Iowa State Parks, Forests & Rec Guide app review: your own personal pocket ranger

Iowa State Parks, Forests & Rec Guide by ParksByNature Network is a navigation app that will help you find your way around the Iowa State Parks and forests.

Introduction

Iowa State Parks, Forests & Rec Guide by ParksByNature Network is a navigation app that will help you find your way around the Iowa State Parks and forests. If you're planning a trip to an Iowa state forest or park use this app as your own personal pocket ranger with accurate and trustworthy information that was gathered by the Iowa Parks Foundation, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and ParksByNature Network. This ensures you are getting reliable and up-to-date information. The app was updated on May 17, 2013 and is available in English and Spanish.

User Experience

Despite the massive amount of content available in this app it manages to stay user-friendly. You will find that navigating the information is not only fun, but also quick, and easy. The app offers advanced GPS map technology for better performance and more accurate information/details.

Features

This as app gives you plenty of information if you're looking to get out there and make a visit to an Iowa state park. You can search for nearby parks, parks within a specific region, or parks with specific activities. The GPS maps included in the app make it possible for you to mark your waypoints, track the trails, locate all the landmarks in the park, and make use of interactive feature guides. By recording your data from your bike, hike, or run you can then visit the same trail again if you like. Tracking data includes the distance traveled and the elapsed time.

As well the app offers a built-in compass to help you find your way, a friend finder to track your friends and family also inside the park, and an alert feature that will send out your GPS coordinates in case of an unexpected emergency. Go ahead and snap a photo of a waypoint with the built- in photo tool. It also allows you to record co-ordinates of animal species, plant life, or landscape views. This information can be shared or posted for your family and friends to check out.

In-App Purchases

There are no in-app purchases.

Update Info

Version 5.0.1 featured a large amount of updates, enhancements, and changes, far too many to list. Some of the updates included support for the iPhone 5 screen size, a Places Near Me feature with improved loading time of GPS, and GPS landscape viewing.

Customer Ratings and Feedback Comments

There are no customer ratings at the time of publishing.

Personal Comments by Reviewer

Calling this a personal pocket ranger is an absolutely perfect name for this app. It is just packed with useful and interesting information you can check out before, during, and after your visit to an Iowa state park/forest.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Gives you park and forest information on Iowa state parks
• Offers GPS advanced maps
• The ability to track, share, and post your hiking, biking, running details
• A sleek and attractive looking user interface design

Cons

• At points there seems to be too much information which can make it a bit tedious to navigate

For: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad with iOS 5.1 or later. Iowa State Parks, Forests & Rec Guide is optimized for iPhone 5.