Imagine you’re touring a national park and have access to a short summary of the points of interest, GPS-enabled maps that work without a Wi-Fi connection, restroom locations and sunrise and sunset times, all via a smartphone app.
All of this is available for free via mobile travel apps by Chimani Inc. of Portland, Maine, which launched the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park guides April 19. The apps are available for download via Apple’s App Store, Google Play and Amazon’s Appstore.
Chimani, founded in 2010 by Kerry Gallivan and Shaun Meredith to develop mobile apps that help people explore the outdoors, added the two Hawaii parks to its selection of more than 25 U.S. national park apps, which include Acadia National Park in Maine and Zion National Park in Utah.
“In this, the centennial year of our National Park Service, visitation to our national parks is expected to reach an all-time high, and our line of national park apps will be there to guide visitors, without the need of a cell connection,” said Gallivan, Chimani’s CEO, in a press release.
Gallivan and Meredith, both outdoor enthusiasts, first thought of creating the travel apps while on top of Gorham Mountain in Acadia National Park one rainy day eight years ago. Gallivan was hiking and sought data on routes to take, and though he had his iPhone on him, he had no cellphone connection to look up the information.
Chimani’s app allows users to look up hours of operation and fees, browse a photo gallery with park images and find information on dining, lodging, restrooms, parking and picnicking. Users can also get push notifications for park-related news and earn badges after checking in at parks.
An auto tour section offers brief descriptions of Kilauea Overlook, Pauahi Crater and Chain of Craters Road. The Haleakala app describes hiking trails including Silversword Loop and Halemau‘u Trail.
Gallivan spent time visiting both Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park before creating the apps.
“Seeing Hawaii’s national parks in person creates the memory of a lifetime, and the Chimani national park apps not only guide you around the parks but also help you understand the rich cultural history and surreal geologic features of the Hawaiian islands,” he said in the press release.
Other apps featuring national parks include National Parks by National Geographic, National Parks of America by LBS Solutions and Passport to Your National Parks by Eastern National.
