Where your hiking GPS data lives

Most hiking apps on iPhone write their workout data to Apple Health by default. That includes the full GPS route, elevation profile, duration, and workout type tagged as Hiking.

  • AllTrails writes recorded hikes (not just downloaded trails) to Apple Health when its sync toggle is on - which is the default for new installs
  • Apple Watch writes every Hiking workout from the built-in Workout app to Apple Health automatically
  • Garmin Connect writes hikes from any Garmin watch (Fenix, Instinct, Enduro, etc.) when the Apple Health integration is enabled
  • Wahoo and other GPS device companion apps follow the same Apple Health writing pattern

The result is that your iPhone's Apple Health database probably already contains every hike you've recorded over the past several years. The data is local, on-device, and accessible to any app you grant HealthKit permission to.

How to see every hike on one map

Apple's built-in Health app stores the data but doesn't render every hike as one continuous map. MoveMap does exactly that.

Step 1

Download MoveMap from the App Store

Free download, no account required, works on any iPhone running iOS 17 or later.

Step 2

Grant Health access on first launch

MoveMap asks for read access to Workouts and Workout Routes. Tap "Allow." That's the only permission the app requests.

Step 3

Wait for the import

MoveMap reads every workout in your Apple Health - runs, walks, rides, and hikes. For most users, the import finishes in under 30 seconds.

Step 4

Filter to Hiking

Tap the activity filter and select Hiking. Every trail you've ever hiked appears as a glowing polyline, layered on a single map. Pan and zoom to explore. Drag the timeline scrubber to filter by year or hiking season.

Note on the free tier: MoveMap free shows your last 12 months of hikes. MoveMap Pro unlocks every year of hiking history you have - useful if you've been at this for a decade and want to see all of it overlaid. There's a 7-day free trial on Monthly, and a one-time Lifetime unlock if you'd rather pay once.

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Multi-day backpacking and split workouts

Long hiking trips - a multi-day section of the Pacific Crest Trail, a week in the Lake District, a hut-to-hut in the Alps - are usually recorded as multiple workouts (one per day) rather than one continuous file. The watch is charged or the workout paused overnight, which closes the session.

MoveMap handles this naturally. Each day's segment is rendered as its own polyline, but visually they connect at the endpoints - so a 5-day section of the Camino still looks like one continuous trail on the map. There's no manual stitching required.

The Coverage dashboard counts each day as a separate workout (which it is, in HealthKit terms) but the country / region attribution comes out correct.

AllTrails and Apple Health: a note

AllTrails is the most popular trail-discovery app on iPhone, and most people who hike with AllTrails also have years of recorded hikes inside it. The first thing to check: is AllTrails writing to Apple Health?

Open AllTrails, tap your profile, then Settings > Apple Health. Make sure "Write to Apple Health" is enabled. New recordings will sync automatically. If you have older recordings that pre-date the sync being enabled, AllTrails should backfill them when you turn the toggle on - but it can take a few minutes for a large history.

Once those workouts land in Apple Health, they appear in MoveMap automatically alongside whatever else you've recorded.

What about elevation?

MoveMap renders the route on a 2D map - this is a coverage view, not an elevation profile. If you want elevation graphs and segment analysis, AllTrails and Garmin Connect both handle that better. MoveMap's job is the lifetime overlay, so you can see at a glance which mountain ranges, national parks, or regions you've actually covered.

Frequently asked questions

Does MoveMap show hikes from AllTrails?

Yes - as long as AllTrails has Apple Health writing enabled in its settings. Most installs have it on by default. Every recorded hike appears in MoveMap alongside hikes from Apple Watch and other apps.

Can I filter the map to show only hiking?

Yes. The activity filter lets you select only Hiking - which hides runs, rides, walks, and other workout types. Combine with the timeline scrubber to see hikes from a specific year or season.

What about multi-day backpacking trips?

Each day's segment is usually recorded as a separate workout (the watch sleeps overnight). MoveMap renders each segment as its own polyline; they connect visually at the endpoints so a multi-day route still reads as one continuous trail on the map.

Does it work with Apple Watch Ultra?

Yes. Ultra writes the same workout-route format to Apple Health. The dual-frequency GPS produces particularly clean lines on technical trails, which look great on MoveMap's overlay.

What if my old hikes are only on Garmin Connect?

Enable Apple Health sync in Garmin Connect: Settings > Health Integrations > Apple Health > toggle on. Every Garmin hike (Fenix, Instinct, Enduro, Venu) appears in MoveMap once Health is syncing.