In the old days, like maybe a year or two ago, if I wanted to take a beautiful hike in a lovely natural setting I would have pulled out a map and studied it. Or I might have gone to the library and found a book of local day hikes and all the necessary information related to each one.
No more. Today all I need to do is download an app to my smart phone or tablet and, bingo! I’ve got all the information on nearby hikes I could possible want. I’ll find the name of the trail, distances and difficulties, photos of it, reviews written by other hikers alerting me to any problems, dangers, their experience taking the hike, etc. I’ll also find driving directions, nearby eating and hotel accommodations and lots more.
Travel for Seniors
Below are a sampling of the kinds of apps available for traveling seniors and the information they contain. You’ll find more apps distinctly related to your desired hiking location. Why risk having your outing ruined by unexpected problems such as damaged trails, degree of difficulty too hard for you, etc. Find your app, use it and you’ll be well prepared for your next hike in the country.
www.traillink.com This site is sponsored by the Rails to Rails Conservancy and serves the Las Vegas, Nevada hiking areas.
www.alltrails.com One of the top sites in the U.S. All Trails gives information on over 50,000 trails. It adds reviews, photos, gives the option of keeping your own personal trail journal and has the capability of print maps of the area you wish to visit. In addition to hikes, the site also adds other recreational activities in a given area.
www.backcountrynavigator.com This site is a favourite with not only hikers, but also hunters, fishermen and outdoor adventurers.
www.everytrail.com Features special information on all the National Parks.
www.gurmeet.net/hiking This site has information on over 600 hikes in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can filter by distance, location and the sights you wish to see such as caves, islands, rivers, caves, wildflowers, etc. An excellent site.
Ramblers, UK Well-researched hikes all over the UK.
www.nationaltrail.co.uk All the information you could want about hikes and day trips in the UK.
