The true joy and benefit from spending time outdoors is disconnecting from the distractions of daily life and instead connecting with your natural surroundings. Leaving technological distractions at home is, generally speaking, an important aspect of the experience.
Nevertheless, some electronic devices can enhance your family's time outdoors. Key among them are smartphones like Apple's iPhone. These mobile devices are mini computers that can run programs (called apps), provide internet access and feature built-in GPS functionality.
A growing library of apps have been developed for the outdoor-minded. They range in purpose from mapping to bird identification and everything in between. We've compiled a list of some great iPhone apps designed to enhance your family time outdoors.
To read more about an app or download it, be sure to click on the 
icon!
App Categories:
Trail & Mapping Apps
Camping Apps
Bird, Animal & Plant Guide Apps
Park Guide Apps
Weather Apps
Fishing Apps
Biking Apps
Wilderness Survival Apps
Outdoor Education Apps
Outdoor Publication Apps
AccuTerra
AccuTerra provides GPS tracking and on-demand maps for hiking, running, biking, skiing, snowboarding and camping.
Price: FREE; Map downloads cost extra.
EveryTrail
EveryTrail allows users to track their hiking trips and share the GPS tracks. There are also downloadable audio guides.
Price: FREE
iHikeGPS
iHikeGPS makes GPS tracks on topographical maps optimized for mobile use.
Price: $7.99
iTrail
iTrail provides GPS recording and sports performance tracking.
Price: $2.99
Camp Finder
The Camp Finder app by Camping Road Trip, LLC allows to find campgrounds and RV parks while they are on-the-go.
Price: $2.99
Coleman Campfire Tales
The Coleman Campfire Tales app provides a series of scary stories to read around the campfire.
Price: FREE
Coleman Classic Camping Cookbook & Meal Planner
Coleman's Classic Camping Cookbook & Meal Planner app provides meal planning, recipes and shopping lists for campsite meals.
Price: FREE
MI Camping and Recreation Locator
MI Camping and Recreation Locator is an official app provided by the state of Michigan and that allows families to search for locations for camping and boating.
Price: FREE
NY Campground & RV Park Guide
Provided by the Campground Owners of New York, this app allows users to search for nearby campgrounds, see detailed photos and lists of amenities, get special deals and save specific campgrounds to a favorites list.
Price: FREE
Bird, Animal & Plant Guide Apps:
iBird Explorer Plus
Awarded Macworld Magazine's "Best Reference App 2009", iBird Explorer Plus is the premier bird identification app. It has detailed bird descriptions and 5 hours of audio bird songs.
Price: $19.99
Fotopedia Wild Friends
Candid photographs of European wildlife captured by Wild Wonders of Europe, a photography-based conservation communication initiative.
Price: FREE
MyNature Animal Tracks
MyNature Animal Tracks is an award-winning app that aids in the identification animal tracks. There is a searchable database of tracks with integrated range maps and animal descriptions.
Price: $4.99
MyNature Tree Guide (Read Review)
MyNature Tree Guide aids in the identification of over 200 trees in North America. There is a identification wizard that steps through the identification process.
Price: $4.99
Chimani Acadia (Read Review)
Chimani Acadia is a comprehensive guide to Acadia National Park in Maine. The GPS-enabled app features points of interest, an audio tour and bus schedules.
Price: $4.99
Chimani Cape Cod National Seashore
Chimani Cape Cod National Seashore is a comprehensive guide to Cape Cod National Seashore. The GPS-enabled app features points of interest, an audio tour and beach guide.
Price: $2.99
Chimani Grand Canyon National Park
Chimani Grand Canyon National Park is a comprehensive guide to Grand Canyon National Park. The GPS-enabled app features points of interest, an audio tour and trail guide.
Chimani Yosemite National Park
Chimani Yosemite is a comprehensive guide to Yellowstone National Park. The GPS-enabled app features points of interest, an audio tour and shuttle bus schedule.
Price: $4.99
Fotopedia National Parks
Fotopedia National Parks provides a visual slideshow of U.S. National Parks that features 3000 photographs from famous professional photographer QT Luong.
Price: FREE
National Geographic Society National Park Maps HD
The National Geographic Society National Park Maps app provides detailed maps for 15 popular National Parks.
Price: $4.99
Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder™
Oh, Ranger! ParkFinder is an app for searching parks by location and activities.
Price: FREE
Park Guides
The National Parks Conservation Association free field guide provides information about 50 National Parks.
Price: FREE
Pocket Ranger - Approved NC State Parks Guide
The Pocket Ranger Approved NC State Parks Guide app was created in cooperation with North Carolina State Parks & provides maps, GPS features, activities in each park and event calendars.
