Goat Maps 4+

I’ve always enjoyed using Gaia GPS, but I’ve honestly been looking for an app that’s a little less complicated and easier to navigate. At the same time, I wanted to be able to do all the things that are important to me when using a GPS app… Downloading different varieties of maps, live stat tracking while navigating off-line, a solid base map, etc.

I’m happy to say that Goat Maps does all of these things. I was very happy to be involved in the beta testing and was able to use it for a successful trip through the Box Creek - Death Hollow wilderness in Utah.

Very promising app that I’m confident is going to be the next great GPS app for off-line wilderness navigation!

Goat Maps shows potential, but its limited features are a drawback. Although I am still searching for a viable alternative to GaiaGPS, I am doubtful Goat Maps will soon offer the functionality required for a full transition. Importing data into Goat is seamless as of this week, but it lacks full compatibility with Gaia's features; for example, it doesn’t carry over all pin colors or icon matches. Goat has stated it will not support as many icons as Gaia, nor will it include emojis—a disappointment, as many Gaia users value its advanced waymarking capabilities, not just its trail routing. Additionally, Goat’s icons are too small to be legible from a distance. On the positive side, Goat is precise in tracking mileage, operates quickly, and remains uncluttered. I’ll keep an eye on Goat’s progress, but for now, Gaia remains the necessary choice.

This shows great promise as an alternative to other paid map apps and the problems with those, but still lacks some critical things that Gaia offers. There’s no full-featured web interface for route planning (come on, route planning on a tiny mobile device screen is excruciating) and it completely lacks map keys (If they’re in there I haven’t found them yet and they need to be better exposed) and detailed information on trails such as seasonal open dates, road surface type, etc. Hopefully these things are in the works. The good stuff … so far no crashy bugginess and seems very speedy. Haven’t tried it in offline mode, so verdict isn’t in on that yet. #following …