This past week-end, I was not feeling too good and battle with a very painful throat. By Sunday I could barely talk. So I decided to explore the app Store and discovered some interesting apps for rvers who want to explore the National Parks in the US.
The first apps I stumbled upon were the ones created by Chimani. Actually there are numerous apps for free on the Chimani website.
Let’s lo
ok at the main app titled – Chimani National Park App .
This app contains detailed information on 401 National Park Service units. Through it you can access daily national park news provided by National Park Traveler News (in-app purchase required), create a passport of when you’ve visited any one of the National Park Service units – including each one of the 59 National Parks, view a Photo Gallery which includes 401 photos of each of the units and much more!
The interaction with the app is based on the universal national park symbols which makes it a very simple interface. When you visit a National Park Service unit, you have the possibility to collect passport stamps in order for you to record the years you went there. Also you can create a someday/maybe list of the parks you would love to visit in the future. This particular list will be something I will use for now. Not too long ago, we had the opportunity to review educational DVDs based on certain national parks in the US. Now my kids and I want to eventually go visit these places.
The app also contains a search engine that will allow you to find any parks that you are interested in visiting. Detailed information about the history of each of the National Parks is provided by Wikipedia within the app. And the app wouldn’t be complete if you couldn’t access interactive maps identifying the location of each parks.
Finally, if you have Internet access with your smart phone, you will be able to download the stunning pictures of each of the parks. You need to have wifi or cellular connection to be able to visualize the photos.
Chimani didn’t stop at the general app for National Parks. They also have made available apps for specific National Parks throughout the USA. These parks are Acadian National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Cape Cod National Seashore, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks, Olympic National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone National Park, 
Yosemite National Park, and Zion National Park.
Each of the individual apps possess a different icon. For the purpose of this review, I will explain one of the National Parks and I chose Cape Cod National Seashore. The main reason why I chose this particular park is that we drove around Cape Cod a few years ago for a day-trip and I would be delighted to explore the seashore with the kids next time we go.
The Cape Cod National Seashore app is a complete guide to Cape Cod National Seashore and the beaches around it. In this app, you will discover over 132 unique points of interest (POIs) throughout Cape Cod National Seashore. The major features included in this app are an auto tour/audio guide, beach guide, sunrise/sunset times, tide chart, off-line high-resolution maps, audio guide, ranger-led events, hiking, bicycling, lighthouses, museums, parking, restrooms, picnicking, and a guide to all beaches in and around the Seashore.
The content has been written by a professional travel writer and you will find more than 100 professional photographs of park. The app also provides a description of 16 of the most popular hiking trails you could find in the park. The app provides detailed information for bicycling, lighthouses, museums, parking, restrooms, picnicking, and a guide to all beaches in and around the Seashore.
The maps have been designed to work without an internet connection and it labels the trails in the park. The GPS function “Where Am I” is a great addition that will allow you to quickly determine where you are located within the entire park itself.
One of the features that is fabulous for us when we go on a day trip with the kids would be the audio/auto tour which allow you to listen about twenty points of interest in the park. The audio recording is about 30 minutes long.
I was so excited to see that all these apps were currently free (at the time of this posting) that I quickly downloaded all the individual apps available for the National Parks in the US. Now all I have to do is to plan a trip with my family!
Finally, I a
lso found a very interesting app that will allow you to discover the diversity of the National Parks through approximately 1,500 photos. Fotopedia National Parks let your finger do the jiking and explore each of the National Parks in the USA – a journey that would require you several years. If you are unable to go to a National Park but would like to explore it from the comfort of your home or if you are planning a trip and think that you would like to go to one of the parks, this app will present you with stunning images taken by QT Luong, a renowed professional photographer. Be aware though that the app requires an internet connection in order for you to be able to explore it’s potential.
The app will allow you to transform your device into a photo frame with the instant slideshow and you can choose from thousands high-resolution photos to change the wallpaper on it. You will be able to learn more about numerous point-of-interest by simply clicking the text descriptions. And the best part is that this app will allow you to track your destinations by simply clicking your travel plans in the favorites.
Essentially, this app is perfect for photography enthusiasts, nature lovers, children, and educators. We will be using this app in our homeschool every time we listen to one of the DVDs we have as well as when we plan a trip in the USA. We love to discover new places and the app will allow us to explore as much as we like.
In conclusion, these apps can be very useful when you travel with your RV and desire to explore a National Park with your family. I am delighted to have downloaded them at this point in time and hope to use them in a near future. I hope that these apps will be a great addition for your smart phone and a wonderful tool to have if you travel in the National Parks this year.
