Apple Maps Rivals AllTrails on iOS 18 With New Hiking Features in U.S.

Just months after naming AllTrails the iPhone App of the Year in 2023, Apple has added new hiking features of its own to the Maps app on iOS 18.

iOS 18 Hiking Trails Feature
Apple Maps users in the U.S. can browse thousands of hikes across all 63 national parks in the country, filtered by length, elevation, and route type. Users can also create and save their own custom walking and hiking routes, with one-way, out-and-back, and loop routing options to choose from where available.

Apple Maps added topographic maps on the Apple Watch with watchOS 10 last year, and these maps are now available on the iPhone too with iOS 18. Topographic maps and hikes can be saved for offline access with turn-by-turn voice guidance.

These features are mostly limited to the U.S., but topographic maps are also available in Japan, according to fine print on Apple's website.

Here is how Apple describes all of the features:

Apple Maps introduces even more ways to explore the world, including hikes and custom walking routes. Users can browse thousands of hikes across national parks in the United States — filtered by length, elevation, and route type — and save them to use while offline. Users can also create their own custom walking routes with just a few taps to plan everything from a local exercise route to a full-day walking tour in a new city. Additionally, they can save their favorite national park hikes, custom walking routes, and places to an all-new Places Library, and add personal notes about them.

MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris exclusively revealed that these features were coming to Apple Maps on the iPhone earlier this year.

iOS 18 is currently in beta and should be released in September.

Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full iOS 18.5 Release Notes

Tuesday May 6, 2025 2:17 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.5 to developers and public beta testers, giving us a look at the final version of the update that will be provided to the public next week. With the release candidate, Apple provided release notes, so we have a more complete look at the new features that are included in the update, including those that weren't found during the beta...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.5 Coming Soon, Here is What's New

Monday May 5, 2025 8:19 am PDT by
In its press release for the new Pride Band today, Apple said that iOS 18.5 is "upcoming," following more than a month of beta testing. We expect the iOS 18.5 Release Candidate to be released this week, and this should be the final beta version, barring any last-minute bugs or changes. The software update should then be released to the general public next week. iOS 18.5 is a relatively...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17: What's New With the Cameras

Friday May 2, 2025 3:52 pm PDT by
We've still got months to go before the new iPhone 17 models come out, but a combination of dummy models and leaks have given us some insight into what we can expect in terms of camera changes. Apple is adding new camera features, and changing the design of the camera bump for some models. You might be skeptical of dummy models, but over the years, they've proven to be a highly accurate...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone Said to Have Two Key Advantages

Monday May 5, 2025 6:41 am PDT by
Apple plans to release its first foldable iPhone next year, according to several reporters and analysts who cover the company. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the foldable iPhone will offer two key advantages over other foldable smartphones. First, he said the foldable iPhone will have a "nearly invisible" crease when unfolded. This means the device's...
siri glow

iPhone Users Now Able to Submit Claims in $95 Million Siri Spying Lawsuit

Wednesday May 7, 2025 11:40 am PDT by
If you owned a Siri-compatible device and had an accidental Siri activation between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024, you could be eligible for a payment from Apple as part of a class action lawsuit settlement. Apple in January agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit involving Siri spying accusations, and a website to distribute the funds has now been set up and...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID

20th-Anniversary iPhone Will Reportedly Feature an All-Screen Design

Saturday May 3, 2025 9:20 am PDT by
Apple's former design chief Jony Ive long dreamed of an iPhone with a truly all-screen design, and his wish might finally become reality in a few more years. The Information today cited multiple sources who said that at least one new iPhone model launching in 2027 will have a truly edge-to-edge display. The device's front camera and Face ID system would both be placed under the screen....
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
Apple Watch 2025 Pride Feature

Apple Announces 2025 Pride Band, Watch Face, and iPhone Wallpaper

Monday May 5, 2025 6:08 am PDT by
Apple today announced its 2025 Pride Collection, including a new Apple Watch band, watch face, and a matching wallpaper for the iPhone and iPad. Ahead of Pride Month in June, Apple says its Pride Collection celebrates the strength and beauty of LGBTQ+ communities around the world. The new Pride Edition Sport Band is now available to order on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 40mm,...

Top Rated Comments

robvalentine Avatar
12 months ago
Alltrails works around the world, and outside of national parks, so not really rivalling....
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kirky29 Avatar
12 months ago
Why does this need to be an iOS 18 thing? Surely out of any app, updating a map should just be anytime and all the time?

I find the Apple approach to updating apps ridiculous. They’re apps, update them throughout the year like Google Maps, Spotify, Facebook and the rest.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jasonsmith_88 Avatar
12 months ago
AllTrails biggest selling point is user-generated content, being able to find unofficial routes and read reviews to determine conditions. Apple, for whatever reason, doesn’t engage in user-generated content, so this will never be a serious competitor to AllTrails.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JimmyHook Avatar
12 months ago

Perhaps Apple should also focus on the rest of the world. It’s so damn annoying that’s lots of features don’t make it to everyone right from the get go
I mean, the world is a big place. Especially when the task is mapping. It’s hard enough to roll any product out globally, let alone one that literally details the surface of the planet.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Da_Shiznit Avatar
12 months ago
Perhaps Apple should also focus on the rest of the world. It’s so damn annoying that’s lots of features don’t make it to everyone right from the get go
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chungry Avatar
12 months ago

Apple (or AllTrails): make a pay version available that includes satellite access... often when we're on trails we're off network. (AllTrails has downloaded maps, which we use, but are they accurate?)
All trails is plenty accurate. I tested it alongside a Garmin Edge 1040 cycling computer and my Fenix 6 watch. All of them work fine with just GPS. Apple Maps (downloaded) HOWEVER was always WOEFULLY inaccurate. When trying to get driving directions to a well-known trailhead I compared Waze, Google Maps and Apple Maps. The first two nailed it with Waze offering a crazy shortcut as it often does. Apple Maps wanted me to go 40 minutes in the wrong direction into town. These are common trials, well-traveled roads and all of it in or near a national park and daily populous city. Outside cities Apple Maps continues to be an also-ran option (and even still there are issues). We aren’t talking about remote locales either. It’s sad.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)