PRICE: FREE (Can be upgraded to PRO EDITION for $3.99)
Pocket Ranger - GA State Parks & Historic Sites Guide
The Official GA State Parks Guide app Pocket Ranger was created in cooperation with North Carolina State Parks & provides maps, GPS features, activities in each park and event calendars.PRICE: FREE
Pocket Ranger - New York State Parks Guide
Pocket Ranger's New York State Park Recreational Guide provides detailed information about parks, access to online reservations, calendar of events and GPS mapping.
Price: FREE
Pocket Ranger - NJ State Parks & Forests Guide
The Official NJ State Parks & Forests Guide is powered by Pocket Ranger and features GPS mapping, facility information, calendar of events and more.
Price: FREE
Pocket Ranger - The Official CT State Parks Guide
The Official CT State Parks & Forests Guide by Pocket Ranger offers cacheable maps with GPS functionality, park information and calendar of events.
Price: FREE
Pocket Ranger - The Official DE State Parks Guide
The Pocket Ranger Official DE State Parks Guide app was created in cooperation with Delaware State Parks & provides maps, GPS features, activities in each park and event calendars.
PRICE: FREE (Can be upgraded to PRO EDITION for $3.99)
Pocket Ranger - The Official KY State Parks Guide
The Pocket Ranger Official KY State Parks Guide app was created in cooperation with Kentucky State Parks & provides maps, GPS features, activities in each park and event calendars.
PRICE: FREE (Can be upgraded to PRO EDITION for $3.99)
Pocket Ranger - Official Guide for Pennsylvania State Parks & Forests
The Pocket Ranger Official Guide for Pennsylvania State Parks & Forests was created in cooperation with Pennsylvania State Parks & Forests and Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation. The app provides maps, GPS features, activities in each park and event calendars.
Price: FREE (Can be upgraded to PRO EDITION for $3.99)
Pocket Ranger - RI State Parks Guide
Pocket Ranger's Official RI State Parks Guide provides GPS mapping, park information and policies, calendar of events and more.
Price: FREE
Pocket Ranger - VA State Parks Guide
Navigate through VA State Parks with the official guide from Pocket Ranger. This app features cacheable maps and advanced GPS functionality, plus detailed information about each park.
Price: FREE
Pocket Ranger - WY State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails Guide
Pocket Ranger's Official WY State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails Guide is a detailed resource offering contact information, park policies, activities, trails, maps and more. GPS mapping also provides a photo waypoint feature to mark the coordinates of landscape views and other outdoor photos.
Price: FREE
AccuWeather.com
Price: FREE
Pollen.com Allergy Alert
Pollen.com Allergy Alert app help adventurers get pollen forecasts for their local area and stay informed of other environment factors like ultraviolet intensity.
Price: FREE
Sun Alert
The Weather Channel
Price: FREE
Zyrtec AllergyCast
The Zyrtec AllergyCast App provides local pollen forecasts including top allergens.
Price: FREE
Cabela's Recon Fish
Cabela's Recon Fish helps anglers track their fishing trips, share photos, view weather reports, and mark fishing hot spots. An optional Recon Elite membership provides detailed depth contours for thousands of lakes.
Price: FREE
MyNature Fishing Knots
MyNature Fishing Knots provides an animated guide to common fishing knots and their use.
Price: $0.99
B.iCycle - GPS cycling computer for Road & Mountain Biking
B.iCycle is a best-selling cyclometer app for your iPhone that features maps from OpenCycleMap.
Price: $9.99
cyctastic GPS cycle computer
cyctastic is a GPS cycle computer for racing, road and mountain biking that records time, distance, calorie consumption, speed and elevation of your rides.
Price: $5.99
Ride the City - NYC
Ride the City - NYC provides bike routes through New York using the OpenStreetMap project. Users can enter start and end points and and a custom route is generated based on current traffic conditions and the presence of dedicated bike lanes.
Army Survival for iPad/iPhone
Bear Grylls - Bear Essentials
The Bear Grylls Bear Essentials app provides survival hands-on advice, interactive instruction manual and a wilderness quiz.
Price:$2.99
Bear Grylls - Knots
Bear Grylls provides a comprehensive guide to knots for many different scenarios.
Price:$0.99
iSurvive Wilderness
The iSurvive Wilderness app serves as a reference for outdoor survival and includes information about first aid, navigation and rescue techniques.
Price: $1.99
Wilderness Survival Skills, a Sierra Club deck of Knowledge Cards
This app from the Sierra Club offers 48 knowledge cards for treating injuries in the field and other wilderness survival skills.
Price: $2.99
Let's Go Chipper
Award-winning educational app to aid children in connecting to the natural world around them.
Price: $4.99
Field and Stream Online
Companion app to Field and Stream Magazine.
Price: FREE
Updated: January 19, 2013. Please note that app details and prices are subject to change.