Prices checked October 1, 2026
The short answer
Install the NPS app before every trip (it's free and works offline). Add Recreation.gov if you need a booking, AllTrails or Gaia GPS if you're hiking far, and Park'd if you like keeping score. Here's how they compare.
| App | Best for | Price (US App Store) | Offline maps |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Park Service app | Official info for 420+ NPS sites, downloadable for offline use | Free | Yes, free |
| AllTrails | Picking a hike and following it on the trail | Free · Plus $35.99 · Peak $79.99 | With a paid plan |
| Recreation.gov | Booking campsites, timed entry, tours and permits | Free app (booking fees vary) | Not listed |
| Gaia GPS | Backcountry navigation and serious map layers | Free · Premium $59.90 · with Outside+ $89.90 | With a paid plan |
| Chimani | A guidebook-style trip planner with audio tours | Free with ads · Premium from $35.99/yr | With a paid plan |
| Park'd (ours) | Keeping score: checking off parks, logging trips, seeing your stats | Free · Premium $4.99/mo, $19.99/yr or $39.99 lifetime | No |
Disclosure: Stuck at Home LLC makes Park'd. Prices are the US App Store's in-app purchase list on October 1, 2026; they change, vary by country and can differ on Google Play.
The apps, one by one
1 · National Park Service
National Park Service app
Best for: Official info for 420+ NPS sites, downloadable for offline use
The Park Service's own app covers the whole park system: interactive maps with trails, self-guided tours, things to do, amenities, alerts, fees and hours, even passport-stamp details. Download a park before you lose signal; that alone makes it worth installing before any trip.
- Price
- Free
- Skip it if
- Never, really. It's free. Pair it with a trail app if you're hiking far.
Offline: “Download park content for offline exploration, perfect for remote areas.”
2 · AllTrails, Inc.
AllTrails
Best for: Picking a hike and following it on the trail
Search 500,000+ trails with reviews, conditions and photos, then navigate on the trail with your phone. Offline map downloads and wrong-turn alerts are part of AllTrails Plus (an annual subscription, per the listing).
- Price
- Free · Plus $35.99 · Peak $79.99
- In-app list: AllTrails Plus $35.99 · AllTrails Peak $79.99
- Skip it if
- You mostly drive scenic roads and stop at viewpoints.
Offline: Plus: “With offline maps, wrong-turn alerts, and extra safety and planning features, your annual subscription gives you more tools.”
3 · Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. (for Recreation.gov)
Recreation.gov
Best for: Booking campsites, timed entry, tours and permits
If a park needs a reservation, this is where it lives: campsites, tickets, tours and permits, plus your digital tickets at check-in. The app is free; individual bookings carry their own fees (Rocky Mountain's timed entry, for example, has a $2 processing fee).
- Price
- Free app (booking fees vary)
- Skip it if
- Your park has no reservations and you're not camping.
Offline: The listing doesn't mention offline maps.
4 · Trailbehind, Inc.
Gaia GPS
Best for: Backcountry navigation and serious map layers
A topo-map navigator built for backpacking, backcountry and offroad routes. Recording, tracking and navigating are free; the 300+ map layers and offline downloads are listed under its paid Premium with Outside+ plan.
- Price
- Free · Premium $59.90 · with Outside+ $89.90
- In-app list: Gaia GPS Premium $59.90 · Gaia GPS Premium with Outside+ $89.90
- Skip it if
- You're sticking to the main roads and marked trails.
Offline: Premium: “Offline maps to download anytime.”
5 · Chimani, Inc.
Chimani
Best for: A guidebook-style trip planner with audio tours
A guidebook in an app: park guides, trip planning and GPS audio tours that narrate as you approach landmarks. It's free with ads; offline maps and guides are part of the paid plan.
- Price
- Free with ads · Premium from $35.99/yr
- In-app list: Chimani Premium (Annual) $35.99 · Monthly Subscription $19.99 · Quarterly subscription $29.99 · Chimani lifetime access $99.99
- Skip it if
- The free NPS app already covers what you need.
Offline: Its paid tier lists “Offline maps • Offline guides”.
6 · Stuck at Home LLC (that's us)
Park'd
Best for: Keeping score: checking off parks, logging trips, seeing your stats
Our app is a tracker, not a guide. Check parks off on a map, keep favorites, log trips with photos, notes, dates, a favorite memory and places to return to, and watch your stats (X of 63, by state, by year), badges and head-to-head Rankings grow. Each park also has its alerts, things to do, campgrounds, news and directions.
- Price
- Free · Premium $4.99/mo, $19.99/yr or $39.99 lifetime
- In-app list: Park'd Premium 1 Month $4.99 · Park'd Premium 1 Year $19.99 · Park'd Premium Lifetime $39.99
- Skip it if
- You need trail navigation, offline maps, bookings or a guidebook. Use one of the apps above.
Offline: Not a navigation app: our own listing points hikers to AllTrails or Gaia GPS for offline trail maps.
Where Park'd is the wrong app
We'd rather you have a great trip than install the wrong thing. Park'd is a tracker and trip log. It is not:
- A trail navigator. No GPS tracks, no offline trail maps. Our own App Store listing sends hikers to AllTrails or Gaia GPS, and so do we.
- A booking app. Timed entry, campsites and permits live on Recreation.gov. Here's which parks need one in 2026.
- A guidebook or audio tour. For self-guided tours and offline park content, the NPS app (free) or Chimani are built for it.
- A miles or wildlife log. Park'd logs trips (photos, notes, dates, a favorite memory, places to return), not distance hiked or species spotted.
What it is good at: a map of all 63 national parks to check off, favorites, trips, stats (how many of 63, by state, by year), achievements and badges, head-to-head Rankings of the parks you've seen, an Explore list of other NPS sites, and each park's alerts, things to do, campgrounds, news and directions. Premium is optional, and your account syncs.
Our pick: the four-app kit
- NPS app: download your park before you lose signal.
- Recreation.gov: only if your park or campsite needs a booking.
- AllTrails or Gaia GPS: for anything longer than a nature walk. Pay for offline maps if you'll be out of coverage.
- Park'd: tick the park off on the drive home and save the photos while you still remember the trail names.
No app? No problem.
How we compared
On October 1, 2026 we read each app's US App Store listing: the in-app purchase list for prices, and the description for features and offline support. We quote the listings rather than paraphrase where it matters (offline maps especially), and we left out anything a listing didn't say. The App Store doesn't always show what a subscription's billing period is, so where a listing didn't state it, neither do we.
Spot something out of date? Email contact@parkd.app and we'll fix it.
