Lost Trail

Lost Trail lets users plan multi-day hikes, track activities, view weather, record routes. Future updates will include social features like following, joining trips, and private invites. iOS 18+ only.

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Note: the app supports iOS 18+

Inspiration

The inspiration for Lost Trail came during a multi-day hike in the Lake District, UK, while living in London. My friends and I struggled to plan routes and share them, and I saw the need for a simple app that would allow hikers to create trips, set routes, and share their adventures easily. This experience motivated me to create an app that could make hiking more social and organized.

What it does

Lost Trail allows users to plan multi-day hikes by dropping pins on a map to create custom routes. It also provides real-time weather information for each trip and allows users to record their hiking or running activities, displaying key metrics like route, speed, time, and distance. Users are required to create an account in order to save a trip.

How we built it

Lost Trail is built in SwiftUI for iOS 18+. For displaying hiking trails it uses Apple Maps, on iOS 18+ Apple Maps support topographic routes. The backend is written in NestJS and is hosted on AWS. Premium subscriptions are implemented using RevenueCat.

Challenges we ran into

One of the main challenges was designing a seamless user experience that allowed route creation with just a few taps while keeping the interface clean and intuitive. Another hurdle was syncing weather information and ensuring the app could handle dynamic data updates during trips. Managing real-time activity tracking without draining battery life was also a technical challenge.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud of the app’s ability to create detailed routes effortlessly, making trip planning accessible to all users. Additionally, the integration of real-time weather updates and activity recording with speed and distance metrics adds real value for hikers. The future social features we’re planning also represent a major step toward building a community around the app.

What we learned

Throughout this journey, we learned the importance of user-centered design, especially for outdoor apps where simplicity and reliability are key. We also gained valuable experience with cloud-based services, real-time data handling, and optimizing battery life for continuous activity tracking.

What's next for Lost Trail

The next steps for Lost Trail are to introduce social features that allow users to follow other hikers, join public trips, and create private trips with personal invitations. We also plan to expand our route-building capabilities, adding more customization options and improving trip-sharing features. Ultimately, we aim to build a vibrant community where users can discover new trails and connect with fellow hikers.

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