Looking for outdoor navigation. Google Maps is plenty fine for streets, but it’s too limited and business focused.
Need something simple that:
- Makes it stupid easy to mark and label a spot. Really easy.
- Makes it simple to see, or at least guestimate, distances.
- Has Satellite/terrain coverage like Google Maps.
- Hopefully has accurate geographical features like creeks and ponds.
- A compass overlay would be the bomb.
What’s good?
Organic Maps fits sort of fits that description. It’s powered by OpenStreetMaps. Easy to mark and save locations and tells you the distance between two or more.
Have you considered something like Avenza? I believe they have live basemaps now. There’s also Fulcrum (premium $) and Esri Field Maps.
These require some work up front but these are what we researchers use to navigate and collect data in the field.
Is the esri one free to use?
Sorry, no. I forgot because I am on a plan.
But Avenza has a free tier and I like it better honestly. Much nicer/easier to create interest points. You can use their basemap or make your own in Qgis if you have any GIS skills or use any PDF that has geo info embedded like a usgs topo map.
You can find any usgs topo map for free from usgs and load that into Avenza easily.
If you’re interested and this sounds like what you’re looking for I can dig up some links.
I had to switch to Esri Field Maps for work so I haven’t used Avenza since they implemented a ton of new features but I still have it on my phone because it’s a good app.
I loved Avenza but quickly ran into the paywall and didn’t need it that much to pay for it. Maybe someday when I’m doing cooler stuff.
I have organic maps and osmAnd they might have some of those features.
I’ve been using Backcountry navigator for a few years now. works great, uses forest service maps and others. selectable downloadable areas and and a few more useful features including compass on map.
Which one exactly? Seeing a few.
“BackCountry Navigator PRO”
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.crittermap.backcountrynavigator.license
i use trekarta. you can load in custom maps for satellite data, and you can get the map to always point north.
I use Garmin explore. Its okay, I mainly use it since it connects to my watch. Ice heard good things about Gaia as well
Osmand + trail sense
It’s great.
Onx. Gaiagps.