AllTrails

Traditionally casual walkers looking for walks would have bought a guidebook and map. This market has largely been transformed in recent years by phone apps. There’s a choice of such phone apps but by far the most popular currently is AllTrails. This has a large selection of hikes suggested by users, which are then reviewed by those who follow them, allowing others to judge from the comments if suitable etc. Someone sitting at home in a city apartment or on holiday down the country, can easily search an area, look through some of the curated walks and pick one.

This AllTrails virtual guidebook will then open GoogleMaps or AppleMaps and satnav your car or other journey to the nominated starting point. Switching then to the app itself, the user simply follows the familiar line on a basic map to find their way around the hike. It’s a very popular idea these days and obviously works well for many, particularly as basic use is free. There are a couple of things that can go wrong: firstly the user may choose a route that’s well beyond their ability & experience and get into trouble. Secondly of course, the phone app may cease to function due to lack of network coverage, poor gps signal, battery dying, getting wet or dropped. In which case, at best the party can hope to backtrack or meet others who will help them. Failing that it’s 999 or 112, if they still have coverage.

However there are also other drawbacks to this model. Consider the attached route and photo from a fairly rural part of Connemara but one popular with visitors in summer months. The AllTrails app clearly is attracting many people to this hike on Tully Hill, with consequent parking issues and access to the hill over fencing. Further up then the path is heavily eroded along the route of the published walk.

This is clearly very unsatisfactory, ideally the public should choose their own routes and spread wear & tear over multiple locations. But the public in general don’t have the skillsets for this and are being funnelled by the likes of AllTrails and others onto honeypot routes. Are AllTrails aware of this, do they care about it? I somehow doubt it as popular routes are what drives usage.

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