Route Scout - GPS Topo Mapper

Route Scout is a great tool for using your phones built in GPS functions. It records tracks that you can save online or export in any compatible format such as GPX or KML. You can even import tracks and use Route Scout to follow a track. Imported tracks also include topographic maps and satellite imagery of your route for use offline when you are out of a good cell signal. It's ideal for hiking deep in the wilderness! While the design and interface has some quirks I have yet to find another app that makes it as simple to upload and download GPS tracks. This is the real beauty of Route Scout. It can be set to "talk" to you and announce how far you have hiked or biked, speed, elevation climbed, time, etc. It will follow a track and verbally announce when you get near waypoints on your route. This is an awesome feature if for making sure you don't miss a turn in the trail, or an important landmark or geocache. The developer is great at responding to concerns and queries and improvements are frequent with each update. It's free which is the best part. And there are no ads either so not annoying free. Just real free!

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There are too many other easy apps. This app is anything but simple. Easy to record a hike but not so much if you simply want to download a hike and follow it.

Route Scout works very well for me. The interface can be a little confusing at first, but once figured out the program works well. The "follow" features are particularly useful, as it essentially turns you phone into a graphic GPS. It is handy to have a track of where you have been, and the voice messages are nice to let you know how far you have come and at what pace. Be aware that using your phone in GPS mode will drain the battery in a few hours, an auxiliary battery to recharge it is handy on longer hikes. All in all a very handy app.

Cheesy audio and 16 bit graphics. Also absolutely the most functional and useful hiking app I have ever used (been through half a dozen). Very accurate and has alerts when u get off track. Fair warning if you a want a simple clean user interface this is not your app. It is a little clunky and requires some figuring out for downloading routes etc. that said assuming it has the route I need available I would not use anything else.

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You know when you stumble across an old Geocities-type website with auto-play embedded sound and suddenly your study session is interrupted by blasting HamsterDance? Yeah, this app auto plays loud distorted bird sound on launch. It was so disturbing and annoying I just deleted the app and never looked back. There are plenty of other apps that do this. I have no idea why the creator though that auto-play sound of screeching birds was a good idea. Was I just Rick-Rolled or something? Just move along.