National Geographic Mobile National Parks HD Maps
www.nationalgeographic.com/mobile
Retail price: $4.99
Specs per manufacturer: Plan your trip by browsing the maps and marking places you’d like to see. When visiting, use your iPhone or iPad to help you find your way around the park.
MAPS FOR 15 GREAT NATIONAL PARKS Acadia – Bryce Canyon – Canyonlands – Glacier/Waterton – Grand Canyon – Grand Teton – Great Smoky Mountains – Mount Rainier – Olympic – Rocky Mountain – Sequoia/Kings Canyon – Shenandoah – Yellowstone – Yosemite – Zion
MAPS THAT KNOW WHERE YOU ARE See your current position on the map + Know how far it is to your destination + Mark your campsite or car for an easy return
MAPS THAT KNOW WHAT’S AROUND YOU Search for places by name or browse by category to see what’s nearby + Find campgrounds, picnic areas, visitor centers and other facilities + Find trails, waterfalls, lakes, summits and other points of interest
MAPS THAT GET YOU WHERE YOU WANT TO GO Includes National Park Service maps to get you around the park + Plus more detailed Trails Illustrated maps to get you off the beaten path + Download HD maps for even more zoom levels at no additional charge + Bonus trip planning info – park phone numbers, campground lists, and more + Offline access – maps work without any cell or WiFi connection
A GREAT VALUE Contains a retail equivalent of over $300.00 of detailed Trails Illustrated Maps
Fast facts: More people than EVER went to National Parks last year, with visitation up 20% across the board. National Geographic knows you want to be there too, and we want to help you have a great experience. When going to the best parks, be sure to take the best maps!
Also makes a great gift app for your favorite outdoor adventurer, family trip planner or armchair explorer!
Languages: English
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad
Requires iOS 3.1.2 or later
Findings: First off, be prepared that each map is a pretty big file to download and therefor it doesn’t do it instantly. (Mt. Rainier is 7 MB while Yellowstone is 114 MB.) When you tap on the map you want to see, it opens basically to the maps you get in the visitor centers at the parks. This includes road info, visitors centers, and major attractions. If you want to learn more, just expand it and bingo, you are looking at the Trails Unlimited topographic version of the area complete with a grid line showing milage. Obviously, you are limited by the screen size and this app isn’t intended to be your sole navigational tool. But it is perfect for trip planning and to do a quick check on where you are at. (provided you have enough battery) And if you are in cell range, it will tell you where you are right now on the map. Nice. I’ve had a lot of fun playing with this app. Unfortunately, there aren’t any maps for the state I live in–Alaska. But I’m hopeful that they will add more soon. For the $4.99 price tag, this is an amazing value. You can’t even buy one paper map for that price–let alone 15 of them. I give it a hearty two thumbs up!