smartphone hiking app that isn't such a resource hog?

[jerost]

Hi, all. Jeff from Milton, MA here. Recently I've tried MapMyHike, AllTrails and SportsTracker on my android phone and all of them open painfully slowly and respond equally slowly after opening. I.e., they are choking my phone. It could be my phone but all my other apps work OK. All I want from an app is to track my hike and record the distance and time elapsed, so I can look at the map afterwards and see the route I followed, the distance I hiked, how long it took and average MPH. Can anyone recommend an app that uses less resources or offer other advice on this?  I have a Moto Z Play smartphone that works well otherwise and is fine with Waze and Google Maps, so its GPS works well. Thanks.

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Hey jerost,

I’ve had good luck with the Gaia GPS app on a couple different iPhone models - no lack of responsiveness whatsoever for me. Here’s a quick post on using the app for planning out trips and use on the trail that might give you an idea of what it’s all about as well:

https://www.trailgroove.com/blogs/entry/122-how-to-use-the-gaia-gps-app-and-trip-planning-guide/

Hope this helps!

[jerost]

Thanks, Aaron. I will give it a try!

[Outlier]

I also use GaiaGPS and it's great. Not only will it record your tracks, including average speed and elevation changes, but you can also import *.GPX tracks and have it displayed on the map. There's a variety of maps to choose from as well.

[toejam]

I'm assuming this means you have to pay for Gaia service for it to do what you say? My free version doesn't do much - can't import gpx file or see different maps.

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Hey toejam,

I use the app as a premium subscriber for all the additional maps and the offline and layering ability, but just tested on another device and I'm actually able to import kml tracks onto the free / trial version of Gaia successfully...wasn't able to find anything on the Gaia site so figured I'd give it a go. Definitely suggest one of their membership options to get the most out of the app though, and keep in mind that a free year of their premium offering is all included with a TrailGroove Premium Membership as well!

[Grey Mouse]

The Gaia app works great with downloaded maps in areas without cell phone signal. I turn it to airplane mode and leave it on during my hike. When I finish the trail I simply pause the hike or finalize it so that I can get two or more small hikes in and out to compare. It's also great that it auto downloads itself and updates to the internet for me when I want to check it out the evening that I return since I'm tired. I have used the app for about four hours at a time and really didn't notice any substantial drop in my battery.

[Brett]

I have used the AllTrials and it works pretty good.  I download the map and put it on my lock screen so I am not turning the phone on and off all day.