Colorado Trail Explorer Reviews

Works well and consolidates information from multiple agencies in one location. The new interface caught me by surprise on my most recent hike, but I was able to figure it out on the fly.

It looks like the newest update introduced a bug which makes the space bar operationally non-functional in the description field of a trip report. Looks like it enters and erases.

The last couple of updates have introduced an issue where ColoradoTrailExplorer complains if I’m taking pictures too long. It would be nice if that was changed somehow..

Okay, so after I wrote the scathing review, I found the red button - which does not show up on opening page, you must press the directional arrow in lower menu bar to find it - & recorded my walks. Two days in a row the same 5.6 mile trail I’ve walked for two years is now 7.1 & 7.2 miles respectively. I am comparing this to another mapping app which has always read within 0.2 miles of COTREX, so I know the original mileage was correct. Much as I’d like to brag about walking 7 miles daily before breakfast, that’s just not accurate. I always carry my phone in side pants pocket so there is no chance of extra movement being the sudden difference. Please fix this!!!
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…until the recent update that removed the Record A Trip feature. I hike daily with my dog near our home & thus am familiar with the official trails. We often go off trail through the woods, sometimes using COTREX to stay oriented & always to keep track of our route. Now all that’s available is the Create Route feature which makes assumptions about where I want to go based on input of only 2 location points, completely useless. After I transfer my 190 recorded trips to my computer, I’ll be deleting ColoradoTrailExplorer. So disappointed!

I have used almost every hiking app. This is the best for CO. By tapping the trailhead icon you can get directions, see miles and elevation, see exact weather conditions after scrolling down, (Temp, dew point, wind, windchill, direction of wind, surface wind and gusts, rain, snow, lightening, thunder…). Many other apps limit your trails to THIER configuration. With ColoradoTrailExplorer you can connect trails and make your own, see elevation gain, see dispersed camping areas, easily see water sources, etc. It takes a little bit to see all that ColoradoTrailExplorer can do, just keep clicking and exploring. I rarely use the filter to look for specific types of trails. I just use the map and look for established trails and trails I can connect together on my own. Links take you directly to the trail manager or park service. Some trails are managed by different counties or are in multiple forests/state parks; knowing what jurisdictions you are in comes in handy for emergency communications and/or rules, closures, etc. I have made over 60 trails and keep making more, love ColoradoTrailExplorer!

Colorado really has outdone itself with ColoradoTrailExplorer. There are so many trails on ColoradoTrailExplorer that you can’t find in any other tool AND you know their validity because it’s managed by the people who maintain them. Best part is it’s FREE You can download offline topo maps and satellite maps for FREE It has links to the associated GOV pages where applicable. The elevation profiles are amazing! I haven’t been using it that long, but I would love to see higher quality satellite images and the ability for users to post info and photos to trails. Ill be ditching all my other GPS apps except when I’m out of state. Would love to see Apple watch support.

Update: Bug below was fixed in latest release and now app works great.

I tried to record a trip when I was trail riding on my horse. I started the trip, then left ColoradoTrailExplorer running but turned off my phone screen to put it in my pocket. When I finished my ride, I opened my phone and ColoradoTrailExplorer said my trip had been paused right after starting because the screen was off. Who wants to hold their phone and keep the screen active for a whole trail ride, hike, bike ride, etc? Can you really not record a trip unless the screen stays active?

We have used ColoradoTrailExplorer on 4 hikes so far, and it has been fantastic! Every time the trail is vague or has multiple forks, this gives you the guidance you need. We went to a popular trailhead on the weekend that was packed. My wife joked that it looked like the security line at the airport. We used ColoradoTrailExplorer to find a nearby trail where we met zero other hikers in 5 miles, and the views were fantastic. It was so nice knowing exactly where you are on the trail, and knowing all the nearby trails. We also love the ability to download map blocks so you aren’t lost when there’s no cell service.

Love ColoradoTrailExplorer! The trail descriptions are great (thanks for using names and not just trail numbers). I use this on an old ruggedized iPad mounted to my ATV. Once I figured out how to keep the screen active when plugged in to power it works fabulous (settings / battery/display & brightness/auto lock/never). My only knock, and it is a tiny one, when tracking a route, the ATV trail tracking is brown. I would like to be able to select colors for specific rides as brown is really hard to see overlaid on the satellite topo view especially in bright sunlight. Other than that this is a must have app for Colorado trails.

EDIT: my first review was all wrong! ColoradoTrailExplorer has every trail you know of for moto, OHV etc. it gives you all the need to know info about it ( I like seeing if it’s a gravel road or real trail) I haven’t seen it yet on here but I still may be wrong, but it would be nice to have a feature to review the trails so people can hear if it’s in good shape, weather damaged etc. So far though this is by far the best app when it comes to being a motorcycle trail rider. It’s clear information so you know if you’re on a road=LP or trail=sticker so you won’t run into trouble.

While ColoradoTrailExplorer is pretty decent once you get the hang of it, it still isn’t no onX. I like that it can track you but it get very annoying having to turn my screen back on every couple of minutes while I’m trail riding taking my eyes off the road and a hand off the wheel which can always be dangerous. I would love to see a new feature where the phone screen doesn’t time out and shut off while you are using ColoradoTrailExplorer .

