Hiking with Apple Maps is about to become a far more immersive experience, as the tech giant introduces a range of new updates. Designed to make Apple Maps a hiker’s best friend, the new features allow users greater control over their route and more information on the trails.
From Yosemite to Yellowstone, users can browse hikes from all 63 US national parks, filtering by route type, length and elevation, while keeping on track with turn-by-turn GPS navigation. Users can also now access downloaded routes offline, tracking their progress without signal.
Maps in the US and Japan have also become topographic, with contour lines indicating elevation.
Available with the latest iOS 18, IPadOS 18, MacOS Sequoia and watch OS 11 system updates, Maps' latest upgrade puts power into users' hands, allowing them to create and save their own routes, tailoring hikes to their personal preferences.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior VP of services said: “Apple Maps is the best way to navigate and explore the world, and we’re excited to make that experience even better.
“Maps makes it easy and enjoyable to plan any journey, with beautiful, detailed, and useful features that only Apple can deliver.”
The update lands a fresh punch in Apple Maps ongoing fist fight with navigation app AllTrails, whose recent update of their own included some bold new features.
The new Park Pages feature provides up to date information on national and local parks, recommending trails highlighting opening times and warning of fees and permits.
The redesigned trail page is equally handy, citing hikes' lengths, elevation and difficulty all on one page.
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