Best Apps for Hikers: What the New Ulysses Update Brings to Travellers

When looking for the best hiking apps, people tend to focus on things like offline maps and precise GPS tracking. This makes sense, but there are more opportunities to consider, such as apps serving as supplements. They might not have hiker-centric features, but they still hold the power to make your hike much more organized and rewarding. Ulysses is among the best examples of such apps for iOS users. 

Initially, it was a strictly writing app, but at some point, more and more hikers began to use it as a travel journaling and planning tool. The latest Ulysses app update has introduced an even higher-level functionality, allowing users to keep both the sheet lists and the dashboard open and enjoy better system navigation and design. Find out how this update can help you with your hikes, and discover the 3 best GPS apps in general. 

Best 3 Apps for Hikers

We prepared quick overviews of the 3 best hiking apps every traveller should consider.

AllTrails

This is a hiking tracker app with an impressive database of trails and maps. Offline downloads are available, so you’ll be able to stay on track even when you’re deep in the forest. 

In addition, AllTrails is simple yet extensive enough to be of use to both newbies and experienced hikers. You can check the photos and reviews from other users to make sure you understand where you’re going. 

Gaia GPS

Gaia is the best app for walking for iPhone users: it offers highly detailed topographic maps and extensive route planning features. You can easily use it for offline navigation and even sync it with your Apple Watch, walking with minimal distractions while keeping both hands free.

Komoot

From all the iPhone GPS hiking apps, Komoot stands out due to its flexibility. You can use it for navigation in different ways: for instance, it can give you voice instructions, telling you where to move turn by turn. Its terrain insights are extremely detailed, and it offers support for both hiking and cycling activities.

The New Ulysses Update: What It Brings to Travellers

Without doubt, Ulysses is the best backpacking app that allows hikers to make plans, describe what they’re seeing even in locations with no Internet connection, and share travel notes with their audiences. The late 2025 update has been a welcome upgrade: take a look at what travelers can now do.

• Use an advanced editor. The updated Ulysses editor can now handle even larger documents; it has an improved bottom inset, too, so you can transition from editing to reading and vice versa smoothly and without worrying about losing your progress.  
• Integrate with GPS apps. You can copy your coordinates or route details from other hiking apps like AllTrails or Gaia in Ulysses and keep coordinated, combined logs; for example, you can merge technical data like trail length with your personal comments.  
• Organize travel writing. Ulysses has an excellent library structure with multiple groups and filters; it works offline, too, so you can write your trail logs, trip reports, and gear notes whenever you want. 
• Resize dashboards. You can resize dashboards in a way that works best for you now; in addition, you can open whatever lists you need without closing the dashboard.  

With Ulysses’ update, you can keep track of your day-to-day progress, describe your impressions, make records of the sights you’ve witnessed, and turn what you write into blog posts or PDFs with one click.   

Plan for a Perfect Hike 

Choose the best hiking GPS app for iPhone from the list we’ve discussed and get Ulysses as a writing-focused supplement. Combine technical observations and enhance them with your personal thoughts and comments; use the updated interface to make personalized setting choices. Rely on your apps to plan everything to a T and have safe, fulfilling hikes, immortalizing your memories by taking real-time notes.