Swapped from a paper map to AllTrails on a 3-day loop in the Smokies and didn't take one wrong turn

I used to think paper maps were the only reliable way, but last month on the Gregory Bald trail I pulled out the app during a rainstorm and it saved me from missing a key junction - has anyone else found digital route tracking way better than they expected?

3 comments

3 Comments

alext5216h ago

Paper maps don't run out of battery or need a signal.

evan_grant7013h ago

Last summer we took a trip up to the Boundary Waters and I forgot to charge my phone before we left. GPS died about an hour in and we were totally lost for a while until I pulled out the old paper map I had shoved in the glovebox. It saved us a lot of frustration, honestly. I still keep a folded up state road atlas under the passenger seat of my car for peace of mind.

zaranelson12h ago

Oh yeah, same thing happened to me on a hike in Shenandoah - my phone died (of course) and I had to backtrack like a mile because I'd been following the app blindly without paying attention to landmarks. Now I do both, pull up the digital map but still keep a folded paper one in my pack just in case.