Before you head out on your next outdoor adventure, check out some of the great mobile apps presented by Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW). They can help you plan where to go, learn about the plant and animal species you encounter, and even help you play a role in conserving Colorado’s natural beauty.
COTREX
The Colorado Trail Explorer (COTREX) app is a great tool for mapping and discovering trails across the state. Similar to the commercial trail apps but specific to Colorado, COTREX provides trail maps and data, photos, and information such as trail length, elevation gain, degree of difficulty, and weather forecasts. You can also record your trips, post trip reports and field notes, and log customized routes. Download the app at https://trails.colorado.gov/.
State Parks Nature Finder on iNaturalist
CPW’s State Parks Nature Finder is part of the iNaturalist app. Use the app to record and learn about the different species of plants, animals, and insects you encounter in State Parks. “This project seeks to record and display the biodiversity of State Parks in Colorado and provides visitors, volunteers, and staff the opportunity to assist in monitoring the ecological integrity of our parks.” Learn more and download the app at CPW’s website.
CPW Fishing Apps
Use the CPW Fishing App to plan your next fishing trip, and to record and identify your catches. The app also includes stocking and condition reports and information on licensure and regulations. You can also find out about special events sponsored by CPW. The agency also offers the Match a Hatch app, “designed to help fly anglers identify the flies that are hatching in Colorado each month and find an appropriate artificial fly to use to fish.” Download both apps at https://cpw.state.co.us/thingstodo/Pages/Fishing.aspx. Also on this page you can learn about how to get a digital version of your fishing license.
RIMS
RIMS (Recreation Impact Monitoring System) was developed by the Colorado Mountain Club with funding from CPW. You can use this app to help land managers track data on trail use, report trail maintenance needs, and inventory camp sites. Download the mobile app, and read more about how it works, and sign up as a volunteer on the RIMS website.
Colorado Birding Trail
While this is a website and not a true mobile app, the mobile version of the Colorado Birding Trail site is helpful for discovering Colorado’s best places to go birding. Users can view a statewide and regional maps of birding hotspots, and find out about the species that can be seen there. And if online maps aren’t your thing, you can also use the Colorado Birding Trail printed guides for northeastern, northwestern, southeastern, and southwestern Colorado. Paper copies of the guides are available for checkout from the State Publications Library.
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