Hiking Trail Navigation and Offline Maps

.
Trailspotting provides free trail downloads in GPX format for hiking navigation and in KML format for visualization. We recommend viewing them in the open-source Organic Maps app for free offline use. Other apps and services are available, including AllTrails as we describe below.

Organic Maps
Website · Apple · Android
Free, simple, basic features.

Easy to set up, Organic Maps is an open-source, privacy-focused, free offline map and navigator for Apple and Android smartphones. We recommend everyone has it on their phones along with an offline basemap, even if they usually use a different method of trail navigation.

Download GPX and KML files to your smartphone, then simply 'import bookmarks and tracks'. This is suitable for basic GPX navigation needs, and also for viewing larger KML files such as our New England maps of covered bridges amd fire towers.

Organic Maps is less capable than commercial products like AllTrails however. For example it has no elevation profiles and it's trip recording functionality is rudimentary at best.

AllTrails
Website · Apple · Android
Good for subscribers only.

AllTrails is an excellent resource for trail discovery and planning and its smartphone app is an eminently reliable navigational tool. We particularly like the way it displays elevation profiles and will notify us if we go off-route. Navigation with AllTrails is not recommended without a paid subscription however, as your access to routes and maps are only functional when you're in range of a cellphone tower.

More Trail Navigation Files
Free file downloads.

Beyond Trailspotting you can find many more downloadable GPX and KML files in other places, including in the links below. You can also convert, edit and combine files on the PC using programs like GPX Editor.
AllTrails · Outdoor Active · Trailspotting · Wikiloc

Mapping Safety
In the interests of safety we recommend hikers carry backup means of navigation. For some this might include a paper map, or a GPS device like a Garmin Inreach. When day hiking with our smartphone we use a tether to avoid accidental drops and carry at least one battery backup to charge our phone. See Gear We Use for more about what we take with us on the trail.