iPhone GPS Aps
So I am the new owner of an iPhone. I don’t even care that the news ones will be out late June. Mine arrived just in time to get tested. Prior to arriving I already got started getting aps for my new adventures, more specifically snowboarding and backpacking. Here are some of the cool GPS aps I found. I have not been able to test all of them but a couple I have used and are great. One thing to note is, according to these aps and from what I have read, the iPhone’s GPS will work without having cell phone reception. Hopefully I will get to test these out next month.
Topps2Go
This ap lets you use actual high resolution USGS 1:24 Quad maps, I usually like to get the 15 minute if possible. You can locate your position on the map using GPS and create way points. The maps ar stored on the iPhone so you do not need WiFi like when one uses the Google Maps ap. Unfortunately it takes a long time to render the map after you have downloaded it. Once rendered it is pretty cool. Also, it takes a bit to find the map to download. A Plus is you can download all the available quad topo maps that USGS offers. So far I have Yosemite Wildnerss, Dogtooth Peak Quad and Lodgepole.
Topos2Go on iTunesthis ap is free
iTrailMap 3D
This ap I used this past weekend up at Mammoth. It tracks your runs on the resort using GPS and calculates the distance and vertical you have skied or snowboarded. You will probably have to divide by 2 since it is counting you ride up on the lift. You can view your runs on a Google Earth map in real time as well as view the actual trail map. This ap costs $4.99. There is a free version that is just the trail map, no GPS tracking.
Give MotionX GPS a try! I use it quite often for a multiple of things. iPhones are freakin’ awesome!! Welcome to the club my friend!
My favorite topo program is itopomaps. It’s a bit more expensive, but works the way it should and has all of the features needed for hiking.