We are probably all familiar with Google Maps and Google Earth. These platforms are useful when sharing general location data however the downside is their off-line versions are not always reliable. There is nothing worse than being in the middle of the words without any service when your map refreshes and you have no idea where you are. Below we have created a list of some of our favourite apps for planning backcountry and off-line excursions so that you don’t get lost on your next adventure!
GAIA GPS
GAIA Is jam packed with features. You can navigate off-line, pull up your current location and measure distances to your next benchmark. You can mark destinations with pictures, find dispersed and establish campsites, view boundary lines and areas of interest and you can do all of this while navigating off-line.
The downside to Gaia GPS is that high resolution satellite imagery, specialty maps and customizable maps are behind a $30.99 USD paywall.
STRAVA
Strava is known as the world's largest sports participation platform. It is loaded with features such as pace map, speed map, elevation map, gradient map and many other performance-based maps. But did you know Strava was also great for backcountry hiking?
With features such as viewing public popular routes, tracking gear age and status, topographic features, elevation features, recording your activity and it’s compatibility for almost all smart devices, Strava is one of the better apps to track your adventure.
Planning on Strava is not that great and there is a pay well for some features but it is pretty awesome to have in your back pocket.
CANADA TOPO
Canada Topo is the birth child of software developer and seeing your software architect at Halliburton, David Crawshay. This application is useful for all types of recreational activities including hiking, canoeing, camping, fishing, mountain biking, and geocaching.
You can choose from shaded/unshaded Canada Base Map, and Toporama. You can download sections of the map individually for use off-line. Trails, land features, old roads, and public flags are all available on the app. You can measure distances, track your location and your route, Plant flags/waypoints and import flags and maps using GPX files.
There’s no paywall when I’m accessing any features of this app, it is completely free. Some of the features are a bit clunky but the app itself is very minimalist and very easy to use and that’s why this is my favourite app for planning and recording a trip backcountry. US versions of this app are available as well!
CALTOPO
Cal TOPO is the creation of Matt Jacobs and was first developed as a solution to the challenges faced by search and rescue members. This very highly specific application is incredible for planning backcountry adventures.
Cal TOPO includes a dozen different map overlays including slope and angle shading, geology, public lands, structures, fire history, sun exposure, weather shading, avalanche, and other map building features.
This is great for planning an adventure because most of the maps tools are available online for free and you can print out what you’ve planned, or use the information gathered and transfer to another map.
For off-line use however there is a mobile subscription for $20 per year to give you off-line layers and access to private maps. There are higher subscriptions such as pro & desktop versions that give you access to GIS and advanced planning tools but for recreational users this might not be worth the investment.
Cal topo is one of our favourite tools to use in conjunction with other mobile off-line mapping apps.
We hope you found this article helpful! Comment below and let us know your favourite mapping system to use or if you try one of these for the first time!
Written by: Jonathan Kanary