Four Phone Apps We Love

Since 2015 we have been exploring the country from the more notable locations to faraway sites. We need to find basic supplies like fuel, groceries, and restaurants during our explorations. Our trail guides demand that we research and know everything about the area we are exploring to present accurate information. Above and beyond the Trails Offroad app, here are five apps we have come to love and regularly use that we believe will make your trips for you and your family much more enjoyable!  

Every kind of map view with Gaia GPS

Gaia GPS is the best app for map research and navigation. We use it extensively in areas where we have not created or are in the process of creating trail guides. Gaia boasts over 18 map layers relevant to off-road and overland travel. We love the various layers to identify natural landmarks, such as the names of rivers, streams, peaks, and valleys. You can take a deep dive into historical maps, geology, current, and past forest fire areas, and save the best for last - the public land ownership feature.  Pricing is free for the most basic layers and $5.99 a month for the most robust features. 

Finding grub on the road with Yelp

Who doesn't love Yelp! When in new areas looking for food, Yelp has never disappointed us. We have found a couple of tricks with Yelp that you may want to employ. 1) Always put more weight on reviews when there is a higher number. We have found that 50 or more is accurate, and the 100s to be very precise in the star ratings. 2) When you see a lower-star-rated establishment, take a minute to see how many 4 or 5 star reviews there are versus the 1-star reviews.   Read the 1-star reviews; they are often regarding the service and not the food itself. If you see a solid list of 2-star ratings, you probably should keep looking!  Pricing is completely free! 

Save a few bucks with Gas Buddy

After purchasing the 3.0 EcoDiesel Jeep Wrangler, I quickly learned that diesel could sometimes be hard to find. Further diesel pricing is all over the place, from station to station. The Gas Buddy app is a great way to find the best prices and the type of fuel you require. Click the "Find Gas" button to see the stations in either list or map view with somewhat up-to-date pricing. As a bonus, you can save a little less than a dollar on each tank of fuel if you sign up for their Gas Buddy card, which links to your bank account.  Pricing is completely free, but they also have a monthly membership which we have not found to be worth it at this point in time. 

Learn all about the plant friends with PictureThis

If you are interested in flora, PictureThis is the perfect app on your phone. Capture a photo of a plant, tree, flower, weed, or bush, then let Picture This analyze it to tell you exactly what it is. It works great at home, too, as it will diagnose common problems such as overwatering, too much shade, or even too much sun!  Going deeper, you can also identify birds and insects with this amazing app.  Pricing is free with In-App Purchase for advanced features pricing can be from $2.99 a week to $49.99 a year for their Platinum Annual Service. 

Don't forget the Trails Offroad app to find your next off-road adventure