RouteDraw vs TrailWatch: Your Hiking Guide Usage & Stats
RouteDraw is a utility mobile app suitable for short trip route planning, supporting route drawing, route length/gain/loss calculation, time estimation, GPS positioning, compass, track logging, deviation alert, offline maps, and etc. Of course, the main function is route drawing, you can draw a route along a way easily by moving your finger over the map. RouteDraw should be very useful to you, if you like to plan your route before your trip.
Based on the Mapbox mapping services, the route drawing function should work on all places on the Earth besides the poles. But note that the drawing logic is based on the map display data, which is simplified and does not preserve junction info. Therefore, if you draw while zoomed out, the route will have a higher degree of simplification. And whether two ways are connected is based on estimation, and therefore may not be correct. Also, a map object may show slightly different coordinates at different zoom levels.
You can pay for one-time purchase or annual subscription to unlock the trial features or remove the ads in the app.
Functions: https://www.routedraw.com/home.en.html
Usage: https://www.routedraw.com/help.ios.en.html
Information about the auto-renewable subscription:
• Title: Annual Subscription
• Length of subscription: 1 Year
• Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase.
• The subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period.
• Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period.
• You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your App Store account settings after purchase.
• Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription.
• Terms of use and privacy policy: https://www.routedraw.com/policies.en.html#ann_sub
About App Privacy:
• We will collect Purchases Data.
• Mapbox's iOS SDK will collect Coarse Location, Precise Location, User ID, Product Interaction, Other Usage Data, Performance Data, Other Diagnostic Data. But users can choose to opt-out.
• Google Mobile Ads SDK will collect Coarse Location, Device ID, Product Interaction, Advertising Data, Crash Data, Performance Data, Other Diagnostic Data. This does not apply to paid users. (For iOS below 14.5, Google Mobile Ads SDK may collect some data for tracking purposes, depending on the ad tracking setting.)
- Apple App Store
- Free
- Travel
Store Rank
- -
TrailWatch: Your Best Hiking Guide
Hike with a purpose: join us in protecting Hong Kong’s country parks!
TrailWatch is the first smartphone app in Hong Kong that combines conservation with the appreciation for Hong Kong’s country parks.
When you hike with TrailWatch, you can track your hikes in real-time using GPS, and help surveil the countryside by reporting unusual incidents. You can also plan and share your trails, as well as check out routes created by other users.
Enjoy. Share. Protect.
Key Features
Hiking record: Supplement records of your hikes with your own photos and statistics calibrated by the app, including elevation, length, distance, speed, calories burnt etc.
Browse routes: Find feature trails or routes near you and bookmark them—or customise them to suit your needs! Search for featured and routes near you and start tracking, or modify and bookmark them to suit your preferences
Plan routes: Plot routes simply by tapping the start and end points—and the app will map the rest of the trail for you. If you wish, you may personalise the route and add points of interest.
Invite friends: Create a group tracking event and send your TrailWatch friends an invitation! The invitation will contain everything your friends need to know, including route details, where to meet, and so on.
Locate friends: Using internet data, members of a group tracking event can identify the real-time locations of all participants. This means even those who have wandered off course can be located.
Share photos: All photos taken by group members can be automatically uploaded to the group tracking event and shared with all members without making additional settings.
See who finished fastest: The time spent by each individual group member to complete a group tracking event will be published on a list after the event has ended.
Safeguard our trails: Users are encouraged to monitor and protect country parks by reporting unusual incidents during their hikes. “Concrete Path,” a new category of incidents, allows users to report concrete paved walkways along trails.
TrailWatch offers four kinds of maps: the TrailWatch HK Map, TrailWatch Terrain Map, Open Cycle Map, and MapBox Streets Map.
About TrailWatch
TrailWatch is a mobile application and online community that enables individuals, groups and institutions to track their hikes, organise events, share their hiking experiences with other users and help surveil the conditions of Hong Kong’s country parks. Users can also access TrailWatch’s library Creative Commons images for noncommercial use to facilitate education and encourage discussion.
TrailWatch is funded by WYNG Foundation, which was formed in 2011 with the aim of empowering individuals and institutions through education, research and engagement. WYNG Foundation supports platforms for the exchange of information, providing opportunities to acquire, exchange, disseminate and to apply knowledge to enhance the development of a society that cares.
Privacy Policy
Privacy is an issue that we take very seriously. To learn more about our Privacy Policy, please visit: http://www.trailwatch.hk/?t=privacy
Note: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
- Apple App Store
- Free
- Travel
Store Rank
- -
RouteDraw VS. 
TrailWatch: Your Hiking GuideJanuary 14, 2026