Art of the Trek contacted me a few months ago to pick my brain about hiking and trip planning. The company opened shop in 2017 and offers a free trip-planning app for hikers that’s currently in beta mode. So the company is hoping to obtain feedback from people like YOU to help guide development decisions. And it expects to unveil a more polished version by mid-2020. Here, Art of the Trek’s Nicole Camboni shares basic information on how the app works.
What is Art of the Trek? 
Art of the Trek is a community-based, outdoor trip-planning app that enables hikers to research and plan successful adventures in one place. Right now, we’re available as a desktop/browser app and we’re testing an iOS mobile app. For a quick overview, check out our 1-minute video on YouTube.
What kind of features does the app provide?
Our app provides satellite and trail-view map layers. It also includes points of interest such as campsites, scenic locations, huts/shelter, camera feeds, fires and trailheads. For all of these points of interest, we provide all of the information you need and want to know.
For example, our campsite entries include the elevation, water availability, opening times and price. We also mention whether there are fire pits, huts or shelters, or food storage lockers. And we list reservation/permit requirements and tent platform use requirements, plus include photos. Trailhead information includes parking availability, phone coverage and winter access, plus information on private shuttles, public transportation and hours of operation.
In addition, users will be able to take notes and photos of real-time water source information, trail conditions, etc. and share them on Art of the Trek to help others.
How does it work?
Our app is easy to use. Head on over to Art of the Trek to get started. Be sure to play with map layers, create and save a hiking route, include points of interest, and add tripmates and emergency contacts.
Also, don’t miss our Permit Concierge Service, where we secure all permits and reservations for your hike/camping trip. This means no phone calls or tedious paperwork for you. Right now, as our business gets going, we’re offering this service free of charge. You just have to pay the cost of the permits/reservations. To request this service, you need to have at least one emergency contact added to your trip and select “Permit Concierge” from the dropdown menu next to your saved trip.
Let Us Plan Your Next Trip!
So far, we’ve provided tools so you can plan your own custom routes, but we don’t yet have a lot of individual trails or trips catalogued. The good news is that we’re now taking trip requests. We’ll design a custom route for exactly the trip you’re looking to take at no cost to you. That’s right – for free!
Here’s how it works. You tell us what you’re looking for in a trip and we’ll provide a well-researched route complete with photos, trailheads, campsites, scenic locations, permit and reservation info, helpful notes and everything else you need in one tidy package.
If you’d like us to plan a trip for you, click here.
What makes you different than other outdoor apps?
We’re aiming to be the first “one-stop shop” for the outdoor community. That is, a place where you can research trips, plan trips, navigate while in the field, and create and share trip reports.
Why don’t I see points of interest in my home region or where I’d like to hike?
They’re coming soon! Our research team is working around the clock to research and enter points of interest all over the world. Right now, we’re prioritizing the most well-traveled areas across the globe, including the western United States, British Columbia in Canada, and parts of Australia and Europe. In the meantime, you can still use the app to plan a route and even add your own points of interest.
That being said, if you’d like us to prioritize a specific area for research and entry, let us know by filling out this short form and we’ll be sure to get to your favorite hiking areas first!
I want to learn more!
Great! We’d love to hear from you! It’s important for us to be connected to the community and base our feature development directly on input from hikers like you, so we welcome your feedback and suggestions! Please send a note to Nicole at nicole@artofthetrek.com and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
