Topo Maps US vs HikeTracker

Download USGS topographic maps of the United States and use them offline, with no account and no subscription. Topo Maps US is built for people who go where cell service doesn't: hikers, backpackers, hunters, anglers, paddlers, mountain bikers, geocachers, and anyone who wants a real topographic map in their pocket. MAPS Choose from three USGS map layers: standard topographic, aerial imagery with a topographic overlay, or plain aerial imagery. OFFLINE Tap the map squares you want and download them before you leave. Downloaded maps work with no Internet connection and use no cell data in the field. TRAILS AND POINTS OF INTEREST BUILT IN Every map download includes the trails, summits, lakes, campsites, and other named places in that area from OpenStreetMap, so you can search them by name while you're offline. TRAIL RECORDING Record where you go. Recorded trails show your path on the map with distance, elapsed time, and average speed. Recording stops automatically when you start driving, and any drive at the start or end of a trail is trimmed off. ELEVATION PROFILES Every recorded or imported trail gets an elevation profile with distance labels and color-coded grade shading. Drag along the chart to see the matching point on the map, its elevation, and the time you passed it. FLAGS Mark your current location or any spot on the map. Flags record coordinates and elevation, and you can add notes and organize them by color: geocaches, trailheads, summits, camps, and so on. NAVIGATION Pick a flag and follow the direction arrow, driven by your compass heading, with the distance remaining. Handy for geocaching and for finding your way back to camp or the car. LOCATION See where you are on the map, your elevation, speed, and the accuracy of the GPS fix. MEASURE Trace a route on the map to measure its distance, then save it as a trail to follow later. IMPORT AND SHARE Import trails and waypoints from GPX files and geocache LOC files. Share your flags and trails by email, Messages, or AirDrop as standard GPX files that work with any GPS unit or mapping software. Back up your maps and data to a computer over Wi-Fi. Designed for iPhone and iPad. Note: Continued use of GPS in the background can noticeably reduce battery life.

Why another tracking app? ACCURACY - GPS receivers, including smartphones, can record locations every second but have inherent and unavoidable errors that are small compared to the distance traveled in that second by an automobile, airplane or cruise missile but are large enough to overwhelm the data when used in human-powered activities like • Hiking • Walking • Running and Cycling This is especially true In situations where the GPS satellite signals can be compromised by things that block or absorb microwaves: • Hills and mountains • Heavy tree cover • Rain and clouds SIMPLICITY - Most apps have a lot of features that may be very useful for some folks but they often make the user hunt for the simple stuff. Also I have occasionally lost all my data when I accidentally touched the wrong thing on a busy and complicated screen HikeTracker was designed with Accuracy and Simplicity in mind to support hiking in the mountains of the beautiful Pacific Northwest but it works just as well for less challenging activities like walking and biking around town. It uses several strategies to combine and curate the raw GPS data, filtering out some of the inherent errors and saving only enough points to get a smooth and accurate picture of the user’s track and accurate distance measurements. But all that fancy-schmancy stuff is kept out of sight - to use it you just: • Open HikeTracker • Press “Start” • Go What it does • Makes an accurate GPS-based track of your activity • Shows accurate distance traveled and elevation gained • Saves that info in a standard GPX (GPS file exchange format) file that can be saved and/or shared with other apps and programs What it lacks • No social media • No ads • No in-app purchases • No saving or sharing of personal data • iPhone only • Currently lacks support for languages other than English