Strava Gets Serious About Hiking With Smarter Maps and Offline Navigation

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Strava is making a bigger play for the hiking market with a series of new features designed to make finding and following walking routes easier.

Best known as an app for runners and cyclists, Strava is steadily developing into a useful tool for walkers and outdoor enthusiasts. Its latest update, announced on 22 October 2026, introduces smarter route searches, improved offline features and better recommendations, with hands-free voice navigation also on the way.

The changes could make Strava a more serious competitor to established hiking apps such as AllTrails and Komoot.

Finding New Walking Routes Made Easier

One of the most interesting additions is the ability to search for routes and places of interest using everyday language.

Rather than relying entirely on traditional search filters, Strava is using artificial intelligence to help users find suitable routes by describing what they are looking for.

The app has also expanded its recommended route library. Updated route cards now include photographs and activity information contributed by Strava’s community of more than 200 million users.

Further improvements are planned, including community-generated descriptions and tags highlighting interesting features along routes, such as waterfalls and notable trees.

This could be particularly useful when exploring an unfamiliar area and deciding which walk is worth trying.

Better Navigation When There’s No Phone Signal

Perhaps the most welcome improvement for hikers is Strava’s enhanced offline functionality.

Saved routes will now appear directly on the app’s home screen when there is no mobile reception. Users can also start and record activities offline, with their workouts automatically uploading once an internet connection returns.

Anyone who regularly walks in remote countryside or hilly areas will appreciate the importance of this.

Strava has also confirmed that hands-free, turn-by-turn audio navigation is coming to subscribers. When following a route, users will receive spoken instructions telling them when to turn.

The feature will support hiking, walking and running, reducing the need to keep checking a phone screen.

Is Strava Becoming a Proper Hiking App?

These latest changes follow several years of investment in outdoor navigation. Strava acquired specialist mapping platform FATMAP in 2023 and has since incorporated elements of its advanced terrain visualisation technology into its own mapping experience.

It is clear that the company wants to attract more than just runners and cyclists.

Dedicated hiking apps such as AllTrails and Komoot still have plenty to offer, and Strava may not replace every specialist navigation tool just yet. However, combining activity tracking, route discovery and navigation in one place is an increasingly attractive proposition.

Strava offers a free version, although some advanced features, including the forthcoming audio navigation, are intended for subscribers.

The bottom line: If you already use Strava to record your walks, these improvements could give you another reason to stick with it. And if you’re looking for an alternative to your existing hiking app, Strava is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

You can find out more at Strava’s website.