Top 5 iPhone Hiking Applications I Wouldn't Mind Seeing (or Using)

Usually, when I'm hiking, I try to keep things low-tech. The only electronic device I have in hand is my digital camera. My iPhone stays safely in a pouch in my backpack. But yesterday, I began to think about ways my iPhone could possibly enhance my hiking experience.

For fun, I made a list of iPhone features or applications that could make hiking or visiting parks even more enjoyable. Here are my favorite five. It should be noted that some of these might already exist and a couple are tongue-in-cheek.

1. iCompass
It would be great if I could press a button on the screen and an arrow appeared, indicating magnetic north, if for no other reason than to confirm if my actual compass was telling me the truth. I know somebody has already created a simple compass application, but it has two limitations that are hard to overlook. First, it only works when the sun is out. Second, it doesn't work during Daylight Savings Time (or as the creator states "summer time is not supported"). In other words, it only works 25% of the year. That also means that if I got lost this weekend, the soonest the compass could help me would be the first sunny day in November.

2. onThisSpot
How about an application that determines your coordinates and then finds all of the geotagged photos and videos taken within a given distance of your current location? You could specify the provider (Flickr, Picasa, YouTube, Revver) and time frame (last 6 months, 1972, etc.). Of course, this could be dangerous around places like Glacier Point in Yosemite... "onThisSpot found 15,162,342 photos taken within five feet of your location. Display all?" A potential add-on to this program: onThisSpot: Seasons. As the name implies, it would show you what your location looks like during the peak winter, spring, summer, and fall.

3. The iDentifier
Instead of buying a thick booklet or several waterproof pamphlets, why not have an application that allows one to identify various animals, plants, and trees just by touching the screen? One would have to select the region and make the initial determination about the nature of the item in question, namely, is it an animal, plant, or tree, but once that hurdle was cleared, the program would help the user hone in on the ultimate identity. Of course, with my luck, the iDentifier would tell me something like, "You are looking at a common Poppy Oak Bear." Possible add-ons: track, scat, and bird call identifiers (just have the bird tweet clearly into the phone and the program does the rest).

4. Parkcasts
Not to be confused with Parkcast, a podcast that focuses on the issue of podcasting in national parks, but doesn't actually provide park podcasts. What I want to see are podcasts I can put on my iPhone or iPod that will enhance my experience as I visit popular points of interest in a given park. The best example of what I'm talking about can be found on Civil War Traveler, which offers battlefield podcasts for PDF map to carry with you, and enjoy a thirty-minute walking tour led by a park historian. Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks already offer podcasts, but it would be nice to see other parks podcasting, too.

5. ePassport To Your National Parks
How about an electronic version of the National Parks Passport? Instead of a 100-page booklet with a limited amount of space for stamps and stickers, have an application that allows the carrier to collect electronic stamps, images, or audio files as small keepsakes. The other benefit would up-to-date maps, park information, and photographs. This one came to mind because I'm always misplacing my passport or forgetting to have it handy when we're at a visitor center. I end up stamping a receipt and inserting it into the booklet after the fact.