Trailforks

Trailforks Ultimate Mountain Biking Companion for Trail Discovery and Navigation

That moment when you're deep in unfamiliar woods, tires skidding on loose gravel while rain clouds gather – I’ve been there too many times. Trailforks didn’t just solve my navigation panic; it transformed how I experience the wilderness. As someone who’s tested dozens of outdoor apps, this became my trailside bible for mountain biking, gravel grinding, and backcountry exploration. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or expedition rider, it’s the digital sherpa you never knew you needed.

Global Trail Database Opening the app feels like unrolling a treasure map. When planning my Moab trip last spring, I instantly accessed 700,000+ routes with elevation profiles and difficulty ratings. The relief was physical – shoulders relaxing as I bookmarked technical slickrock routes and flowy desert paths. What stunned me was discovering hidden local gems near Sedona through crowd-sourced photos, saving me from tourist-packed trails.

Real Time Trail Intel Last October’s near-disaster taught me this feature’s value. Minutes before a downhill sprint in Whistler, the app flashed red alerts about mudslides closing the trail. That visceral gut-punch of avoided danger? Priceless. Now I religiously check live updates – from other riders’ photos of icy patches to weather overlays predicting afternoon thunderstorms.

Offline GPS Navigation Remembering that heart-racing hour in Bentonville’s thickets still knots my stomach. Cell service vanished as dusk fell, but Trailforks’ downloaded topo maps guided me out via moonlight. The blue dot inching along the trail felt like a lifeline – each turn confirmed by slope-angle overlays preventing deadly drops. Now I pre-load routes religiously, the app’s compass mode eliminating orientation guesswork.

Community Powered Insights My eureka moment came during Colorado’s monsoon season. Stuck indoors, I scrolled the activity feed and discovered Pinkbike pros shredding dry trails I’d written off. Following their GPX routes next day felt like having local guides. That thrill of giving virtual "high-fives" after nailing a tricky segment? Pure dopamine. I’ve since shared trail repair photos that got immediate town council attention.

Multi Sport Topography Trailforks surprised me during a multi sport week in Bend. After morning mountain biking, we switched to hiking – same app displaying contour lines for waterfall routes. Watching my friend overlay land ownership maps to avoid private property? Genius. The slope shading feature literally saved our knees by redirecting us from a 40 degree incline.

Tuesday dawns crisp in Pisgah National Forest. 5:45 AM coffee steam fogs my screen as fingers trace digital elevation lines. I spot an unridden blue trail – 8.7 miles with river crossings. Hitting "record" sends that familiar vibration up my arm. Two hours later, sun piercing the canopy, the app buzzes again: storm alert. I reroute instantly, tires crunching pine needles toward shelter just as first raindrops smack my helmet.

Saturday group ride near Hurricane. We’re five riders strung along red rocks when Jake’s tire explodes. Panic flashes until I tap "share location" – emergency services pin us instantly. While waiting, we scroll trail reports showing a mechanic three miles ahead. Later, uploading ride stats to Strava, I notice Velo Magazine’s new route analysis. That evening, planning next week’s epic, I overlay BLM land maps to avoid restricted zones.

The pros? Launch speed rivals texting apps – crucial when trail decisions happen at speed. Sync with my Wahoo computer is seamless, ride stats appearing before I unclip. But during heavy downpours, I wish slope-angle maps rendered faster; that extra second of loading time feels eternal when you’re balancing on a ridge. Still, minor quibbles vanish when you need driving directions to obscure trailheads or last minute condition reports. Perfect for adrenaline junkies who treat trails as therapy – just spring for Pro. Unlocking Gaia GPS integration and Garmin base maps transformed my backcountry safety, while video tutorials upped my technical descending skills. If you’ve ever wasted vacation days on closed trails or gotten hopelessly lost, this is your game changer.