iHikeGPS : Classic Topo Maps App Reviews

My goal is to locate rock art sites on a map as I hike, so I will be able to find them again. With this app, I was able to stand at the site and mark its location precisely. It works perfectly. I still need to learn how to transfer the map data to another computer, but Im guessing this will also work well. Unfortunately, with all this capability, the app is a real power hog. They give you suggestions to preserve as much power as possible, but my solution was to forego the routing function by turning off the IPad between sites. It boots up quickly for recording my location, and then I turn it off,again until the next site.

I cant believe I paid for a app that I still have to download individual maps for basically every grid square I an trying to look at and the maps available are like 100 years old. To me a GPS app should already have maps available. I have free apps that are more user friendly

This app is great. I load long routes built on my computer into the app and then use it as my primary navigation on motorcycle trips and offload exploration.

Ive tried several apps for hiking GPS, and this is the best Ive found. Whats great: - Downloaded maps are high resolution and very small, about 2.5 Mb. - Track recording is very easy and intuitive. (This important feature is hard to find on other apps.) - You can email your track or location to yourself or anyone else (if you have cell coverage). This is a nice safety feature as well as good data backup. Keep in mind: - This app is battery hungry, bring a spare. - GPS signal may be lost in tree cover or in canyons, as Apple does not at present use a quality GPS chip like those in a dedicated GPS unit. - Your phone without a good cover is not very sturdy. ALWAYS have a map and compass to augment your GPS adnknow how to use them!

Used on a couple of day hikes so far, worked well. Was especially useful for assessing total distance traveled, and for emailing waypoints and tracks for import directly into Google Earth on another computer. Be aware this app is no substitute for a proper and up-to-date trail map. The two maps I downloaded were over 30 years old and showed very little of the trail systems in the parks I visited. For example the Mendham NJ quadrangle was last updated in 1981 from a 1976 aerial survey. Finally, map handling appears processor intensive; each pan or zoom-out involves a 1-2 second delay on an iPhone 4s. Im OK with all this however, no regrets.

IHikeGPS was awesome before and the Feb 2013 upgrade is even better. Stitching maps is a great new feature if you want to see your whole route, and the help pages are now complete and easy to follow. I use the app for bike commuting, and its most useful to see where youve been and how much up and down youre doing on the different routes. You can easily export tracks to Google Earth and see them in 3d if you want. I love the trusty old USGS maps, and this is a great way to carry them in your pocket wherever you go.

Im impressed by the accuracy. We live way out in the country with spotty cell reception, but I can use this app in its gps mode and it works well. It follows a route accurately, I mean it traces over the road Im driving on to a T and it can read UTM (a real plus). It located our land survey markers spot-on. The maps render quickly. Worth the price.

Seriously love this app!! Very accurate and reliable. Track log showing elevation, distance, and time/date stamps is really nice. You can easily email/share track logs....just tried it today. Great for tracking distance traveled and for visually seeing your track on the map. I also use it to capture/create waypoints and view current location on the map...flawless. This app pretty much does what my $500 Garmin does...in terms of what I primarily use it for. I use his Mac GPSPro software on Mac OSX and absolutely love it! And this guy is as good as it gets when it comes to responsiveness and support... I cannot emphasize this enough...see for yourself. No affiliation....just a very satisfied outdoor enthusiast!

10 stars if possible. Clean UI. Well documented HELP section. Fast map loading throughout assembly. Pinch screen results are clear. 24:1 map scale is adequate, but 15:1 would be better. Possibly 7.5 MOA in the future? I checked all functions of this app over a 70 mile course in the Absaroka Mountains of Paradise Valley, Montana. Cell service is ZERO there. This app tracked, routed and created waypoints with deadly accuracy. The data output is done in (ex).gpx.xml format which could be polished a bit more. If you are serious about a good GPS HIKING APP, put this one at the TOP of your wish list > :) ;)

I just downloaded it and will test tomorrow. Im impressed so far!

I have used iHikeGPS for a couple of months now. It has been fantastic and helped us on about 5 Anza Borrego desert trails that are sometimes ambiguous at best. Have used without issue on iPhone and mini iPad. The USGS maps download quite fast, and your location/tracking is superimposed on the map. Great asset for hiking.

Nice Tracking feature. Easy to use. Nice to be able to download up to 500 USFS or USGS maps with no additional cost. Maps work fine with no cell service on my iPhone 5S. Auto stitching feature works well.

I use this on my iPhone and my iPad out the field (mostly work in and around Big Bend National Park and various other field trips). It is extremely useful and works like a charm. I highly recommend it.

If it wasnt for this app on my iPhone I would not go on the treks I do in the northern woods . Its easy to use , accurate and I highly recommend it to anyone who ventures into the woods.

I have owned many gps units, garmin hike, sailing, auto, aviation. I love adventure. This is my favorite hiking gps. All I need & want. My location, route, tracks & waypoints on perfect usgs quad maps. Before a big hike, Ill find someones excellent route/track on the web (gpx), open & inspect it in ihikegps and it will always know the on trail distance to either end. And just before the adventure, I email (or now Bluetooth send). The waypoints & map to my wifes gps. For a multiday hike, I take a 3oz battery for a couple iphone recharges.

During a recent vacation trip up the Maine coast, even though we weren’t hiking, my wife and I found iHike GPS invaluable for finding and navigating little back roads and discovering the interesting sites along them. We were doing a lot of birding, and promising spots are often easy to pick out on USGS maps. But there’s no way I could have bought printed topo maps for all the territory we covered, often without planning ahead, and using paper maps in the car would have been quite inconvenient. Having dozens of them on my iPad (at no cost!) was fantastic. iHike GPS is a wonderful addition to my software arsenal and vacation travel toolkit.

I have been an early adopter of the MacGPS family of products where either Im sailing or hiking with the assistance of these solutions. They continue to improve and are always the best Ive seen on the market at a reasonable price. Keep up the good work!

Love this app, great for Kayaking and land navigation. Maps are a bit out of date but I think that is on the USGS more than a developer issue so with that I give it 5 stars. The other numerous GPS apps I tried failed face down in the field, this one was amazing. Great Job!

I just purchased this app and try a few... Then I realized that there is only one kind of map format. Compare to other app which has more map choice depend on the trip. Also to make way pint, have to fill some in filling page, instead of just drag on the map and tap like a other app.

I tried several GPS apps like GPS Kit, MotionX-GPS, etc and I believe this is the best one for hiking, backpacking, mountaineering...my main criteria is the quality of maps. All of these apps have to buy licenses to get the maps and iHike uses USGS and US State Forest maps which none of the other apps use and the topo maps lines are a lot more clear for me to understand. Regarding app navigation I find all the apps not very intuitive and iHike is not exception in this regard but with a little bit of practice & reading the help, I can find my way around just fine. I did a GPX import and the track and way points imported without issues. Overall, its an awesome app.