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Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Tom Pritchard

I love Google Maps, but it sucks for hiking — here's the app I use to avoid getting lost in the woods

Google Maps Google United States Tom Guide
Google maps logo on a phone screen.

I use Google Maps a lot, even when I don't actually need it. There's so much on offer in Google's navigation app, and so far I haven't been able to find an alternative that doesn't infuriate me when out on the road. But Google Maps is far from perfect, and as good as it is on the road, I've found it's absolutely useless off it.

I have two Labradors who need a lot of exercise and love to explore new areas. So I tend to do a lot of hiking and rambling through the nearby countryside to tire them out. Finding new footpaths and trails with Google Maps is a pretty miserable experience, because it has next to no information about them. So I've found a useful (and free) alternative in the form of Open Street Map.

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