Canadian-made hiking app TrailCollectiv tailors to families enjoying the outdoors
Posted Aug 8, 2022 11:35 am.
Last Updated Aug 8, 2022 11:37 am.
A new hiking trail app tailored to families has been launched by a couple of Canadian mothers with a passion for the great outdoors.
The idea behind the app is to provide detailed information to help those with younger children when they are looking for an outdoor adventure.
Annika Mang, co-founder of TrailCollectiv, says the app provides information about trails that you might not normally find online.
“We also like families to feel completely prepared, so is there a pit toilet at the trailhead or a flush toilet? Is it all-terrain stroller accessible or is it city stroller accessible? And those things are different and no other place really tells that.”
“Right now we have a lot of trails in western Canada with a sprinkling of them across eastern Canada, and into the States,” Mang added. “We really hope that we can grow it even further, with more trails across Canada, even more in the USA, and we really do want to go global. So that’s our end game is to have trails all over the world.”
The information on the Trailcollectiv app is important to Terry Tenove and his young family. He says they’re looking for nature that’s easily accessible.
Terry Tenove and his family hiking at Douglasbank Park in Calgary. (Danina Falkenberg, CityNews Photo)
“I really see lots of possibilities with this app,” Tenove said. “Kind of the main thing with our situation — me being in a wheelchair — one, I’m looking at elevation, I’m always looking at the pathways, and also just the parking lots and the ease of access.”
Melissa Kindt uses the app to do research before her family heads to a new trail. She’s also a TrailCollectiv user, and contributes regularly, sharing information for about 15 trails with others.
“And to be able to encourage getting kids outdoors, because in the world that we live in, technology is so prevalent now that you just don’t see kids getting outside nearly as much as they should,” Kindt said. “To be able to share our experiences, and suggest hikes to other families, and ways to get outside is really gratifying.”
The app includes kid-friendly information such as recommendations for good creeks to throw rocks in, or bridges to cross. It also includes details adults want to know, such as difficulty ratings and safety concerns like the number of cliffs or avalanche risks.
