Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

These new updates make the Apple Watch a hiking must-have

Apple's new hiking app features will improve your hiking experience this fall

An Apple watchOS 10 displaying up-to-date hiking information
Courtesy of Apple

Since its release in 2015, the Apple Watch has sustained its place as one of — if not the — most popular pieces of wearable tech on the market. If you’re already an Apple Watch convert, then you won’t need to be told why this is, but if you’re using the latest iPhone and haven’t added the watch to your setup, now is the perfect time to do so. That’s because Apple is promising an updated operating system that it says will be the most significant since it introduced the very first watch.

Recommended Videos

The watchOS 10 release date is set for fall 2023, and for all your tech-savvy outdoorsmen, it brings the Apple Watch back to the forefront of the outdoor world. Alongside improved cycling metrics, a cleaner interface, and mental health insights, the watchOS 10 app redesign goes deep into the hiking world.

What’s the outcome? Perhaps the most powerful navigation and safety device your wrist can carry on the trail. Here’s what the new Apple Watch hiking app has to offer.

Hiking waypoints
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Plan your hike with the watchOS 10

We’ll start with the planning phase of your hike. The redesigned hiking app features in-depth trail information that allows you to search for trails nearby and find out important information before you set out. Want to know the distance, elevation, difficulty, and terrain, and even see photos of your chosen trail? It’s all available at your fingertips. You can then use full downloadable maps — available offline with the watchOS 10 update — to navigate you to the trailhead and start your hike.

Navigate with the Apple Watch hiking app

And the tech doesn’t stop once you hit your stride. While I would never advocate going without the navigation essentials, the new Apple Watch hiking app features fully topographical maps, so you can leave your map and compass in your pack. These topographical maps show contour lines, hill shading, elevation details, points of interest, trails, and trailhead markers. You can even tap those trailhead markers to return to the information screen.

Apple has also completely redesigned the hiking app compass, giving it an elevated 3D view. This compass view does far more than point you in the right direction. The elevated 3D view shows you your saved waymarkers — campsites, POI, etc. — and crucial safety information, such as the last place you had cellphone data on your carrier and spots where you can make emergency phone calls on any carrier. This information can, and surely will, save lives on the trail.

These updates to the Apple Watch hiking app work alongside the cleaner interface to give you the most information possible both before and during your hike. These features aren’t just cosmetic. Sure, the maps and compass look impressive, but the prime focus of Apple’s redesign is to give you a more active and safe lifestyle, and these features are crucial to improving your hiking experience. Head to Apple now to learn more, check model compatibility, and upgrade your hiking this year.

Tom Kilpatrick
Former Contributor
A London-born outdoor enthusiast, Tom took the first ticket out of suburban life. What followed was a twelve-year career as…
Longines blends vintage charm and modern precision in this stunning 39mm watch
Longines Spirit Zulu Time 1925 Review: Vintage aviation luxury reimagined
The Longines 1925 timepiece worn by Henry Cavill

As one of the leading luxury watch brands in the industry, Longines is known for horological excellence, and with the recent release of the Spirit Zulu Time 1925 Edition, this homage to aviation combines elegance with state-of-the-art precision. 

A striking design and aesthetic

Read more
anOrdain launches handcrafted porcelain watches
From fire to clay: anOrdain's porcelain revolution brings accessible artistry
anOrdain launches handcrafted porcelain watches

AnOrdain, a Glasgow-based company, built a loyal following—it made excellent hand-enameled watch dials and offered clear customer service. The Scottish maker then moved into a new material: porcelain. The company introduced its Model 2 Porcelain collection after three years of focused study. This collection gives customers a way to experience anOrdain's handmade dial art.
Work with porcelain began in 2022. At that time, anOrdain saw a need to broaden its selection. The company also wanted to keep its standards for handmade products high. Instead of buying porcelain dials from others, the company chose to learn this old art itself. AnOrdain's team spent three years with master potters from Stoke-on-Trent—a town known as a center for English pottery—learning how to make watch dials from English clay.
Making porcelain dials requires different methods than working with enamel. AnOrdain’s well-known grand feu enamel dials use glass powder on metal discs, which are baked at 840°C. But the new porcelain dials use English clay. Workers paint them with glass-like coatings and fire them at much higher temperatures, up to 1300°C. To achieve the black finish seen in the collection, the company experimented with many glaze mixtures, finally using a high amount of iron oxide.
After this hot firing, each dial shows slight differences. Small dips and dots appear as a sign of the handmade process. AnOrdain says these natural variations mean no two porcelain dials look the same. This celebrates the human touch in making fine watches.
The Model 2 Porcelain keeps the well-liked size and look of anOrdain’s enamel collection, but with some updates. The 39.5mm steel case holds the La Joux-Perret G101 automatic movement, which performs well. The hands have been significantly improved. White glowing material now fills loops that were previously empty, finished with fine gold frames. The seconds hand is more striking, with a bright red outer coat and a white tip.
Production capacity is small—anOrdain can finish about 30 pieces each month. The price is $2,440, which is $750 less than the enamel versions, even though they use the same cases and movements. The current wait time is six months, and customers can buy only one watch each. The Model 2 Porcelain shows anOrdain's commitment to preserving traditional crafts in modern watchmaking. It also offers affordable luxury through transparent dealings with customers.

Read more
Breitling honors Scott Carpenter with platinum watch
Orbital legacy: Breitling's platinum tribute to space exploration pioneer
Breitling scott carpenter platinum watch

Sixty-three years after Scott Carpenter circled Earth, a custom Breitling Navitimer sat on his wrist. The Swiss maker now honors him with a platinum watch, which has a limited run. The Navitimer B02 Chronograph 41 Cosmonaute Scott Carpenter Centenary observes the American pilot's 100th birthday—it also recalls the story of the first Swiss watch to leave Earth's air.

On May 24, 1962, Carpenter became the second American to circle Earth. He flew as part of NASA's Mercury-Atlas 7 mission. A special Navitimer was on his wrist. Breitling altered it for space travel. The work began with a personal letter from Carpenter—he requested specific changes. He wanted a wider bezel for gloved hands and a stretch metal band for his space suit. Most notably, he asked for a 24-hour dial. In orbit, sunrise and sunset happen every 90 minutes. A regular 12-hour display does not show time well there.

Read more