ColoradoTrailExplorer is so great! I just made a route for a backpacking trip by tapping points on the trails, and then saved it to my account. It includes the elevation profile, and you can download it to your phone. I don’t need any of those other apps anymore!
As a front ranger, I appreciate that ColoradoTrailExplorer will probably help spread all of us hikers out and decrease crowding on a lot of trails by making us aware of all the options nearby.
Thank you!

I applaud the State for putting out this project. Having an app like this is long overdue.
That said, I hope future iterations filter the data better. For example, when I hit the bike box, it gives suggestions for rides, but trails where no bikes are allowed are still shown. Someone traveling to Boulder, for instance, might incorrectly assume that the City’s trails on the west side allow bikes, which it does not.

I also recommend using colors other than green for trails, as many folks are red green color blind and will have trouble seeing the data.

Overall, thanks for a great new product, with improvements it can be five stars.

I was so excited when I first stared using ColoradoTrailExplorer , but I am now feeling frustrated and find myself using All Trails instead. Creating a custom route is tricky, and I accidentally deleted several before I got the hang of it. I also can't seem to turn a recorded route into a custom route. I just want a place to store all of the trails I've hiked and liked, but the way the categories are broken down is too granular and confusing. If ColoradoTrailExplorer were simplified and streamlined, it would be amazing!

When I am on the trail, I need to power my phone off then back on every time I want to use ColoradoTrailExplorer . If I only want to see the map of the trail I can just leave my phone on and open ColoradoTrailExplorer when I need it. But if I want to see the blue dot of where I am on the trail, I have to stand there doing the powering off then on thing. I have an iPhone XR, so it isn’t a matter of old technology, and these are trails with plenty of 4G bars. That said, I love how this includes every conceivable trail in the state.

Just make sure you download the map of where you are going before you get there. Satellite and road maps. We’ve been putting our phones on low power mode and backpacking 3-4 days still taking pics and using this map app. Fantastic.

I just downloaded and signed up for ColoradoTrailExplorer . I was excited to find the custom route feature! Unfortunately, it took a long time to figure out how to tag someone, then the person I tagged is getting an error when clicking the link I sent via text. I’ll keep poking around, but sharing/tagging other users is a differentiating feature that I was truly looking forward to using.

Hey it’s a good app thanks for making it. I would like to add a suggestion for ColoradoTrailExplorer . I am wondering if the team could add a feature that shows private land borders on the map. Also would like to know if the back country camp sites could be listed as well. Thanks again and take care app developers

This is an awesome app for off-roading in Colorado. Nice to see your location so you know were you are on a trail. Can ColoradoTrailExplorer be made to use on car play so I don’t have to look at my phone screen to see the map? That upgrade alone to me would make ColoradoTrailExplorer complete.

Thank you for ColoradoTrailExplorer !! We’re new to Colorado and this makes finding awesome trials in the area so easy. It’s easy to use and there’s an option to download locations just in case you lose reception. Lots of other cool stuff too like receiving achievement badges for completing cool challenges. Thank you so much!! 🙏

I love ColoradoTrailExplorer! I’ve used it multiple times out on hiking trips. I’ve discovered trails I had no idea were there from studying the map in various locations in the state. Wish they had apps like this for other states as well.

ColoradoTrailExplorer was so aggravating to use, I deleted it after 5 minutes. It is not user friendly at all. I mistyped my email address when signing up and couldn't find a place to update it. I tried to delete and recreate my account and now the account simultaneously doesn't exist and is already in use. Difficult to figure out which grids to download to get the trail you want offline. Couldn't figure out a way to make a route out of multiple trails. It's a mess.

Awesome app. Soooo much content. Super useful if you like hiking, especially when you’re on the road. I just love it.

Developers are on the ball, too: in 24 hours, they fixed a bug that prevented ColoradoTrailExplorer from working on iPhones. Keep up the great work, developer guys and gals!

ColoradoTrailExplorer is decent but significant differences between desktop and mobile. We’ve tried it for motorcycle guidance and the screen doesn’t update location or stay on. That’s useless. Hiking - I have trail open and follow along but not in guidance mode since it doesn’t work.

First off, I live in Colorado. I like ColoradoTrailExplorer so much, that I bought a used iPhone and hard mounted it to the handlebar on my dirtbike. It’s awesome for trail riding. I’ve used it to find new(to me) trails in my area. The only thing I would like to see added is a “4wd” or “Jeep” tab. There are tons of roads that are closed to OHVs, but open to vehicle/4wd traffic.

Update: Developer very responsive in fixing the iPad orientation issue. Thank you!

Needs to rotate to match orientation of devise. It's up-side-down on my iPad Pro w/ keyboard, so I can't use it at home for planning. Initial look is impressive though.

Did one ride (OHV 50+) to the Top of Argentine Pass. Trails were right on! GPS seems very precise. One thing I haven’t figured out is why some trails are Orange and others are Green (Can’t find a map legend in the program).