iPhone Apps To Help Enjoy the Outdoors

Some folks feel that savoring nature requires leaving all material possessions at home. Others need a little help from technology. If you fall into the latter category (and let's face it, most of us do), you're in luck: A number of iPhone apps are designed to enhance our experiences in the wild. No matter what outdoor activity you prefer, there's an app for that.

For Hikers
The EveryTrail app works like a constantly evolving trail guide. Using the iPhone GPS system, the app will track your route and save the trip. Users can even upload camera pics and videos at various points during the journey. You can also search more than 300,000 trips logged by other travelers who use the app. The handy program will even use your phone's location to find trips near your current whereabouts. For hikers who prefer more standardized guides, try TopoPointUSA. The app lets users access official topographic maps created by the US Geological Society (USGS). And if you're hitting up a state or national park, trying using the FlyToMap app. This app can access maps of 50 US states and national parks, as well as water and lake maps.

For Skiers
For those who like hitting the slopes in winter, try the SkiReport app. Using your iPhone's location, the app pulls up nearby resorts. Users can then check a host of stats, like base depth, recent snowfall, weather conditions and ski reports from recent visitors. The best part? Downloading is totally free.

For Naturalists
For folks who enjoy spotting local flora and fauna try a couple of these informative apps. The Peterson Field Guides to Backyard Birds app allows users to search for and identify more than 180 different birds. The Wildflowers app helps nature-lovers spot more than 50 types of North American flowers. If bigger plants are what you fancy, try the Trees app. These apps still serve as great field guides, with a whole lot less paper.

For Adventure-Seekers
Geocaching is like a treasure hunt for the tech-savvy, so there's no better way to carry out the search than by using the Geocaching Toolkit app. One player hides a "treasure," while the others figure out how to find it based on a series of clues, puzzles, and calculations. If users get stuck, the app will help seekers figure out the more difficult equations.

For Former Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts
Chances are you've forgotten how to tie all the various knots needed to earn those merit badges. That's where the Knots, Splices and Ropework app comes in. The seriously unique app is a digital copy of the 1917 guidebook written by A. Hyatt Verrill, which provides illustrations of 154 knots, splices and cords. It also provides step-by-step instructions, just in case you get yourself into a scenario that warrants a "Slippery Hitch."

For Those Who Enjoy the Outdoors from Inside
If you're one of those people who would rather savor the outdoors from behind your bay window, fear not: There's an app for that. For every A Real Tree app downloaded, an actual, living tree gets planted in local communities. The program partnered with award-winning, tree-planting organizations to conduct its work, and the app even earned an endorsement from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

How do you like to spend your time outdoors - and what gear do you take to make the most of it?

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By Sarah Parsons of Inhabitat, an online magazine devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and design towards a smarter and more sustainable future. Written by a young tech-savvy team designers and design journalists, Inhabitat delivers fresh content daily, showcasing emerging work from the cutting-edge of the global design community.