Back to Support / On the trail
The guided, phone-sized way to walk a hike.
Trail mode is the version of a hike built for actually walking it: one stop at a time, big text, one-handed.
Start trail mode is on the hike's own page, in the Overview tab — above the stop list on a phone, or above the map beside it on a wider screen.
Trail mode opens on the trail start, or on the first stop if the hike has no trail start. It shows whether the trail start has parking or is a transit stop. You get directions to it (Google Maps or Apple Maps): by transit when the trail start is a transit stop without parking, and driving directions otherwise. A button that says I'm here — start the hike is there for once you have arrived.
The start screen also shows how long the hike takes, walking plus the suggested time at the stops. A hike longer than one 7-hour hiking day says how many days to plan for, as in "About 14 hrs · plan 2 days" (see Time and difficulty).
If you skipped past that screen and still need directions, the back button in the top bar returns you to it without losing your place or your quiz answers.
Each stop shows its story, its photos, and any practical notes — hours, fees, whether there are restrooms, things to watch for. Under the stop's name is how long its creator suggests spending there, like "Suggested stop: 30 min", or "Pass by" for something to see as you walk on. Move between stops with the previous and next buttons, tap a numbered pin on the map, or swipe left or right anywhere on the stop card below the map — swipe left for the next stop, right for the previous one, same as flipping through a stop's photos.
Next restrooms. Under a stop's suggested time, a line with a small restroom icon says where the nearest restrooms are on the way ahead: "Restrooms here" when this stop has them, "Next restrooms: stop 9" when a later stop does, or "Next restrooms: at the trail end" when the trail end has them and no stop before it does. On a loop that finishes where it began, it can also say "at the trail start". It only looks forward along the walk, so it says nothing once the last restrooms are behind you. On the map, a stop, the trail start or the trail end with restrooms carries the same small restroom badge on its pin.
Tap any photo to see it full screen — swipe left or right to move between a stop's other photos, and use the close button at the bottom of the screen to get back to the stop. This works offline too, from whatever was saved during the download.
Something wrong with this stop? Every step has a feedback button tied to that exact stop. If a direction is wrong or something described is no longer there, say so there and it reaches whoever looks after the hike. You do not need an account.
Each stop has a Found a marker? button. Use it when you spot a historic marker along the way: photograph it, check whether it is one somebody already recorded, and save it to your markers. You need to be signed in to record one, but not a signal: without one, it is saved on your phone and sent when the signal comes back. Below the button, the stop shows how many markers are waiting to send and what happened to each one sent. See Finding markers.
Trail mode remembers which stop you are on and your quiz answers in this browser. Links that lead elsewhere on the site, such as My markers or the Terms, open in a new tab, so trail mode stays where you left it. If you sign in from trail mode, you come back to the same stop afterwards, with your answers kept.
Your place doesn't run out. Close the browser, let your phone sleep, or stop for the night on a multi-day hike, and come back days later: trail mode opens on Welcome back, telling you which stop you're on, like "You're on stop 14 of 26". Continue picks up at that stop with your answers kept; Start over from the beginning clears them and takes you back to the start screen. This works offline too when you saved the hike for offline use. Being signed out because you were away for a while keeps your place, and you can sign back in and carry on. Signing out yourself, or someone else signing in on the device, clears it (see Walking without a signal).
Each question is graded right away, and answering one locks it in — the correct choice and its explanation are shown either way, so you can see what you missed.
The top bar has two of the switches from the site's footer. mi/km shows distances in miles or kilometers, including how far away the current stop is when your location is on. The light, dark and system buttons change the appearance, which helps when glare makes the screen hard to read. On a phone they sit on their own row below the hike's title. Both choices are remembered in this browser.
Tap the crosshair in the top bar and your browser will ask permission to show where you are on the map. It is entirely optional — trail mode works fine without it, and the "I'm here" buttons do the same job manually. That position stays in your browser.
Recording a marker you found is the one time trail mode sends us a position: where the marker is. It is sent when the Is it one of these? list loads, and stored only when you save the marker. A marker saved without a signal sends its position when it is sent. See Finding markers.
There is a checkbox on the start screen: Keep my screen on while I walk. It is off by default. Turn it on if you are tired of waking your phone at every stop.
At the end you get your quiz score and the chance to rate the hike. On a loop with a trail start, you get a note that you are back at the trail start. On a one-way hike with a trail end, you see where you finished and, when the hike's creator added it, how to get back — see Rating a hike. If you are signed in you can also log the hike to your profile, which is what earns badges. When you finish a hike in trail mode and log it, how long it took and when you reached each stop are saved with your completion, to help improve time estimates. Where you walked is not saved.
The start screen offers Start over whenever you have any progress, the Welcome back screen offers Start over from the beginning, and the finish screen offers Walk it again from the start. Each clears your position and your quiz answers for that hike.