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National Geographic Maps in the Gaia GPS App
For over a century, National Geographic has published the world’s most authoritative and beautiful travel, reference, and outdoor recreation maps to guide explorers and adventurers around the world—while investing a large portion of the proceeds to fund science, exploration, conservation, and education.
Since 2009, Gaia GPS has been the go-to digital map and outdoor navigation app for the world’s top adventure guides and outdoor experts—offering the most complete and authoritative set of digital maps and navigation tools to discover and safely explore wild places.
These two brands are very serious about outdoor maps and adventure, and getting you out and back safely and efficiently.
Starting in 2018, National Geographic and Gaia teamed up to add NatGeo’s extensive and beloved collection of Trails Illustrated maps to the Gaia GPS app, and that partnership continues and expands, with new print maps being added to the app as soon as they are printed and published.
Map + App
Experienced modern outdoorspeople understand that the combination of map plus app provides the best and most efficient way to navigate and experience the outdoors, whether searching for their next hike or backcountry adventure, or deep in the wilderness trying to find their way to a natural feature or recreation facility or back to their vehicle.
Paper maps provide context to any trail or area, showing you the big picture and surrounding towns and points of interest, which makes them the best tool for scoping out and planning your adventures and discovering features to explore. Plus, they never fail due to cold, heat, or water, or lack of battery life or connectivity, making them an essential backup for any backcountry adventure.
Digital mapping apps are great for searching large collections of trails and features by name, showing where you are on the map, or helping you calculate your distance, direction, and elevation gain. Of course, it matters a lot which map an app is using, and it's best for the digital and print map to match up in order to seamlessly transition from paper to digital navigation and exploration.
Together, a map plus app will get you there and back safely and efficiently, whether you're on a tight expedition schedule or wandering and exploring a landscape.