Apps to Explore and Navigate Trails in El Paso
El Paso’s mountains, warm weather, and desert landscape make it a great place for outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and running. With so many options and resources out there, it can be daunting to find a safe trail that meets all your expectations. For this reason, we’ve compiled a list of apps that can help you find and explore the best trails and outdoor activities that El Paso has to offer.
AllTrails
AllTrails is the perfect app to help you find trails that meet your exact needs. With over 10 filters, AllTrails allows you to tailor your search by location, activity (i.e. hiking, biking, camping), and suitability (i.e. dog friendly, stroller friendly). You can further sort routes by difficulty, length, elevation gain, popularity, attractions, route type, and trail traffic.
Each trail contains a description, reviews, photos, weather conditions, and directions. Once you’re on the trail itself, you can follow along a trail map, record your activity, and share your adventure with your friends on social media. You can also create lists of trails you hope to visit and save your favorite ones.
AllTrails features over 120 trails in El Paso alone and is perfect for those looking to explore trails best suited to different activities.
Adventure Projects
Adventure Projects, which was acquired by REI in 2015, designs outdoor adventure trail guides using crowd-sourced information from local experts and outdoor enthusiasts. Each guide is dedicated to a specific activity and comes with its own app. Currently, six apps are available: Hiking Project, Mountain Project, MTB Project, National Park Project, Powder Project, and Trail Run Project. The strong collaboration between locals and Adventure Projects ensures that new trails are routinely added to the apps.
In all the apps, you search for trails by location and filter them by difficulty, distance, rating, and elevation gain. You can view your results on a map or as a list sorted by popularity or distance. Additionally, offline maps allow you to follow the trails once you’re on the go.
The trails’ profiles contain elevation information, trail conditions, and driving directions. You can also find descriptions, highlights, and tips shared by local experts and verified by Adventure Projects. Once you select a trail and embark on your journey, you can check in, share your activity, rate your experience, and keep track of your favorite trails.
These apps are great for those who are dedicated to a particular activity. Below you can find a list of the ones most relevant to the El Paso area, along with some of the most recommended routes by activity.
For the Hiker: Hiking Project
This app is the perfect companion to help you navigate the El Paso mountains and their various trails and summits. Here are some of the best rated hikes in the area:
Ron Coleman Trail (Difficulty: Difficult; Distance: 3.4 miles)
Mount Cristo Rey (Difficulty: Intermediate; Distance: 4.6 miles)
For the Mountain Biker: MTB Project
A great resource for mountain bikers, MTB Project features almost 150,000 miles of trails to explore. Top rides in El Paso include:
Old Blue Mad Lazy Cow Loop (Difficulty: Medium; Distance: 8.9 miles)
Franklin Mountain Loop (Difficulty: Difficult; Distance: 25.2 miles)
For the Runner: Trail Run Project
Trail Run Project offers runners an opportunity to explore different trails and undertake new challenges. The app’s most recommended trails in El Paso are:
Lost Dog Trail (Difficulty: Intermediate - Difficult; Distance: 14.4 miles)
Sunset Loop (Difficulty: Intermediate - Difficult; Distance: 8.3 miles)
