Getting Started With AllTrails

Let’s get started exploring the features of your app!

Begin Your AllTrails Journey

You can begin by searching for trails via the “Explore” tab.  The AllTrails app will automatically recognize your current location and curate lists of nearby trails for you.  If you’d like to do your own search for trails, you can use the Search Bar, the “Filter” button, or the “Map View” button at the top of the screen.  Feel free to click the above links for more information on the search process.

What’s a Trail?

AllTrails is built with you in mind so that you can easily find the information you need to start your adventure!  Our team spends time verifying every trail so that you get the most up to date information.  When you search for trails, the trails that appear are called our Verified Trails or our Curated Content.  There are a few types of trails that fall under this category, we call these trail route types.  You can learn more about trail route types here: What Are Trail Route Types.  If you’re using the web platform, you’ll also see a category named Community Content.  Community Content is non-verified trails recorded by other AllTrails users where you may be able to find a trail in your area that has not yet been added to the Verified Trails database!

Have you found a trail you’re excited about and want to save for later?  You can save those trails to your Favorites list or create your own custom lists to organize your future adventures!  Adding trails to your Favorites list is quick and easy, the article How Do I Add Items to a List is a great starting point to understanding this feature.  Do you want to create a custom list for trails in a specific area, trails to hike on your vacation, or trails with specific parameters?  You can easily create your own custom lists with the steps outlined in this article: How Do I Create a Custom List. Lists are a great way to organize trails and a fun way to share your plans with friends!  You can explore all of the features of Lists using this link Using Lists.

Once you’ve found your preferred trail you’ll want to review the information, then click the “Directions” button to help you navigate to the trailhead. This will launch Google Maps (or your preferred navigation app) to provide directions to the start of the trail. Once at the trailhead, you’ll load the trail into the Recorder feature to follow along the route and record your activity. The article How Do I Use the Recorder for Navigation will help walk you through these steps. The Recorder feature will show you the trail’s verified path in red as well as the detailed map the trail is on.  Here, you’ll see your current GPS position as a blue dot.  The blue dot will update as you move so that you can see your updated position in real-time.  We recommend making a recording to track your activity, so you’ll want to tap the red button at the bottom of your screen to begin recording. The article How Do I Make A Recording will assist you in navigating these steps.

Understanding What You’re Viewing - Map Layers and Overlays

AllTrails uses different map views, referred to as “Map Layers” to help you identify trails, trail features, and terrain as you plan an activity or follow along a trail in real time. First you’ll want to learn a little bit about how to read our map layers before hitting the trail.  What are Map Layers? is a comprehensive article on the map layers we offer.  Your default map layer is the AllTrails Layer, which is a custom-built layer that encompasses topographic data, and other important characteristics. You’ll be able to find the map legend here: How Do I Read the AllTrails Map Layer? Along with Map Layers, AllTrails also offers “Map Overlays” to bring in even more information to help plan your hike. The What Are Map Overlays? article will help walk you though the different types of overlays.

App to Computer Collaboration

The AllTrails app syncs seamlessly to your desktop or laptop computer. You can access and login to the AllTrails website here.  By signing in on your computer with the same login information from your app, all of your data will be available to view and edit.  Once you’ve signed into your account on your computer, you’ll be able to create new maps, find new trails and save them to your profile, manage your recordings, contribute new trails and many more features!  What you do on your computer will also sync to your phone app, allowing you to access the same information from your phone instantly.

Mapping Out Your Next Move

The AllTrails “Map Creator” is a powerful tool that allows you to create your own maps and routes. Map Creator supports your creativity to research, plan, and implement your next big adventure!   You’ll be able to access your custom maps on your phone and follow along your own path.  Map Creator allows you to draw your own routes with Free Drawing or snap your route to the trail with “Smart Routing”. To begin creating your own maps, you want to become familiar with the process by following the steps in the How Do I Create a Map FAQ, where you’ll learn more about drawing your route, adding waypoints and photos, and sharing your map. If you find a trail in the AllTrails database that you’d like to edit in your own map, the How Do I Save a Trail as a Map FAQ will help walk you through those steps.

Be A Part of Our Trail Community

As an AllTrails member, you have the ability to add new trails to the AllTrails database! If you know of a trail that should be on AllTrails, please take a minute to add it. The AllTrails community will thank you! The article How To Contribute A New Trail offers a detailed overview of how to do this. When adding new trails, we are specifically looking for trails that start and end at a parking area, are on public property, and contain a drawn route. Our strong preference is for out-and-back or loop trails that begin and end in the same location, but of course some trails are thru or point-to-point trails and they are welcome too. Please note that any added trails or suggested edits must first be approved by our team of editors which may take a while depending on our ability to verify the information and our backlog.

Privacy

AllTrails takes privacy seriously and has implemented features to help you protect your information.  Upon account creation, your AllTrails profile will be set to public, but you can always set your account to private, as outlined here: How Do I Make My Profile Private Making your AllTrails profile “Private” will automatically make all of your maps and recordings private as well as making your profile unviewable for other users. You also have the option to make individual items private, such as your recordings and maps, while maintaining a public profile. The articles How To Make A Recording Private and How to Make A Map Private will help you ensure that these individual items are only visible by you.

I’d Like to Know More

AllTrails offers many features to create the best user experience for you!  Our support database, located at AllTrails.com/support, offers a comprehensive guide to navigating the AllTrails web and app platforms.  If you do not find the answers to your questions in this database, please feel free to reach out to our support team at support@alltrails.com.  Our team is here to help!  We look forward to talking with you!