I’ve hiked hundreds of miles — and these are the 3 Apple Watch apps I use to keep from getting lost

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Blaze new trails with these handy apps

Close-up of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 showing the AllTrails hiking app
(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

I’m obsessed with hiking, almost as much as I’m obsessed with testing the best smartwatch models. In 2026, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is one of my favorite, go-to smartwatches for logging my outdoor endeavors. But what’s the best Apple Watch hiking app?

I’ve tested dozens of options that promise useful navigational tools and accurate, digestible post-hike reports. And while there are plenty to choose from, three rise to the top as the best Apple Watch apps for hikers in 2026.

1. Best overall: AllTrails app

Close-up of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 showing the AllTrails hiking app

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

AllTrails is more than just a hiking companion app. In addition to tools to help you navigate once on course, AllTrails boasts one of the largest worldwide trail databases known to man.

Not only that, trail pages include basic stats like length, elevation gain, average completion time, and difficulty ratings, plus user reviews, up-to-date trail conditions and weather reports, 3D route previews, recent photos shot by other users from the trail, and more.

Now, some of these features are for paid subscribers only — AllTrails has two paid tiers, Plus ($35.99 a year) and Peak ($79.99 a year) — however, from my experience, the most useful hike-planning tools remain free for all.

For navigation, one of my favorite AllTrails features is the ability to predownload hiking maps from the AllTrails app on your phone to your Apple Watch for off-the-grid route maps with turn-by-turn directions, path deviation alerts, real-time stats, and more.

2. Best for navigation: WorkOutDoors app

Close-up of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 showing the WorkOutDoors hiking app

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

If you love geeking out on your hiking stats, the WorkOutDoors app for Apple Watch offers even more post-trek data than AllTrails. A one-time purchase of $8.99, there's no hike database component, like what you get from AllTrails. However, WorkOutDoors does provide an impressive range of navigational tools to ensure you stay on course.

It's also not just for navigating and logging hikes. WorkOutDoors can be used to track pretty much any outdoor activity involving distance, including running, mountain biking, skiing, and more.

Better yet, the home screen and mid-trek data fields are completely customizable. Navigational maps are also seriously detailed, with topographic elements and points of interest labeled. Users can choose from a wide range of navigation options, including trekking to a waypoint, following a pre-saved route, or trekking a previously completed route.

Post-hike stats include insights into distance, elevation, pace, cadence, heart rate, speed, and total steps.

3. Best no-effort needed: Apple's Workout + Maps apps

Close-up of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 showing the AllTrails hiking app

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

Ultimately, one of my favorite methods for tracking and navigating the great outdoors requires virtually zero effort on your part, aside from firing up the native Workout app and selecting Hiking as the activity. For navigation, bust open Apple's Map app and chart your course.

Apple's default Workout app provides a decent amount of insights into your performance while hiking, including details on your cardiovascular health, speed, distance, pace, and more. Really, the only metric missing is a total step count (Apple only provides daily totals, not totals for tracked activities).

Close-up of the Apple Watch Ultra 3 showing the Maps app

(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)

There is one downside to using this method to track your next hike. Toggling between navigation and real-time workout data requires physically jumping back and forth between the Workout and Maps apps. This is hardly ideal, and something Apple Watch users have been begging Cupertino to make more seamless. Perhaps when watchOS 27 debuts later this year, we'll see an improvement.

What's your favorite Apple Watch app for documenting and navigating your adventures in the great outdoors? Let me know in our poll below.

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Dan Bracaglia
Dan Bracaglia
Senior Writer, Fitness & Wearables

Dan Bracaglia is the Tom’s Guide editorial lead for all things smartwatches, fitness trackers and outdoor gear. With 15 years of experience as a consumer technology journalist testing everything from Oura Rings to instant cameras, Dan is deeply passionate about helping readers save money and make informed purchasing decisions. In the past year alone, Dan has assessed major product releases from the likes of Apple, Garmin, Google, Samsung, Polar and many others. 

An avid outdoor adventurer, Dan is based in the U.S. Pacific Northwest where he takes advantage of the beautiful surroundings every chance he gets. A lover of kayaking, hiking, swimming, biking, snowboarding and exploring, he also makes every effort to combine his day job with his passions. When not assessing the sleep tracking and heart rate accuracy of the latest tach gadgets, you can find him photographing Seattle’s vibrant underground music community.

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