Trailforks: Offline Bike Maps

Screenshots

About Trailforks: Offline Bike Maps

Trailforks is a trail database & map with over 650,000 trails. Users can contribute data and then local trail associations have the control to approve & curate the data.

Get 14 days of free app use, then upgrade to Trailforks Pro to unlock the map world-wide. Otherwise continue to use the map in your local area for free.

App Features:

- The largest database of mountain bike trails in the world, including thousands of biking related POI's

- Offline trail maps and info. Region updates are incremental and fast

- See your GPS location on the map, for trail navigation

- Record your GPS location during ride creating a track

- Display trail & route elevation profiles and 'scrub' along them to see the location on the map

- View local routes that users have created

- View trail logs from users and discover how to explore a new trail

- Automatic trail routing from your location (or nearest parking lot), to the trailhead of your choosing

- Sync and view your saved plans from the Trailforks website

- Follow race course routes including colored stages and checkpoints

- Lookup region & trail info including routes, photos, videos & more

- Use your phone’s compass to orientate the map in the direction you’re facing

- View trail status & reports! Always be informed of up-to-date trail conditions & closures

- Submit trail reports & conditions from the app, including taking photos of trail issues

- Support the areas you ride, by donating 'Trail Karma'

- View nearby bike shops on the map, quick links for directions or phoning the shop

- View trails on map color coded by popularity

- Mountain biking heatmap!

- View custom worldwide topo maps designed for outdoor trail activities

The Trailforks app is your mobile companion to the Trailforks website. It allows you to download offline trail maps for use on your rides!

Terms of Use: https://www.trailforks.com/about/tou/?source=tfapp&app=1 and https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Version

App Information

What everyone's saying

Reddit's mountain biking community cant decide if Trailforks is worth the money. Found a 200+ comment thread where experienced riders defend the $54 yearly price while newcomers call it highway robbery. One guy wrote "it's saved our bacon more than once" but another deleted it after the price jump, saying MTB Project does everything for free.

The forums are even more split. MTBr has folks saying they'd pay $100 for it because they travel constantly, while others are switching to just asking local bike shops for trail advice again. Someone mentioned getting the Outside+ bundle for $89 gives you Gaia GPS too, which... actually might be the move if you do more than just biking.

How it compares to the competition

Three weeks of getting lost (then found)

Started using this after getting lost with my 3-year-old while hiking. That was fun. Downloaded Trailforks that night.

First ride with it? Confusing as hell. The interface looks like it hasnt been updated since 2015. Took me 20 minutes just to figure out how to download my local trails for offline use. Then discovered you cant actually do that without paying. Great.

But here's what happened - used the free version for two weeks, which now gives you your entire state instead of that tiny circle they used to restrict you to. The blue dot showing your exact location on the trail? Game changer. No more stopping at every intersection wondering if you're about to end up on some black diamond death trap.

Week 3 I caved and bought Pro. Why? Was heading to Moab and wanted offline maps. The download process still sucks (you have to know the exact region name), but once you have them, theyre solid. Battery drain is minimal - used 4% over a 3-hour ride with the screen on constantly.

The trail condition reports are clutch. Saw someone posted "tree down at mile 2" literally an hour before my ride. Saved me from hauling my bike over a massive oak. You can add your own reports too, even attach photos.

What drives me crazy: the Apple Watch app they JUST released doesnt sync properly half the time. And why do I need to create a "ridelog" to see my stats? Just show me how far I went without making it complicated.

The pros and cons

my honest take

Is Trailforks essential? Depends where you ride. If you stick to local trails you know by heart, save your money. But if you travel to ride or explore new systems regularly, yeah its probably worth it.

The Android reviews from last month are brutal - apparently the app was broken for weeks and they only just fixed it. Makes you wonder about long-term reliability when Outside Inc owns like half the outdoor apps now.

Here's my advice: use the free version for your 14 days, really test it out. If you find yourself checking it constantly, spring for the year. If you only pulled it up twice, stick with MTB Project.

For what its worth, I'm keeping my subscription. Not because I love the app (I dont), but because when you're 10 miles into unfamiliar singletrack and the sun's setting, that blue dot is worth way more than $54.