trip-report

Apps we use while road tripping

My sister Judy, and her Husband Balin, have bought them selves a cute little trailer and have started doing some road tripping this fall.

And Balin asked me which apps I use when I am out on the road. That gives me a good excuse to write this post and share that information with not only him, but anyone else that might ask me in the future.

Gaia GPS

This is the app that I absolutely use the most. Everytime I go on a drive, a hike, a walk, or a sail, I start tracking that activity with this app. It's super simple and light weight, and allows me to organize my tracks for all of the places that I have been, analyse them, and share them.

Caltopo

I discovered this app at the Overland Expo in Redmond, Oregon, in the summer of 2025. It turns out that all the mapping solutions are using the same underlying data and are putting different UIs on top of them. This is the power tool app of power tool apps, designed for accessing and understanding all the data that is out there. It features powerful capabilities for overlaying various geospatial datasets on top of maps—things like fire maps, snow maps, weather, etc.

On the Way

This app is helpful because it provides you with the weather forecast for each stop along your route.

Harvest Host

iOverlander

We use this app a ton to find places to boondock, and spend the night off of the beaten path - I first discovered it during my 2021 road trip, and it helped a ton finding not only acceptable spots to park and spend the night, but also some tremendous spots.