc.) Price: Free

Platform: iOS | Android

Gas Buddy

Using your devices location, gas buddy will find all of the gas stations closest to you and report back with the lowest prices. Price: Free

Platform: iOS | Android

Campground/Park Apps

Camp Finder

Find campgrounds, RV parks and RV resorts while on the road. Up-to-date campground information: telephone numbers, email addresses, website links, photos and reviews. Filter results with the type of campground, amenities or activities you’re looking for. Price: $3.99

Platform: iOS | Android

Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder

Locate a park near you and filter results by what you’re looking to do. Price: Free

Filter’s include:

Activity Center Disc Golf Picnicking Auto Touring Dog Run Playground Baseball Fishing Running Basketball Football RVing Bicycling Golfing Skating Birdwatching Hiking Tennis Boating History Volleyball Camping Horseback Riding Water Sports Caving Hunting Wildlife Watching Climbing Off-Road Vehicles Winter Sports

Platform: iOS | Android

Chimani National Parks

This app provides information on parks, historical parks, monuments, battlefields, memorials, historic sites, parkways, preserves, seashores, lakeshores, rivers, scenic trails and recreation areas. The hyper-local park apps (listed below) are what really sets Chimani apart from other apps. These apps feature: information on trails for various skill levels, bike rental locations, lodging, parking, shuttle schedules, food locations, water filling stations, bathrooms, waterfalls, sunrise/sunset data, tidal data, ranger-led events for the season, audio tours, safety tips and much more. Chimani Apps are for campers, hikers, rock climbers, bikers and all around adventurers. Price: Free

Platform: iOS | Android

Chimani Hyper-Local Park Apps

Acadia National Park (Maine)

Baxer State Park (Maine)

Bryce National Park (Utah)

Cape Cod National Seashore (Massachusetts)

Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)

Glacier National Park (Montana)

Grand Canyon National Park (Arizona)

Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming)

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee/North Carolina)

Olympic National Park (Washington)

Rocky Mountain National Park (Colorado)

Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park (California)

Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming)

Yosemite National Park (California)

Zion National Park (Utah)

Map/Trail Apps

AllTrails Easily find hiking/biking trails with a library of over 50,000 U.S./Canadian trail guides. Track your hikes with GPS, see your stats, take photos and save your tracks. Upgrade to AllTrails Pro for offline access to National Geographic maps. Price: Free Platform: iOS | Android

MotionX GPS

Contains topographical maps, NOAA marine charts, measuring tools and a compass; most of the functions you’d want for off-the-grid navigation or hiking. Track your hikes by: distance, realtime speed, avg speed, max speed, elevation, gradient, total ascent and descent. Price: $0.99

Platform: iOS

Gaia GPS

Topo Maps, Trails, and Tracker – Pre-load topographical maps (U.S. Geological Survey and Satellite maps) for offline use. Perfect for hikers, campers, bikers and hunters. Also good for: 4×4, geocaching, boating, tracking, skiing, snowmobiling and international travel. Price: $19.99

Platform: iOS | Android

BackCountry Navigator TOPO GPS

Record tracks and mark way points. Pre-load TOPO maps for off-line use. Enter coordinates using longitude/latitude, UTM, MGRS or grid references. Use for: hiking (on/off trails), camping (find a spot or a way back to camp), hunting trips, bait/fly fishing, search and rescue, kayak/canoe trips, backpacking trips, snowmobiling, skiing and snowshoeing. Price: $11.99

Platform: Android

Survival/Tool Apps

SAS Survival Guide

An app version of the best-selling book by John “Lofty” Wiseman. Provides full text of the book, 16 videos of survival tips, a morse code signalling device, survival checklist, survival in extreme climates, sun compass, first aid section, photo’s depicting: animal tracks, knots, edible/medicinal/poisonous plants and much more! Price: $5.99

Platform: iOS | Android

Army Survival Guide

Army Survival Guide is based off of the U.S. Military Survival Manual FM 21-76. Price: Free

Platform: Android

Survival Guide

Survival Guide is based off of the U.S. Military Survival Manual FM 21-76. Price: Free

Platform: iOS

Swiss Army Knife

An app that contains a set of useful tools (just like a swiss army knife). Includes a: flashlight, compass, bubble level, timer, calculator, ruler, unit converter, mirror and magnifying glass. Simple set of tools that do exactly as they should. Price: Free

Platform: Android

Spyglass

The most advanced and accurate digital compass. It’s a finder, tracker, augmented reality navigator, waypoint tool, tactical GPS, speedometer, altimeter, optical rangefinder, sextant, inclinometer and more! Price: $3.99

Platform: iOS

WhatKnot

Step-by step instructions of 70 different knots (with illustrated examples)! Presented within 6 categories: Bends, Bindings & Lashings, Hitches, Loop Knots, Special Knots and Stopper Knots. Price: Free

Platform: iOS

Free Light

Use the LED light or screen on your device for bright or soft light. Great backup while camping because the one thing you always have on you is your phone. Price: Free

Platform: iOS

First Aid

The Official Red Cross First Aid app. Contains videos, interactive quizzes and step-by-step advice. Price: Free

Platform: iOS | Android

Food/Recipe Apps



Camp Recipes!

