Between weekly group rides, exploring new urban trails while traveling, and weekend camping trips, it can be tough to keep track of everything you鈥檝e got going on. Of course, there are also hundreds of apps promising to make it easier to help you find new adventures and keep you organized. Which ones are the best? To find out, we tested a few dozen of the most highly rated apps, from campsite finders to off-line trail maps. The following six apps made the final cut and are guaranteed to help you make the most of your free time, whether you鈥檙e staying close to home or fleeing the city.听
Roadtrippers
Google Maps is great for directions, but let鈥檚 be honest: Waffle Houses and interstate rest stops are not the kinds of attractions you鈥檙e after when you hit the road in search of adventure. Enter , the app that allows you to punch in your destination and then explore everything from accommodations (filter for chain hotels, B&Bs, etc.) to campsites to parks and trails鈥攁ll within striking distance of your route. We planned a trip from NYC to Washington, D.C., and found dog beaches, botanical gardens, campsites, and a vegetarian restaurant with killer falafel. You can even invite friends to help edit and plan the trip. Most key features can be accessed for free, but a premium version of the app鈥攚hich unlocks off-line maps, unlimited itineraries, and live traffic conditions鈥攊s available for the road warriors among us.听(Basic: Free; Premium: $6.99+)
Trailforks
This might be the single best source for finding new trails at home and afar. The crowdsourced database was started by mountain bikers but is now stacked with more than 195,000 trails for everything from hiking to dirt biking鈥攋ust hover over a specific area and hit the 鈥渆xplore鈥 button to find trail ratings, user-generated beta, and even photos and videos. It鈥檚 like having a local guide on your phone. Plus, if you download a state鈥檚 data, your maps will be available no matter how far you head off the grid.听(Free)
Recreation.gov
Where do you want to camp? The Adirondacks? Rocky Mountains? California desert? Type in your desired location and the will give you all of the available campsites on public lands in the area. If you struggled with older iterations of this site and app, fear not: the modernized and totally updated version features photos and descriptions of the sites, and real-time occupancy status. And if you find a site you absolutely love, but it鈥檚 booked, you can search for the next available open dates and book straight through the app.听(Free)听
Bunchrides
Let鈥檚 face it: sometimes planning a group ride feels like herding cats (I thought we were meeting at the trailhead, not the coffee shop!). This takes the pain out of planning a group ride, making sure everyone joining in has all the pertinent details, like when and where to meet and how many miles you鈥檒l be riding. Plus, you can message people in your group and make sure that one guy doesn鈥檛 forget to bring the post-ride beer.听(Free)
Komoot
uses the OpenStreetMap database to help you plan road rides, mountain-bike rides, bike commutes, or hikes. After you plug in your starting point听and destination, choose your mode of transportation, and set your fitness level, Komoot crunches the data to provide you with far more than just a map of your route. It spits out the obligatory听stats鈥攄istance, elevation change, and estimated duration鈥攁long with a whole host of far more useful information, like a quick summary of the route鈥檚 difficulty and what types of surfaces and pathways you鈥檒l encounter along the way (i.e. 20% bike path, 80% singletrack trail; 20% paved, 80% unpaved). It even has off-line maps and voice navigation with turn-by-turn directions.听($3.99+)
Night Sky
Get astronomy lessons on your phone with this app that lets you target a specific group of stars in the sky and learn all the details. Even better, gives you regular stargazing reports, so you can plan the ultimate nocturnal excursion and know exactly what will be visible and where you should look. Spend $2 a month and you鈥檒l get augmented reality tours of planets and moons.听($2)