Now that spring is less than a month away, people have already started planning their outdoor activities. Everyone is waiting eagerly to warm up in the gorgeous summer sunshine. The call of adventure is beckoning people to prepare for journeys all over the country.
But even though vaccinations for COVID-19 have already started, people are still looking for socially distanced trips like camping, biking, hiking, RV driving, and many others. People who love the outdoors want to get as close to nature as possible this spring.
However, adventurous outdoor activities come with many challenges. People usually carry different types of gears to overcome those challenges. But a lot of them are not aware that their smartphones can help in more ways than they can imagine. There are some amazing apps that provide a lot of information for outdoor adventures.
The knowledge obtained from these apps can help individuals thirsty for an adventure to overcome a lot of hurdles and ensure that they have a safe and comfortable trip. We will talk about seven such amazing apps that can prove useful for travelers who love to explore the outdoors.
ClimaCell
You might be rolling your eyes that we have started the list with a weather app. Who doesn’t need to watch the weather while planning an outdoor activity, right? But ClimaCell is so much more than just a weather app. It sports a nifty little feature called activities that tells the user about the optimal outdoor conditions.
For example, if a person chooses biking on the app, it will show the user if the weather fits biking or not. It will inform the right time that day when a person can go biking in that area. The app also takes humidity, wind, solar radiation, UV radiation, and pollen spread into account to derive the ideal conditions fit for outdoor activities.
The technology used by the app is so effective that Uber uses it to calculate ETAs for customers. The app provides hyper-local data, which means you can get details of your destination even if it is a few miles away. The app is exceptionally useful for outdoor adventures.
Flush
What do you do when you’re in the middle of nowhere and nature calls? I think every adventurer has experienced that. Unless you are on a mountaineering expedition, you can use the Flush app to find a toilet close to your location.
It is a GPS-based app with an enormous database of public bathrooms all over the country. It even has a ranking system for these washrooms based on user recommendations. After you visit one of these toilets, you can swipe right or left to tell others whether the bathroom was clean or dirty.
We understand that sometimes avoiding dirty washrooms is not always an option when you have to go in the middle of nowhere. But at least you can take the necessary precautions. The best part of this app is that it even works offline.
Geocaching
Who doesn’t love a treasure hunt? Geocaching is a global and untamed treasure hunt that can lead you to different caches left all over the world. People hide various things in several parts of the world and upload the GPS location on this app.
Sometimes, it can be just a notebook that has to be signed by everyone who finds it. Other times it can be small toys or other knick-knacks. Occasionally you may have to trade something for an item placed as a geocache. On a rare occasion, it can also turn out to be a genuine treasure.
Whether it is hunting down a geocache in a city park or finding one in a remote location, the app is a lot of fun. You can also download the geocache coordinates to handheld GPS devices.
AllTrails
AllTrails can be your favorite app if finding offbeat rails is your thing. You can find trails in Metro, State, or National parks all over the country. The app boasts a database of more than 100,000 trails with user ratings, difficulty rank, length, and time estimate. You can also find photos of a trail to get an idea of the surrounding areas.
Recreation.gov
You may not be intrigued by the name of the app, but it can prove helpful to plan your trips to National parks, forests, or monuments. You can compare campgrounds in national lands and even sign up for activities like ranger-guided tours.
The app also allows you to enter into a lottery for experiences high in demand due to a limited number of slots. You can use the app to obtain permits required for hunting or fishing on national lands. The app has a list of amenities and activities for each destination.
Outdoorsy
Outdoorsy is an app that can help you find RVs, trailers, and pop-ups to rent for your travels. You can also find large pickup trucks like the Ford F150 on the app to hook up your trailer.
The RVs and trailers listed on the app are owned by fellow adventure lovers. You can check their profiles and user reviews to get a better idea about the person. Every individual using outdoorsy has to verify their ID and have a clean driving record.
RV Life
Driving a vehicle the size of a school bus for the first time can make you a little nervous. But you can use RV Life to make your drive a bit easier. You can get GPS directions specific for RVs that excludes any steep inclines, low underpasses, and roads with a weight limit. You can also get details of campgrounds for RVs all over the country.
So if you are planning an outdoorsy trip or activity in the spring/summer, you can try these apps to see if they are useful for you. You need not download them all at once, but pick and choose the ones you need during the trip. Let us know if you know of any apps that can come in handy for fellow adventure lovers.