SmartPhone Apps for Outdoor Enthusiasts

In this new age of the Smart Phone, we can become overwhelmed by the technology available for us to simplify our busy lives, thus not really simplifying anything.  But with the Smart Phone you have an all-in-one tool for survival and fun that includes internet access, GPS coordination, cameras and much more.  With new apps being developed everyday, you can turn your phone into just about anything that you can think of.  We, your helpful Cracks & Racks crew, have put together a small selection of apps that can be fun and useful for outdoor enthusiasts to use during their activities.

AccuTerra

If you like knowing where you are at the touch of a button while skiing in the winter, hiking in the summer, mountain biking, camping, backpacking or whatever your calling may be, then check out AccuTerra.  AccuTerra is a one-stop, GPS-based, outdoor recreation app with terrain, trail, and ski area maps designed for the iPhone.  While comparable recreation maps for expensive dedicated GPS units can cost hundreds in additional fees, AccuTerra gives you access to millions of square miles at a fraction of the price.  Choose from over 220,000 miles of trails, thousands of trailheads, campgrounds, picnic areas, it's the ONLY app available that displays all major public land boundaries.

GoSky Watch Planetarium & Google Sky Map

Go outside and check out the stars with the GoSkyWatch Planetarium App for the iPhone or Google Sky Map for Android.  These are impressive apps, which allow you to easily and quickly identify and locate stars, planets, constellations and more with a just a touch of the screen or by simply pointing to the sky.  Have fun with family and friends discovering the night sky.  Many of the new features are specifically designed for efficient outdoor use.  The red light mode is designed to preserve night vision.  The planets are shown with relative brightness for easy identification, and with touchless navigation, heads-up information display, and full 180 degree display you can see at a glance what is in the sky and where.  Looking for a planet or star?  Just use the finder and let the arrow guide the way.

iBird Pro

During your down-time while you sit back and relax and enjoy the outdoors this year, try out the iBird Pro app.  This app, iBird Plus, is an interactive guide to the most popular bird species found in the backyards of North America. Designed for both  the iPhone and Android platforms, this product contains illustrations, photos, bird calls and comprehensive facts to help you identify and enjoy 234 North American bird species. With no need for an Internet connection, and all of the data right at your fingertips, you can make bird identification a fun activity no matter what your outdoor passion is.

All-In Pedometer

There are some especially cool apps that you can use every day in your busy life like the All-In Pedometer. The Pedometer is the perfect tool for working out or just measuring how much you walk in a day. The built-in music player will get you pumped for the workout and the body tracker will show you the changes in your body, speeding up the progress toward your ultimate goal.  Just start the application, put your iPhone or iPod in your pocket, and get movin'!  The Pedometer does all of the calculating for you.

Knot Guide

You don't have to live by the old saying, "If you can't tie a good knot, just tie a bunch of bad ones" anymore once you download the Knot Guide for iPhone and Android applications.  People of all walks of life since ancient times have found knots both fascinating and essential.  Knots are used in sailing, climbing, tree trimming, jewelry making, and everyday tasks such as attaching a load to your vehicle.  Whether you're a novice or you have experience with tying knots, Knot Guide will assist you!  17 different categories include: Bends, Binding Knots, Climbing Knots, Decorative Knots, Fishing Knots, Hitches (End), Hitches (Middle), Lashings, Loops (Fixed), Loops (Slip), Rope Care, Sailing Knots, Scout Knots, Shortenings, Splices, Stopper Knots, and Whippings.

Weather Channel

Planning any outdoor adventure requires you be in touch with the weather, and we prefer to use the app from the Weather Channel because frankly, their forecasts are most accurate. This app takes your weather experience to the next level with full screen maps, extended forecasts, severe weather alerts, and more, all at your fingertips.  This app features a full screen, interactive radar map, it uses Google Mobile Maps for faster zooming and panning, it can pinpoint your location at launch, contains seasonal information, and it can post weather directly to your Facebook Wall.  Most importantly it shows you the dew point, which we all know is must have info to know when the next big storm is going to hit!

Google Earth

Sometimes exploring the world can be a little confusing.  Have no fear - the Google Earth App is here!  With Google Earth for Android, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, you can fly to far corners of the planet with just the swipe of a finger. Explore the same global satellite and aerial imagery available in the desktop version of Google Earth, including high-resolution imagery for over half of the world's population and a third of the world's land mass.

MyNature Animal Tracks

Another fun and educational outdoor app is the MyNature Animal Tracks.  We've all been there before, fishing a sandy riverbank, hiking over a lush green forest trail, gliding through a fresh snow fall on a clear crisp winter morning. Then, right there in front of you, you see a set of tracks. You wonder, which way they're heading, what animal was it, was it just here. Is it a canine or feline or maybe it's a bear?  Animal tracks can be found in nearly every square mile of North America!  With the MyNature app you are now equipped with a database with 7 search-able track categories fully illustrated by size and shape for quick selection, illustrations of both fore and hind feet.  Plus a complete description of track measurements, full color digital images of an actual track in the wild, gorgeous photos of each individual animal featured, illustrations of the most common gait pattern for each animal, sound files for an example of each animals vocalization, and even range maps showing each animals distribution across North America.

Elevation Pro

For those of you who like to explore the higher elevations check out the Elevation Pro App.  It brings worldwide USGS elevation to your fingertips and is now even better with fully integrated Google maps and Twitter sharing.  You can get elevation for any habitable place on Earth just by touching the location on the map!  Share your current Elevation on Twitter and have an unlimited number of Elevation Waypoints in Map, Satellite, or Hybrid views.  View two sources of elevation data - GPS and USGS data sources - for unparalleled accuracy.

Camping Recipes

When mac and cheese doesn't cut it,  check out Camping Recipes App for iPhone, where you will find delicious and easy camping recipes that will satisfy big or picky appetites. Do you have a particular way that you like to cook outdoors?  Find camping recipes suited to your style of cooking.  This app offers easy, delicious recipes for camping and hiking!  Why is it that food cooked outdoors always seems to taste better?  Now take it to another level.