Over 700+ camp recipes listed by category, preptime and keyword search. Some recipes are duplicates (with some changes between the list of ingredients) and contain minor spelling/grammatical errors. Even with these faults, it’s still the best/vastest camp recipe app out there. Price: $1.99

Platform: iOS

Camping Cookbook

A little over 80+ recipes that can be searched through three filters: equipment being used, type of meal or type of ingredients. The app also includes a planner (make and store recipe lists) and general cooking tips (prep/handling). Price: Free

Platform: iOS

Camping Recipes Cookbook!

Camping recipes for the Android. Price: Free

Platform: Android

Identification Apps

Project Noah

A community of users documenting nature. There are 3 modes in this app: Spottings, Location-Based Field Guide and Field Missions.

Spottings: take a photo of a plant/animal you want more information on. Add your location, descriptive tags and submit. You should receive an answer within 24-hours.

Location-Based Field Guide: see what plants/animals have been spotted near your location.

Field Missions: help gather data for research projects being conducted by laboratories, environmental groups and other organizations. Price: Free

Platform: iOS | Android

LeafSnap

Grab a leaf, place it against a white background and take a photo of it. Leafsnap analyzes the photo and determines what tree it came from. Database currently includes only trees of the Northeast United States. Price: Free

Platform: iOS

iPflanzen

Identify more than 1,500 garden, park, and forest plants. Identify the plant by its physical appearance: flower structure, leaf shape, flower color or fruit color. Price: Free

Platform: iOS

Wild Edibles

Using the knowledge of “Wildman” Steve Brill, learn how to identify and use wild edible plants. Identify wild edibles with up to 8 images per plant and filter plants by: habitat, edible part, type and available seasons. Also contains information on how to harvest, prepare and cook your foraged food (included recipes). Price: $7.99

Platform: iOS | Android

Merlin Bird ID

Asks you a set of questions: When did you see the bird? Where did you see the bird? What did it look like? What was it doing? Merlin then shows you the most likely species in your area, on that day. The app taps into eBird, a database with millions of sightings from around the world. Price: Free

Platform: iOS | Android

Audubon Birds Pro

Contains images of birds, their range, what they sound like (10-15 second samples), thorough descriptions, birds that are similar, sightings and much more. Taps into eBird. Price: $0.99

Platform: iOS | Android

Other notable birding apps:

iBird Pro Nat’l Geo Birdlog Sibley Peterson Larkwire

Star-Gazing Apps

Star Walk 2

Just point your phone (or tablet) at the sky. By using your phone/tablet’s GPS and accelerometer, an augmented reality night sky is displayed through your devices screen. Zoom in onto any star for detailed information about that star. Search through: constellations, the solar system, deep space, stars and satellites. Shows when the sun and other planets will rise/set, as well as upcoming astrological events (meteor showers, full moons, etc.) Star Walk 2 is the updated version to the original Star Walk. Now you can see constellations, stars and planets – all in 3D. The time machine function lets you see how the planets/stars looked in the past or how they will look in the future. Price: $2.99

Platform: iOS | Android

SkyView Satellite Guide

Discover and identify over 20,000 satellites, just by pointing your phone at the sky! You can even schedule a reminder that will notify you when a visible satellite is over your location. Includes a ton of facts, tidbits, descriptions and images. Price: $2.99

Platform: iOS

Other notable star-gazing apps:

StarChart StarTracker SkyGuide Skyview Free GoSkyWatch Sputnik!

Fall Foliage



Leaf Peepr

Find where and when leaves are turning. Foliage reports are made by posting photos, leaving comments and rating the foliage stage (Green, Turning, Moderate, Peak, Fading and Gone). Price: Free

Platform: iOS | Android

Weather Apps

DarkSky

A hyper-local weather app. DarkSky gives minute-to-minute predictions of when it’s going to rain, up to an hour in advance. Even sends you an alert of when rain is coming, based on your location. Price: $3.99

Platform: iOS

World Radar

Displays Radar, Current, Forecast and Charts. (Temperature, Precipitation, Wind, Pressure and UV Index) The most comprehensive free weather iOS app I’ve come across. Price: Free

Platform: iOS

Outdoor Social Network



Yonder

A social networking app for outdoor enthusiasts. Post pictures of your adventures and connect with others. Price: Free

Platform: iOS | Android