7 apps for outdoor adventures

Autumn’s here and it’s the perfect time to burn some energy and ignite your curiosity in the great outdoors. It’s no secret we love apps that make life easier, and there are lots of outdoors-y ones designed to help you get more from your time in nature. Use them to plan a camping trip, navigate a new running trail, learn about the environment around you, and motivate yourself to keep doing the outdoor activities you love, even when the temperature drops.

The aptly named AllTrails app gives you free access to over 400,000 walking, cycling and driving routes located across the world. Whatever skill level you’re at, it’s never been easier to find new trails to explore. The best part? Honest reviews and comments about the trails from other users. Track conditions can and do change, and things like ‘difficulty’ are subjective, so it’s always worth hearing what recent visitors have to say. Free on Android or iOS, with a monthly subscription available to unlock more features.

When your appetite for adventure takes you places where phone service might be patchy, Maps.me can help you find your way. Just download the maps you need so they’re available offline. We’ve used these offline maps for all sorts of travel experiences, from navigating village streets in the Philippines, to checking progress on marked walking trails in Kosciuszko National Park. Free on iOS and Android.

You’ll struggle to find a caravanner Down Under who doesn’t have Wikicamps on their phone. It’s one of the most comprehensive camping apps available, with 31,000 campsites listed, many of which are free or low cost. That’s a lot of adventures for a one-off download fee of $7.99 (available on iOS, Android, Windows 10 and 11). You can easily see sites nearest you for last-minute stays, or move around the map to find campgrounds anywhere in Australia.

This is your go-to app for mapping your running, hiking and biking adventures, and having a record of your activity’s time, distance and elevations. The free app is great for the basics, including adding photos to your activities and connecting with friends. Use it on your smart watch to really get motivated to move. And if training gets more serious, you can subscribe to Strava ($14.99/mth or $99/year) to access advanced metrics, training dashboards, route planning, competitions and a whole heap more.

When you’ve got your eyes on the sky, but don’t exactly know what you’re looking at, it helps to have this astrological map in your pocket. With Star Walk 2, it’s as simple as holding your phone skyward. Guided by augmented reality, you’ll be identifying constellations, stars and planets and no time. It’ll also notify you of upcoming astrological events so you’ll never miss a blood moon or rare comet travelling across the night sky.

Buy for $4.49 on Android or iOS.

Want to become a citizen scientist? With iNaturalist you can find projects near you and share your observations by snapping and uploading photos. By logging biodiversity information from your personal encounters, you can help generate usable data for a range of environmental studies like wildlife activity, bush regeneration and pest control. Not only is it an easy way to contribute to research, you’ll learn a little more about the area you’re visiting and the creatures that call it home.

Free for iOS and Android.

Multi-day hikers are always trying to find the right balance between comfort on the track (the lighter your pack, the better) and comfort once you’re at camp (bottle of wine and foldable chair, anyone?) This handy website can help you track your gear list, identify double-ups, and let go of luxuries. Enter the weight and category of each item to generate charts, then share your data in hiking, bushwalking and tramping groups for feedback. Register for free online.

Whether you’re a backyard birder or an intrepid twitcher, this is the only Australian bird ID app you need. Yes, it costs more than the average app ($18.99 for Android and $29.99 for iOS) but you get a lot for your money. Covering almost 8000 bird species, the descriptions are paired with detailed illustrations showing the difference between male and female, juvenile and adult, and you can even listen to bird calls. Just don’t forget the binoculars.

Time for a new phone? Power your adventures with the latest Optus plans and devices.

Need to unplug for a few days? Check out these camping tips for a longer spell in nature.