Apps & Tools for Tracking Your Trail Runs
Tech that keeps you safe, motivated, and on the right path.
Navigation & Safety
🧭 Know Where You Are
- AllTrails: Great for finding new trails and reading user reviews
- Wikiloc: Excellent for offline maps and global trail options
- Gaia GPS: More advanced topo maps for remote areas
📥 Pro Tip: Download maps before heading out — signal is unreliable in the mountains.
Tracking Your Runs
🏃♂️ Know How You’re Doing
- Strava: Popular with runners for tracking, sharing, and comparing routes
- Garmin Connect: Best if you use a Garmin watch
- Suunto App: Syncs with Suunto watches and shows detailed terrain data
- Coros App: Simple and efficient for Coros watch users
⌚ Using a GPS running watch (Garmin, Suunto, Coros)? These apps sync seamlessly and let you view real-time stats like heart rate, distance, pace, and elevation — even when your phone stays in your pocket.
📊 Look at time, distance, elevation, and pace — not just speed. Trails are slower!
Planning Your Adventures
🗓️ Stay Organized
- Trailforks: Great for planning routes (especially if trails overlap with MTB routes)
- Komoot: Easy route planning with elevation profiles and surface types
- Fatmap: 3D mapping for visualizing terrain before you go
📌 Many of these sync with watches so you can follow the route on your wrist.
Extras That Help
🔔 Stay Safe & Connected
- Road ID App: Sends real-time tracking to friends/family
- Zello: Turns your phone into a walkie-talkie — handy in remote areas
- Weather Underground: More accurate local forecasts for outdoor planning
Final Thoughts
You don’t need fancy gear to be a trail runner. But using the right app can help you discover better trails, track your progress, and stay safe — especially when you’re just starting out.
Start with one or two tools that match your needs. Build your system over time.
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