1. Start point 1: Find a map layer from the Home page
  2. Start point 2: The maps button
    1. The active layers list
    2. Finding a map layer
  3. Start point 3: Recommended Maps

Regional maps can enhance you hiking experience in numerous ways through additional levels of detail that can only be found on area specific maps. HiiKER has partnered with the likes of Harvey Maps, EastWest Maps, OSGB, OSI, OSNI USGS, IGN France, GetLost Australia to provide some of the worlds best digital hiking maps available.

There are numerous ways you can view and manage your map layers on HiiKER. 

Start point 1: Find a map layer from the Home page

If you have downloaded the app recently, one of the first places you may have landed was the Home Screen and the Quick Start options. From here you can quickly open the map page and map layers list by tapping the “Find a map” option.


Another way to access our maps list is with the “MAPS” button

Start point 2: The maps button

Maybe the most common/accessible way to add/manage map layers is through the “MAPS” button that you will see on any of our map pages, be it the main “Map” tab, a trail map page, or a recording/planned trail map.


The active layers list

When you tap on the “MAPS” button, the map layers bottom sheet will appear showing you the current map layers active on your app. In the beginning it will just show the base level, free to access, OSM Outdoors layer. 


If you have added map layers to the list you will see that they create a list or collection of “Active“ map layers. You can add as many layers to your active list as you like. The active layers list is ‘stackable’, meaning layers at the top of the list show in front of layers beneath it. This means you can overlay smaller map layers on top of global map layers in order to see both on the map at once. e.g. Harvey Maps and OSM Outdoors, see below. 

You can reorder the layers by tapping the arrow icons on each layer, or by dragging them into place.

You can also adjust the transparency of overlayed map layers to blend one map into another by adjusting the sliders on the layer. This can result in some interesting combinations when getting data from multiple map layers at once!

To remove a map layer from the list, tap the red “x” icon, or tap the layer and click the remove button on its overview page.

When you have a number of active map layers, the “Clear list” option will appear, allowing you to quickly revert back to the default state which is a single OSM base map layer. It can be handy when things get a bit cluttered and you want to start your active map layer combinations from scratch!

Finding a map layer

To add a different map layer from here, tap the “ADD MAP LAYERS” button. This will bring you to a new page displaying different categories of map layers that you can access. 

Search

To find the map layer you are looking for there are a few different options available. If you know the layer that you are looking for by name or provider, tap the search bar and type the name of the map or provider i.e “Harvey Maps”. This will provide all of the results that match this search. 

Another way to add map layers through tabs below the search bar.

Near you

The “Near you” tab shows maps that are near your own current location. For example if you are currently using the app in the Dartmoor national park and you have allowed the app access to your current location, it will show map layer available in Dartmoor. This list is really handy for discovering your current hike, if you are out on trail or looking for hikes in your direct vicinity, this is the list for you.

Near here

The “Near here” tab show a list of map layers that are in the area of map that your are currently in. This means if you are viewing the Yorkshire Dales on the map, map layers related to that area will be shown here. This is ideal for planning a trail as you can scroll around the map to the area you wish to plan a trail and then discover regional maps for that area to help you plot your route!

Accessing map layers tagged as PRO+ requires as PRO+ subscription. 


All maps

All maps is a good way to view ALL of the map layers on HiiKER categorised by country. For example, you can view all of the maps available in Ireland to help inspire you next hike or just see what’s available!

Adding a map layer to the map.

Once you have found the map layer you are interested in adding to the map, tap on it to view the overview page. Here you will see, an image preview of what the map layer looks like, a description of the map and its zoom range covering how far you need to zoom into the map to see its details.

To add the map layer to the map simple tap the “ADD TO MAP LAYERS” button. When you do this this, we will go back to the map, zoom to the bounds of the map layer added and load it onto the map. You’re now ready to zoom into the details of the map layer you have selected. This is an app wide setting so this layer will now be active on the main map tab, trail maps and planned trail/recorded maps. 



This simply activates the layer on the map. If you are hiking in an area of low network connectivity, we recommend downloading map layers for offline use, which we demonstrate HERE

Another useful way to activate maps is through our recommended maps system. If you open up any trail, be it a curated trail like the Tour Du Mont Blanc, or one of your own planned pr recorded trails, you will be presented with the trail overview page. 



This page presents different information and stats about the trail in question including a map preview, distance and elevation stats, descriptions etc. What it also provides is the recommended map layers for that trails. 


In the recommended map section HiiKER recognises map layers that include the current hiking trail and then ranks them in order of quality and detail. For trails with many map layers, simple scroll scross the list to see more options. 

To quickly load the trail map with the chosen map layer activated, tap the “Open on map” badge in the top right corner of the preview. 

From here you can quickly download the section of map layer that covers the trail too, this is demonstrated HERE