We Tried The HiiKER App's New TrailGPT Feature And It Led Us Down A Frustrating Path

Having grown up in Colorado, spending time outdoors is a way of life. Almost everyone I know has a hiking app of some kind. While, generally, I tend to lean on OnX, I also have a soft spot for AllTrails. Both are easy to use, and provide plenty of reviews when I need questions answered about a trail. They are also the perfect apps for helping to keep you safe while exploring the outdoors.  

However, as much as I love these two apps, I'm always searching for something new and fun to use. When I came across the HiiKER app, I was excited to see if it would offer something fresh and exciting. However, it was pretty obvious just from the first use that while HiiKER is a popular app internationally, it doesn't have many users in the United States. 

One thing that drew me in with HiiKER was its AI-powered feature called TrailGPT, which it released in the middle of 2024. Like similar-sounding programs online, it works by providing answers to any questions that users ask. Specifically, it focuses on questions surrounding a trail that hikers are considering, including what to wear, how to pack, conditions, amenities in the area, if dogs are allowed, whether hikers need a hiking backpack, how large of a water bottle to bring, if a permit is required, and so much more. It sounded like the perfect tool for beginners to help reduce some of the stress of planning a trip, but also as a helpful resource for experienced hikers who needed some quick answers for a new trail. Intrigued, I was eager to test it out. 

The app was a little overwhelming at first. It's always hard to adjust to using a new system, and this was definitely no exception. However, even as I got the hang of the different tabs and systems, I didn't find I was really fond of the design. The first thing I noticed was that even though HiiKER started adding trails from the United States to their database in 2020, it was relatively barren. There were a fair number of popular trails listed, but when it came to photos, user reviews, or less famous hikes, it was heavily lacking.

I also wasn't quite sure of the purpose behind the map tab on the app. It shows an overarching map, but I was unable to click on any of the paths I saw. Instead, I had to go to the search tab and find the trails from there. The map does allow you to see the coordinates, but I think having a completely separate spot for it was unnecessary. 

Another problem I noticed was that the app wasn't always accurate about the trail description, especially at the beginning. Often, when it first loaded, the information provided was inaccurate. For example, a trail would be listed in a different state, with the wrong elevation and distance. Sometimes, even the type description was incorrect. Usually, the page would adjust and correct itself, but I was often halfway into reading the description by the time this happened. If someone was just looking for a quick bit of information, they might not realize it was wrong, or be on the page long enough for the app to fix itself. These are essential points to planning out your hike correctly, and it's important that they're accurate. 

I was very excited to try the TrailGPT feature. This is one of the biggest perks that separates HiiKER from other apps like OnX and AllTrails, and I wanted to see how it stood out compared to the average hiking app. In particular, I was curious to test the accuracy of the answers that TrailGPT offered. ChatGPT has a bad (and well-known) habit of falsifying information if it's not able to find an answer easily. I wanted to see if TrailGPT did the same thing. So, not only did I ask questions about the trail I was going to, but some of the ones I knew well. 

The biggest problem I noticed was that HiiKER occasionally changed the length of a trail. For example, the one I chose to walk to test out the app was listed as a 3.02-mile looped path. However, while asking TrailGPT questions, it mentioned it was both 2.4 and 2.5 miles. On the official site, it was marked as a 2.7-mile loop and spur hike, making all three of the distances that HiiKER mentioned incorrect, but not terribly so.

Most of the time, though, if the question was too difficult, or the AI couldn't produce a straight answer, it ended up producing a vague response instead of something false. Overall, I did find it useful, especially for beginner hikers who need answers to things like what you should wear during your fall hiking trip or the biggest mistakes to avoid when packing for a hike. For specific questions, like if permits are required or if dogs were allowed, it gave pretty solid answers and was accurate. However, I think I would still be hesitant to trust TrailGPT alone, and would double-check any information on official sites before proceeding.

Planning a route wasn't the easiest process. For starters, the app didn't do well searching by town. Sometimes, it would work if the city was large, but it did best if you searched by county. While this is fine sometimes, there are times when a county is very large, which means some trails are farther than you want to travel to hike. Additionally, if you're traveling, you may not be sure of what county you are in, or which ones are nearby. The app also didn't offer suggestions based on your location. The search feature tends to showcase popular trails from other countries, instead of ones nearby as a default.

One of my biggest issues with the process of planning my hike was how few trails in the area the app actually mentioned. According to HiiKER (shown on the right, above), there were none within a 25-minute drive from me, and even those didn't have any photos or reviews, which I tend to rely heavily on to get a sense of the route, difficulty, terrain, and anything I should be aware of before heading out. However, looking at AllTrails, I had several options near me. When I did make my final decision on the route to take, I passed by a few well-marked and official paths along the way there. 

Even when I looked up these trails I saw by name, they didn't appear in HiiKER. This could be, in part, because the app uses slightly different names. The path I chose was called Bolens Bluff Trail, but HiiKER listed it as Bolen Bluff Loop Trail. While this is a minor difference, even skipping or adding a word can make it hard to find the hike you're looking for. 

I went on the hike with a friend who had OnX Backcountry — a fan-favorite for both of us. Together, we followed the trail, recording our path. Overall, I was impressed with this aspect of HiiKER. It managed to record most of the adventure and was pretty close to OnX in both distance and elevation. It even handled my frequent off-trail and double-backing without much of a problem, and the GPS was super accurate, even correctly determining when I was standing still and which way I was facing without any glitches. There were also no problems with me not having the app open the whole time either, as I often used some of my favorite and the most incredible apps that outdoor enthusiasts love to identify insects, birds, and plants while on the trail. It still kept accurate readings in the background. 

As I was hiking, I realized there were some things that would have been nice to know about the hike I didn't think to ask, such as if parking cost money, and how well-marked the trail was. When I asked TrailGPT these questions after my hike, the answers all came back correct, but were also not ones I initially thought about asking. 

TrailGPT does offer prompts for hikers like animals in the area, the history, weather, and what kinds of shoes to wear. As I used the app more, I think I would get a better idea of what to ask, but since HiiKER is aimed at hiking newbies, a few more prompts centered on things people need to bring and be aware of before starting the hike could be helpful.

I have to say, I wasn't terribly impressed with HiiKER. Although Florida isn't one of the most popular places to take a hike, I expected it to work a little better. Granted, searching through Colorado, where I usually hike, the app showed hundreds of trails and fairly good information about the hikes, but the lack of trails listed near me was a bit of a disappointment. Additionally, this app seems to be geared towards people who aren't familiar with the area they're hiking, which is where the AI should shine. However, I don't think it offered much more information than someone could find using one of the many other hiking apps available — especially more popular ones that have many reviews and photos on all the trails. 

I think HiiKER has the potential to be a useful app. Based on reviews and the high use in other countries, it does seem to provide some handy benefits. However, for the United States, it doesn't have a lot right now to make it stand out. Most of the information is easily found online, and with minimal reviews and a lack of trails, it's definitely lacking in some of the most important parts of a hiking app. 

With a little polishing of the app, clients, and a push to add more trails, this could turn out to be a great tool to help users avoid some of the most massive hiking mistakes. If you're traveling to another country, especially in countries part of and near to the United Kingdom, it could work a lot better. It's also worth keeping an eye on in future years to see if it manages to grow more useful in the United States. However, I don't think it's worth switching from your favorite hiking app just yet.