Photo: JASON REDMOND / AFP / Getty Images
Agent Derek Meister-Geek Squad spoke to Bill about With the long holiday weekend ahead, you may be thinking of getting out of the house and into the great outdoors. Whether it’s a national park across the country or just a hike in our own Cuyahoga Valley National Park, here are a few summer apps to help you plan that adventure.
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BEST APP FOR FINDING QUIRKY ATTRACTIONS – Roadside America
ROADSIDE AMERICA
One of my favorite parts of summer road travel is finding quirky hidden gems. World’s Largest Sticker Ball? I’m in. Giant Wooden Nickel? Sold. Killer Bee Capital of the World? Obviously, I’m there.
These off-beat attractions are a great way to bring a little levity to a long road trip – and an opportunity to stretch your legs while you’re at it. The best way I’ve found to find them has always been Roadside America, first the website and now I use their app. You can find the offbeat nearby, on your travel route, or by theme (some of my favorites are “Big”, “Graves” and “Irrational Geographics”).
Coolest Feature:
I love the ability to save your attractions, as well as check off the ones you’ve visited within the app. Each attraction listing gives a wealth of info: what, where, directions, hours, cost, call, rating, and website.
Offline Capabilities:
Users can access their saved attractions offline, although the rest of the app works best with network connectivity.
Cost: There is a one-time charge of $2.99 to download the app and unlock one region of the US. Other regions can be unlocked at a further cost of $6.99 for all.
BEST APP FOR FINDING CAMP SPOTS – The Dyrt
THE DYRT
Whether camping, van-lifing, or looking for a glampground, it can be difficult to suss out which campgrounds or dispersed land will have the amenities you want until you get there. That’s where The Dyrt comes in. A mix between AirBnb and Yelp – the app has everything you need to go off the grid or pretend to.
Coolest Feature:
I love reviews and photos from other campers/glampers with information on cell service and amenities that may be important to me. Users can also request to book many sites within the app and find free camping.
Offline Capabilities:
The Dyrt offers a downloadable campground database and downloadable maps for offline use with a Pro membership.
Cost: The Dyrt’s free membership allows you to explore campgrounds and create lists. The Dyrt Pro is $35.99/year and includes offline maps, cell service maps, dispersed camping maps, route planner maps, access to 5,000+ free camp spots, and more.
BEST APP FOR NATIONAL PARK TRAVEL – Google Maps
GOOGLE MAPS
Yes, really. I know you have Google Maps, but you may not know about its new features. The OG maps app has recently undergone a major update making it even more invaluable to National Park travelers. Google Maps partnered with the National Park Service to gain input from directors and park rangers to be sure maps were useful and accurate while visiting National Parks. Maps now show the entrances to each park on the base map, have photo pins for the most popular areas in a park, and show the entire trail on the map – not just the starting point.
Coolest Feature:
Google Maps now supports user-generated content, including photos and reviews of trails.
Offline Capabilities:
One of the most exciting updates is that Google Maps has an easier action for downloading offline maps – making it safer and easier to use in parks with little to no internet access.
Cost: Free to download and use
BEST APP FOR THE SOLO TRAVELER – Cairn
CAIRN APP
This should be named the best app for hiking and outdoor safety, period – but it is especially essential for solo hikers. Remember, it's a good idea to let someone know your hiking and travel plans – and Cairn makes it so easy. Users can add contacts of friends and family to a “Safety Circle” and then alert members of the circle to their hiking plans, starting point, estimated arrival time, overdue alerts (even when you don’t have cell service), and a link to a map showing your progress if you choose.
Coolest Feature:
Another thing that drew me to Cairn is the crowd-sourced cell-service data via different carriers on the trail. While I love a good disconnect moment in nature, as a solo traveler and hiker it isn’t the best idea to head off alone without any means of communication in case things go south. With Cairn you can check the route in advance and see if you can expect any service, and if not be prepared with other methods (I love my Garmin InReach for these times).
Offline Capabilities:
You have the option to download offline maps worldwide on Cairn Premium plans.
Cost: Cairn offers free and premium plans. The free version provides trails, track recording, and cell coverage data, while the premium offers overdue alerts for your safety circle, trip progress map, downloadable maps, cell coverage by specific carriers, and on downloaded maps. After a 7-day free trial, the premium is $4.99/month or $26.99 for a year.