CWS: Camping, Paddling, Hiking
Trip Planner & Offline Maps
Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Offline maps for the miles with no signal. Plan the trip, follow it with the screen off, and leave a float plan somebody at home can act on. Premium adds the AI Coach.
Offline maps for the rivers, swamps and backcountry where your phone loses signal, plus a trip planner and a float plan that tells someone at home if you are late. Free to try with no account. Offline maps and the AI Coach come with Premium.
Built by Rodney Thompson in Saint George, Georgia, in Okefenokee country, where he and his wife Tina paddle and camp the blackwater rivers.
A trip planner built for the outdoors
CWS is not a trail database or a social feed: it's a complete trip planning system that works before, during, and after every adventure. A guided intake walks you through your route, group, experience level, and gear, then builds a personalized plan that accounts for real skill gaps, not a generic checklist.
Somebody at home always knows
Set your return time and send a float plan to the people who would worry. If you do not check in, CWS reminds you. If you still do not, they are told you are overdue. Tap I'm Back Safe and they know you are home. Press it with no signal and the check-in is saved on your phone and sent the moment you have bars again.
Live conditions, everywhere
Every trip plan in CWS is backed by real data:
- Satellite and topographic maps online, plus offline region packs (Premium) with named rivers, canoe trails, landings, camps and hazards: no cell signal required
- Live weather forecasts refreshed every 15 minutes for your exact coordinates
- USGS streamflow and river gauge data for paddlers checking conditions before launch day
- GPS tracking during your trip, with location sharing for your emergency contact
Designed for hikers and paddlers
Hiking trips include elevation profiles and terrain-based gear templates. Paddling trips include put-in and take-out logistics and live USGS gauge readings. Both trip types use the same skill-gap workflow.
A course library that connects to your trips
Fifteen complete courses: from blackwater basics and canoe camping to navigation, wilderness first response and advanced river handling: with 169 modules in video, audio, and written formats. Earn downloadable PDF certificates. Your course progress feeds directly into your trip planner so CWS can see what you know and recommend what to learn next.
AI Coach: the experienced friend in your pocket (Premium)
Premium subscribers get the AI Coach: a purpose-built outdoor assistant trained to help with your route, your conditions and your experience level. Ask it about water crossings, navigation decisions, gear tradeoffs, or emergency protocols. It knows your trip history and the current forecast at your destination.
Premium features include:
- Unlimited saved trip plans
- Offline region packs for the regions we cover
- AI Coach for personalized trip advice and coaching
- PDF trip reports ready to share with your emergency contact
- Live location share, so someone at home can follow your trip
GPS track recording is free for every account.
Privacy first, no ads, ever
Your location data is yours. CWS does not sell data and does not show ads. If you choose to use the AI Coach or AI trip plans, your question and the trip it is about are sent to our AI provider, Anthropic, to answer it, and only after you agree in the app. You can turn that off at any time.
Subscription details
CWS Premium is an auto-renewing subscription, billed monthly or yearly through your Apple ID. Payment is charged at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel in your App Store account settings.
CWS Premium is a monthly or yearly subscription. Current prices and any new-subscriber offer are shown in the In-App Purchases list on this page and in the app before you subscribe.
Privacy Policy: https://campingwildernessskills.com/privacy
Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Fixes from a full test of every screen. Save as PDF, Share and file exports now open your phone's share sheet. Certificates lay out correctly and have a Back link. River profiles for names like St. Marys now load, and the river list shows every river with a filter box. Day hikes no longer ask for a camping spot. Clearer messages when you are offline or something cannot be saved.
The developer, Rodney Thompson, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
- Purchases
- Location
- Contact Info
- User Content
- Identifiers
- Usage Data
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Diagnostics
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Rodney Thompson
- Size
- 17 MB
- Category
- Navigation
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 15.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 15.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 15.0 or later. - iPod touch
Requires iOS 15.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Location
- This app may use your location even when it isn’t open, which can decrease device battery life.
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
18+
- 18+
- Contains
User-Generated Content
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- CWS Premium Monthly $9.99
- CWS Premium Annual $49.99
- Copyright
- © 2026 Blackwater Outdoor Journeys LC
