Phone As A GPS

[Ryan28]

So I have a Garmin GPS. Works OK, but it is bulky. Since I am carrying a phone (Android) anyhow, can it be used to mark waypoints and do track backs? I see some programs offered. Some free, some not. Any experience with these programs, and would I even need a special program beyond Google Maps? Thanks in advance for your expertise!

 

[snakelk]

Yes, you can use your phone for marking waypoints, recording tracks, navigation, etc. The two most popular apps are probably Gaia and onX. Another is Backcountry Navigator. Personally, I prefer Gaia and Backcountry Navigator. Gaia is probably the most user friendly between those two.

I'm not sure what, if anything, is offered for free from those apps, as I have paid subscriptions because I prefer access to all of the map layers.

Avenza is a free mapping/navigation app you can try also. The free Avenza is not as powerful of platform as Gaia or BCN, but it definitely is useful.

I'd look those up on the internet, read about them and compare what they offer. Gaia is gaining a lot of ground of late and is probably the most popular.

 

[Mike Islander]

If you just want gps, tons of excellent free hiking apps for phone, including topo maps. Check out hiking forums, mountain biking, running groups, etc.

Biggest thing is battery. On medium power save you can get decent time. Downloading maps in advance lets you run in arrplane mode to much longer run time.

 

[wapitibob]

onXmaps, basemap, and gaiagps all offer free trial periods, all work on a phone, none require a phone service, all of them will work with just wifi for downloading the initial app and then maps for use in the field. Onx works best on an iphone because of the iphone memory configuration. If you like to tinker, gaia allows custom map sources to be added.

 

[BaseMap]

Give BaseMap a try. Better imagery, more layers, more features, less money. All 50 states for $30/year.

 

[Aaronpaul14]

I vote BaseMap. For all of the reasons they stated above. The extra layers are great to jump back and forth and see the different crops/foliage between seasons.