# Trail Router

> App for discovering and creating nature-focused running routes. (iPhone/iPad app by Sam Crawford.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trail-router/id1500479574 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Sam Crawford](https://appshunter.io/developer/1500479573)
- Category: Health & Fitness, Sports
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.63/5 from 27 App Store ratings · 29 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.6 · 70 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2020-02-29
- Data updated: 2026-07-23
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trail-router/id1500479574/reviews.md

## What is Trail Router?

Trail Router helps you discover new running routes.

Our routing algorithm prefers paths that go through parks, forests or by water, and avoids busy roads wherever possible.

Here's a few things you can do with Trail Router:

* Automatically plot a round-trip route of a desired distance.
* Manually create your own point-to-point route that prefers greenery and water.
* Choose whether you'd prefer routes that involve nature, well-lit streets or a lack of hills.
* Export your routes to GPX or KML, suitable for use on GPS watches

## Key features

- Automatic round-trip route plotting
- Manual point-to-point route creation
- Preference for nature and water
- Avoids busy roads
- Route export to GPX/KML
- Customizable route preferences (nature, lighting, hills)

## Recent user reviews (10 of 29)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trail-router/id1500479574/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Occasionally is great, but some of the suggestions are incorrect to the point of being dangerous

*2026-04-23, version 2.96*

The first couple times using this app was a generally good experience (albeit a little glitchy), I appreciate being able to customize and explore different routes. The last time I used it, it kept trying to recommend a “trail” that is actually just a freeway, with no sidewalks… if I wasn’t familiar with my area that could have gotten dangerous quickly. It also seems to avoid one of the most popular running routes in my area like the plague, which is quite strange. Overall great concept but there are areas for improvement for sure.

### 5/5 — Fantastic App

*2026-04-15, version 2.96*

Found this app through an old Reddit thread and it really helped me get back into running. Discovered new trails near my house to run that I probably wouldn’t have found otherwise.

### 3/5 — Great app BUT

*2026-03-21, version 2.96*

It’s what I was looking for: a simple app for finding routes for outdoor activities in my surroundings without subscription, tracking and other BS. I ran my first suggested route and it was great. I saw tracks I didn’t know about. 

BUT
The biggest flaw however is the missing audio output when the display is inactive. That’s basically 50% of what I would expect in such an app: navigation by audio without the need to hold your smartphone in your hand to look on the screen all the time. If this gets fixed and the text-to-speech becomes multilingual, this would be a five star app, even worth paying for (once, no subscription!!!).

### 2/5 — Tolle App, aber…

*2026-03-07, version 2.96*

Ich hatte massive Probleme beim Erstellen eigener Routen. Es wurden Loops erstellt, die keinen Sinn ergeben. Beim Setzen der Punkte wurden Loops erstellt oder plötzlich die Route um einige Straßen komplett verschoben. Es gab Schwierigkeiten, die Punkte zu löschen. Ich musste mehrmals auf Löschen klicken, bis sich endlich etwas getan hat. An einer Stelle hatte er Schwierigkeiten, so dass er mir die ganze Route zerschossen hat. Ich kann nicht zählen, wie oft ich die Route von vorne begonnen habe, bis ich die App frustriert gelöscht habe

### 3/5 — Please make this app better

*2026-02-12, version 2.96*

This app is awesome it just needs some updates on it as the navigation is poor all over the place have to keep stopping and zooming out to try and get back on track if this was to be updated I would happily pay for this app as I am keen runner and this sends me places I have never known about and love running new routes especially trail and hilly ones please work on this app it has so much potential

### 3/5 — Mediocre

*2026-02-08, version 2.96*

Without the ability to set waypoints, all it can do is suggesting some random routes between A and B. Or suggesting some random round trips around A. It has a nice interface and it seems to be free alright. But given the lack of functionality, it has little to no use for me.

### 5/5 — Fantastic for finding new routes!

*2025-10-01, version 2.96*

This app is such a wonderful little service that lets me map running routes! What a gem!

### 5/5 — Hidden gem for working out

*2025-09-29, version 2.96*

This app is just legendary. It‘s so nice to create routes with it and then use the resulting GPX for working out outdoors. I have seen corners around my place that I didn‘t even know exist!

Running will never be boring again because I can always run a new route.

Absolutely great.

### 5/5 — Simple, effective, useful

*2025-04-27, version 2.96*

Does one thing and does it pretty well. I’m a fan!

### 5/5 — Easy and worked well

*2025-02-21, version 2.95*

Really glad I discovered this app. Exactly what I needed. Actually showed some paths that were not on Google maps which was great. Nice to be able to easily choose distance preference and then have a range of choices. And particularly love the ‘greenary %’ feature.

## Frequently asked questions about Trail Router

### What does Trail Router do?

Trail Router helps you discover and create new running routes. Its algorithm prioritizes paths through natural areas like parks and forests, and along water, while actively avoiding busy roads. You can automatically generate round trips or manually design your own routes based on specific preferences.

### What are the key features of Trail Router?

Key features include automatically plotting round-trip routes of a desired distance, manually creating point-to-point routes with a preference for greenery and water, and choosing route preferences such as nature, well-lit streets, or a lack of hills. Routes can also be exported to GPX or KML formats for use on GPS watches.

### Is Trail Router free to use?

Yes, Trail Router is a free application. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned, indicating it is available at no cost to users.

### What kind of routes can I create with Trail Router?

You can create various types of routes. The app can automatically plot round-trip routes of a specified distance. You can also manually design point-to-point routes. The routing algorithm prioritizes paths through parks, forests, or by water, and allows you to select preferences for nature, well-lit streets, or terrain difficulty like hills.

### Can I use routes created in Trail Router on my GPS watch?

Yes, you can export your created routes from Trail Router in GPX or KML file formats. These formats are widely compatible and suitable for use on most GPS watches and other navigation devices.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.96 — 2025-03-11

Updated many dependencies.
Removed Strava heatmap layer.

### 2.95 — 2022-05-01

Bug fix for displaying the FKT route names. Upgrade to latest Mapbox SDK.

### 2.94 — 2022-01-15

Bugfix for loading a route link

### 2.93 — 2021-12-22

Minor bugfixes

### 2.92 — 2021-11-14

Major update to the Mapbox mapping SDKs. Also a few minor bugfixes on our side.

## Apps similar to Trail Router

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [WorkOutDoors](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/workoutdoors/id1241909999) | 4.7 (1,665) | $8.99 | Health & Fitness |
| [Vert: Trail Running Coach](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vert-trail-running-coach/id1560376613) | 4.4 (70) | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Coopah: The Run Coaching App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/coopah-the-run-coaching-app/id1587165314) | 4.9 (90) | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [TrainAsONE- AI Running Plans](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trainasone-ai-running-plans/id1541355896) | 3.8 (44) | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Peakbagger](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/peakbagger/id1040718067) | 4.8 (44) | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Kotcha - Running & Trail](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kotcha-running-and-trail/id6746164787) | 4.5 (240) | Free | Health & Fitness |

## Related topics

[on the go map](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/on-the-go-map)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-23.*