Spring is here, and you’re probably yearning to be outdoors. If you’re planning a trip to one of the country’s 59 national parks, check out REI’s national parks app.
The outdoor retailer has produced a beautiful, comprehensive guide to our most treasured lands, just in time for the centenary of the National Park Service.
The REI National Parks Guide & Maps app offers details about lodging accommodations, transportation, trails and scenic spots you just have to visit, all presented in a visually pleasing, intuitive format.
Most helpful are details on the best hikes in each park, directions to trailheads and colored area graphs that show the trail’s elevation gain.
The app has information on 3,043 trails, including details on campgrounds, water sources and available toilets.
For example: the Dickey Ridge Trail in Shenandoah National Park. Its directions guided you straight to the trailhead from Front Royal, Va., and its GPS locator shows you where you are on the trail on a helpful topographic map. At the trailhead, use the app’s check-in button, which date-stamps your journey and allows you to add notes. But once a check-in is saved, the notes can’t be edited.
For those traveling with children, the app includes family-friendly gems. At Shenandoah National Park, it suggests families visit the Whiteoak Canyon swimming hole, the trail to Betty’s Rock and Mary’s Rock viewpoint, where one might see bald eagles and hawks.
The app allows users to upload and post photos, provided they have an account with , a partner in the app’s creation.
The REI National Parks Guide & Maps app is free for iOS and Android.
