Trail Scout is an iPhone and Apple Watch app that helps you locate trails using trail files. Load a GPX/KML track or route file, and Trail Scout GPS calculates the straight-line distance and compass bearing from your current location to the closest point on the trail.

Trail Scout GPS runs on iPhone and pairs with Apple Watch for at-a-glance information. Specific minimum OS versions will be listed on the App Store page at launch.

GPX (GPS Exchange Format) is a standard XML-based file format for storing GPS data — tracks, routes, and waypoints. Most trail apps and websites like AllTrails, Gaia GPS, and Komoot let you export routes as GPX files.

KML (Keyhole Markup Language) is a similar XML-based format originally developed for Google Earth. It stores geographic features including paths and polygons, and is commonly used by Google Maps, Google Earth, and some land management agencies. Trail Scout GPS supports both formats.

Yes. Trail Scout GPS reads both <trk> (track) and <rte> (route) elements from a GPX file.

You can download GPX/KML files from hiking platforms like AllTrails, Gaia GPS, Komoot, or Wikiloc. Many national park and land management websites also offer downloadable GPX/KML files.

Trail Scout GPS calculates the straight-line (as-the-crow-flies) distance from your current GPS location to the nearest point on the trail. This may not be the actual travel distance to the trail.

Bearing is the compass direction from your current location toward the nearest point on the trail, expressed in degrees (0–360°) and as a cardinal direction (N, NE, E, etc.).

Tapping the Track Trail button starts a Live Activity that keeps your trail distance and bearing visible on your iPhone's Lock Screen and Dynamic Island — so you get at-a-glance updates without opening the app.

Live Activities for Trail Scout GPS appear on the Lock Screen for all iPhones on iOS 26.0 or later. Live Activities for Trail Scout GPS also appear in the Dynamic Island appear on iPhone 14 Pro or newer on iOS 26.0 or later.

Tap the Stop button or swipe the Live Activity off the Lock Screen.

Trail Scout GPS updates the Live Activity in tandem with your existing GPS location updates, so there is no significant additional battery cost beyond normal GPS usage.