{"id":472128,"date":"2026-02-13T09:48:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T09:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/472128\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T09:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T09:48:12","slug":"ive-hiked-hundreds-of-miles-and-these-are-the-3-apple-watch-apps-i-use-to-keep-from-getting-lost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/472128\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve hiked hundreds of miles \u2014 and these are the 3 Apple Watch apps I use to keep from getting lost"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m obsessed with hiking, almost as much as I\u2019m obsessed with testing the best smartwatch<\/a> models. In 2026, the Apple Watch Ultra 3<\/a> is one of my favorite, go-to smartwatches for logging my outdoor endeavors. But what\u2019s the best Apple Watch<\/a> hiking app?<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve tested dozens of options that promise useful navigational tools and accurate, digestible post-hike reports. And while there are plenty to choose from, three rise to the top as the best Apple Watch apps<\/a> for hikers in 2026.<\/p>\n

1. Best overall: AllTrails app<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia\/Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

AllTrails<\/a> is more than just a hiking companion app. In addition to tools to help you navigate once on course, AllTrails boasts one of the largest worldwide trail databases known to man.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

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Not only that, trail pages include basic stats like length, elevation gain, average completion time, and difficulty ratings, plus user reviews, up-to-date trail conditions and weather reports, 3D route previews, recent photos shot by other users from the trail, and more.<\/p>\n

Now, some of these features are for paid subscribers only \u2014 AllTrails has two paid tiers<\/a>, Plus ($35.99 a year) and Peak ($79.99 a year) \u2014 however, from my experience, the most useful hike-planning tools remain free for all.<\/p>\n

For navigation, one of my favorite AllTrails features is the ability to predownload hiking maps from the AllTrails app on your phone to your Apple Watch for off-the-grid route maps with turn-by-turn directions, path deviation alerts, real-time stats, and more.<\/p>\n

2. Best for navigation: WorkOutDoors app<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia\/Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

If you love geeking out on your hiking stats, the WorkOutDoors app for Apple Watch offers even more post-trek data than AllTrails. A one-time purchase of $8.99, there’s no hike database component, like what you get from AllTrails. However, WorkOutDoors does provide an impressive range of navigational tools to ensure you stay on course.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

It’s also not just for navigating and logging hikes. WorkOutDoors<\/a> can be used to track pretty much any outdoor activity involving distance, including running, mountain biking, skiing, and more.<\/p>\n

Better yet, the home screen and mid-trek data fields are completely customizable. Navigational maps are also seriously detailed, with topographic elements and points of interest labeled. Users can choose from a wide range of navigation options, including trekking to a waypoint, following a pre-saved route, or trekking a previously completed route.<\/p>\n

Post-hike stats include insights into distance, elevation, pace, cadence, heart rate, speed, and total steps.<\/p>\n

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3. Best no-effort needed: Apple’s Workout + Maps apps<\/p>\n

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\"Close-up\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia\/Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

Ultimately, one of my favorite methods for tracking and navigating the great outdoors requires virtually zero effort on your part, aside from firing up the native Workout app and selecting Hiking as the activity. For navigation, bust open Apple’s Map app and chart your course.<\/p>\n

Apple’s default Workout app provides a decent amount of insights into your performance while hiking, including details on your cardiovascular health, speed, distance, pace, and more. Really, the only metric missing is a total step count (Apple only provides daily totals, not totals for tracked activities).<\/p>\n

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\"Close-up\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia\/Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

There is one downside to using this method to track your next hike. Toggling between navigation and real-time workout data requires physically jumping back and forth between the Workout and Maps apps. This is hardly ideal, and something Apple Watch users have been begging Cupertino to make more seamless. Perhaps when watchOS 27 debuts later this year, we’ll see an improvement.<\/p>\n

What’s your favorite Apple Watch app for documenting and navigating your adventures in the great outdoors? Let me know in our poll below.<\/p>\n

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\"Google\n<\/p>\n

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Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News<\/a> and add us as a preferred source<\/a> to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. <\/p>\n

More from Tom’s Guide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019m obsessed with hiking, almost as much as I\u2019m obsessed with testing the best smartwatch models. In 2026,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":472129,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[49,48,190,61],"class_list":{"0":"post-472128","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-mobile","11":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}