iPhone app helps explorers blaze trails

SALT LAKE CITY — Ever find yourself in an unfamiliar place with a very familiar urge to run, hike or bike?

Usually, outdoor enthusiasts are left to their own abilities to explore, navigate or find locals with knowledge of the best trails.

Thanks to North Face and EveryTrail, adventure seekers have a new way to see places without the wandering or frustration that can accompany trying to blaze new ground. North Face announced its North Face Trailhead Application, powered by EveryTrail, for the iPhone at this week's Outdoor Retailers Summer Market in Salt Lake City.

"It makes it easy to find out where the trails are on the fly and tells me everything I need to know before I get there," said Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, an athlete on the North Face team. "Sharing my latest ride with elevation and photos is a super cool way to connect with the crew and get us stoked out on the next ride."

With a couple of touches — and my zip code — I quickly found a dozen recommended trails. Some I knew about, others I didn't.

The program gives you mileage, location, pictures, reviews and just about anything else you might want to know before you go.

The Trailhead app offers route tracking with a real-time map thanks to GPS that monitors distance, speed and elevation.

You can search by location, activity or user ratings — and once you find a trail, the program offers you directions. The trails are mapped by users, so they're constantly being updated.

The best part is that its free.

Everytrail.com content delivers the world's greatest trail information, and we are thrilled the North Face selected us to power (the application)," said Katherine Bose, vice president of business development and marketing at EveryTrail. "The North Face is further enabling users, especially mobile users, with an easy way to learn about the great trails in the their backyards, complete with driving directions to the trailhead, so they can get outdoors and explore."

To download the North Face Trailhead Application for free, go to appsto.re/tnftrailhead.

The Outdoor Retailer Summer Market runs through Friday and features products and companies from around the world.

e-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com