Strava subscribers just saved themselves another sub for Komoot or AllTrails – as the freemium app launches a new suite of hiking tools that “spans all stages of the outdoor experience”, including vital off-route alerts

Strava has just unveiled a number of new walking features
These include revamped cards available to everyone this summer…
… and exclusive exclusive features like off-route warnings

Strava users get an updated suite of hiking features, with almost all available now. Most of the new features are exclusive to Premium subscribers, although there are a few additions available to free users as well.

At the top of the list – and the only feature that’s been delayed until later this summer – are styling improvements to Strava’s mapping software. According to Strava, “athletes will be able to see richer trail surface data along with clearer points of interest like trailheads, picnic areas and campsites that make dense trails legible at a glance.”

This feature comes to both free and premium users. It represents a major quality-of-life update, helping even free users plan routes in advance, while Premium users will be able to use it alongside route creation tools, which have also been updated with dedicated track features. If you’re planning a big hike and you’re already a Strava user, you can get a lot of mileage out of signing up for Strava Premium temporarily, as you get a 30-day free trial.

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Strava users walk up a mountain during the golden hour on a clear day — (Image credit: Strava)

Other new additions include off-route alerts, a feature that “coordinates athletes when they deviate from a planned route so they can correct course before they get lost,” according to Strava. This is already used by rivals like AllTrails, and has course-corrected me more than once during a hike, so it’s nice to see it here.

Activity Replays is a new feature that provides an animated loop of your hike when you share it—this is also something AllTrails does, but what AllTrails doesn’t have is Strava’s huge user base of people who love to share their workouts. I can imagine that many power users will get a real kick out of posting a flashy video transition of their hike.

Premium users can download routes in advance for low signal areas. This is not a new feature, but it is especially relevant for hikers. Users with one of the best Apple Watches can also follow the routes on their wrist without a phone.

Apart from the Maps refresh, all the above mentioned features are available now. Strava Premium is increasingly good value as an all-inclusive fitness app experience, and it’s working hard to eat the lunch of the likes of AllTrails and Komoot.