10 Life Hacks Every AllTrails User Should Know
AllTrails is a popular tool for finding hiking, backpacking, running, and cycling routes around the world. You can use it to search for routes and view user reviews, but the app also offers a wealth of features for customizing routes, monitoring conditions, and (safely) navigating in real time. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get the most out of AllTrails.
Study the elevation map carefully to find hill slopes and obstacles.
The elevation map is useful for visualizing the overall elevation gain and loss along your route, but on a mobile device, you can scroll the map to see exactly where climbs or obstacles are. For example, you can see where the grade increases (and what percentage) or how far you are from stream crossings or switchbacks. Open the map from the route page or from the navigation feature and swipe the elevation profile to track the location marker on the map.
Use AllTrails’ multiple search filters to find less popular trails.
You’ll most often search for trails by length, difficulty, and location, but AllTrails offers a variety of filters to find trails with specific characteristics, as well as trails suitable for walking with dogs or children. You can also use filters to identify trails that are likely to be less crowded (though if a trail is on AllTrails, that’s certainly no secret). In the search window, click “All” to reveal the available filters. Select “Less Crowded” under “Travel” and “Roundabout” under “Route Type” (round-trip trails may appear more crowded). Select a rating and add any other requirements, then click “Show Trails.”
Create custom routes based on routes taken by other tourists using reverse engineering.
When you use AllTrails to log an activity or write a review, a map of your route is saved in your route list and visible to other users. You can disable this in Settings > Privacy Settings > Content , but even if you don’t display your activity, you can use public routes to find custom routes that combine multiple trails or add a ridge not included in the official AllTrails route. Scroll down to the reviews section and click the “Activity” link to open maps of completed activities. However, please note that some route suggestions may not be actual detours, and you should still follow Leave No Trace guidelines and stay within your skill level when choosing a difficulty.
Connect your REI membership to get a discount on an AllTrails subscription.
A free AllTrails account provides most of the service’s basic features, but features like offline maps and wrong-turn alerts require a paid Plus subscription—$35.99 per year. With an REI membership, you get a 30% discount on paid AllTrails subscriptions, reducing the annual fee to $24.99 per year. (A Peak subscription, normally $79.99 per year, now costs $49.99 per year.) In the AllTrails app, go to your profile > Settings > REI Membership and follow the instructions to connect your account and receive the discount.
Analyze search queries by keywords to obtain specific information about the terms.
User reviews can provide a good indication of a trail’s current condition, such as seasonal closures, mud or snow conditions, and more general environmental factors like insects and river crossings. Of course, you should read the most recent reviews for your trail, but you can also search for keywords on your computer ( CTRL/CMD + F ), such as “mud,” “incline,” “snow,” “gates,” “insects,” or “ticks.” A trail may be labeled “easy,” but this may indicate issues like snowmelt, which can make fording running water more difficult. You can also read reviews from previous years for the same month.
Open a route in the AllTrails list to navigate to precise GPS coordinates.
When searching for routes and trailheads by name in popular mapping apps, you may not always get precise directions to the starting point marked on AllTrails. Instead, start a route directly from the AllTrails route list using GPS coordinates, which you can then find in Google Maps or Apple Maps. On the route page, scroll down to “Get Directions,” then select your preferred mapping app (or copy the coordinates to your clipboard).
Add waypoints while navigating to keep track of your route.
When recording an activity in AllTrails, you have the option to add a waypoint, which is essentially a note linked to a specific location along the route. This can be useful if you want to remember details like tricky turns or hidden objects, and you can add your waypoints to public layers to help others. Open Navigator in the mobile app and tap the arrow in the lower right corner. Swipe up and tap “Add Waypoint.” Select a waypoint type, add details, and select privacy settings, then tap “Save.”
Use airplane mode and AllTrails offline maps to save your device’s battery life.
Paid AllTrails subscribers have access to offline maps, which allow you to navigate in real time, even if you don’t have a signal. To avoid draining your phone’s battery while hiking, download offline maps for your route in advance, then switch to airplane mode as soon as you lose signal. GPS passively receives signals to triangulate your location, but it doesn’t require transmitting, so you can continue tracking your position on the map in airplane mode without draining your battery by constantly searching for a signal.
Use AllTrails map overlays to see environmental conditions in real time.
AllTrails maps feature additional layers containing much more data than just the route itself. All users have access to the Wildfires layer, which shows the current perimeters of wildfires across the United States. A premium subscription provides additional layers for precipitation, temperature, ground conditions, snow depth, fall foliage, and community heat maps, allowing you to see real-time environmental conditions at a specific location. A Peak subscription unlocks advanced layers for slope, high-resolution terrain, and public and private lands. Open the map and click the “Layers” button in the upper right corner.
Turn on Live Share to let friends and family know you’re safe.
Basic trail safety practices include keeping others informed of your exact location and return time. AllTrails’ Live Share feature (available in paid plans) centralizes this information and displays your location in real time to trusted contacts so they can dispatch assistance if problems arise. When you send a link to your safety contacts, they will be able to see your real-time location, planned route, distance traveled and elapsed time, estimated end time, coordinates, and cellular signal strength. They can also subscribe to SMS notifications. Activate Live Share in the “Navigation” tab—you’ll need to create a unique link each time you set off.