Off Road App

OnX is great if you want pre-loaded trails without having to research ahead of time. It's also the best tool for identifying property ownership/management information.

Gaia works really well with Appple Car Play/Android Auto so you can display it on the center screen in the Bronco. Also helpful that you can show publicly shared tracks (was really useful at KOH this year).

Avenza maps is the best tool to show your location within Forest Service and BLM Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs), published by USFS and BLM as georeferenced pdf files, so you always know if you're on an approved route within their jurisdiction.

My favorite, however, is Locus Maps. It has a steeper learning curve, but is extremely feature rich and customizable compared to the other applications. Even in the free version it allows more downloadable background maps (including both digital and scanned USGS maps and satellite imagery) for off-line use, and unlimited import/export of tracks and waypoints. I generally download USGS maps of the area I'm planning to go and import applicable trail gpx files from funtreks.com, jeeptheusa.com, rr4w.com, or trails.dirtdevils.org. The biggest downside of Locus is that it's not Apple Car Play/Android Auto compatible, so I have to mount my phone on the dash and use that screen instead.

TorgSurv

OnX is great if you want pre-loaded trails without having to research ahead of time. It's also the best tool for identifying property ownership/management information.

Gaia works really well with Appple Car Play/Android Auto so you can display it on the center screen in the Bronco. Also helpful that you can show publicly shared tracks (was really useful at KOH this year).

Avenza maps is the best tool to show your location within Forest Service and BLM Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUMs), published by USFS and BLM as georeferenced pdf files, so you always know if you're on an approved route within their jurisdiction.

My favorite, however, is Locus Maps. It has a steeper learning curve, but is extremely feature rich and customizable compared to the other applications. Even in the free version it allows more downloadable background maps (including both digital and scanned USGS maps and satellite imagery) for off-line use, and unlimited import/export of tracks and waypoints. I generally download USGS maps of the area I'm planning to go and import applicable trail gpx files from funtreks.com, jeeptheusa.com, rr4w.com, or trails.dirtdevils.org. The biggest downside of Locus is that it's not Apple Car Play/Android Auto compatible, so I have to mount my phone on the dash and use that screen instead.

Thank you for this information. It is very helpful, and I will investigate Locus. I use my Nav on my phone also when it gets down to the correct positioning. My 2016 F350 doesn't have Apple Car play so I am used to this. Do you know if Bronco Nation is going to do something like Jeep Badge of Honor trails? The Jeep owners get badges to display.

GDWSuperman

Thank you for this information. It is very helpful, and I will investigate Locus. I use my Nav on my phone also when it gets down to the correct positioning. My 2016 F350 doesn't have Apple Car play so I am used to this. Do you know if Bronco Nation is going to do something like Jeep Badge of Honor trails? The Jeep owners get badges to display.

There is something called the FordPass Performance App, which is currently under development by Ford and has been delayed several times. My guess is Ford will be doing something similar to the Badge of Honor system... but the application hasn't been released yet. The thread for that is here:

https://thebronconation.com/forums/threads/the-fordpass-performance-app-and-the-ford-bronco.3589/
Also, I generally agree with @TorgSurv's assessment of map applications. I'll just add the application that seems to have the most amount of momentum among the off-road community right now is onX. It has a ways to go before it will become the "go-to" application in my opinion. But it's getting there for sure.

I use GAIGPS and OnX as well since they work with Apple Car Play when I'm out on the trail. Before I go I also check and see if the trail is in Trails Off-road. If it is you can get some good info about the trail, infusing a video of the trail itself. You can then download that trail into a .gpx file and import it into OnX or GAIGPS if it's not one of their pre-canned trails.

Thanks @JoergH for mentioning Trails-Offroad. They along with FunTreks are major contributors to the curated trails that will be incorporated into the FordPass Performance app, with detailed background maps provided by NeoTreks/Accuterra.

TorgSurv

Thanks @JoergH for mentioning Trails-Offroad. They along with FunTreks are major contributors to the curated trails that will be incorporated into the FordPass Performance app, with detailed background maps provided by NeoTreks/Accuterra.

FordPass Performance app??? When is this available or is it available? My friend had the FunTreks Colorado book for our excursion. The road was not marked well so this was a challenge with book and road. A downloaded map using the gps on our phones would have resolved this. Will this app allow us to prove we did the trail and get badges for certain ones?

GDWSuperman

FordPass Performance app??? When is this available or is it available? My friend had the FunTreks Colorado book for our excursion. The road was not marked well so this was a challenge with book and road. A downloaded map using the gps on our phones would have resolved this. Will this app allow us to prove we did the trail and get badges for certain ones?

The FordPass Performance app is still not available, and it doesn't look like it will be any time soon. As discussed above, there are a number of different applications on your phone that interface with Car Play and Android Auto you can use for off-road trails such an OnX, GaiGPS, Trails-offroad, etc. that work without the need for an Internet connection when you're out on the trail. Note, you have to prepare the app (i.e. download the proper maps into your phone) before you head out while you still DO have Internet connectivity. I've used all three in combination, and they all have their plusses and minuses. I use Trails Off-road mainly to prepare for trips as I've found them to have the most preloaded trails. But, I use either OnX or GaiGPS when out there since I find them to have more map overlays, etc.

GDWSuperman

FordPass Performance app??? When is this available or is it available? My friend had the FunTreks Colorado book for our excursion. The road was not marked well so this was a challenge with book and road. A downloaded map using the gps on our phones would have resolved this. Will this app allow us to prove we did the trail and get badges for certain ones?

It will be available "soon" is the official word. As we all know by now, "soon" does not necessarily mean this week, this month, or even this year. It does require that your Bronco have the Mid package or higher, so keep that in mind.

Thanks! I have Mid and High packages.

TorgSurv

It will be available "soon" is the official word. As we all know by now, "soon" does not necessarily mean this week, this month, or even this year. It does require that your Bronco have the Mid package or higher, so keep that in mind.

I've heard from reliable sources (Bronco Nation posts) that it's not going to be available in '22. Which would suggest that Fords idea of "soon" is "not this year". :cool:

Will any of these allow me to plot a line of bearing from my current location?

In the ham-radio world, there is something called a fox hunt - where you use directional antennas to find a hidden transmitter. It is sometimes useful to plot multiple lines of bearing to try to triangulate the source. Would any of these work for that?

GDWSuperman

Thanks! I have Mid and High packages.

Actually, you have the "Hi.gh Package." "High = the Base/Standard package, plus all of the Mid package.
If you got the "Lux," it would be Base + Mid + High + the premium goodies that come to Lux. This 2021 article explains option packages among the various models. The charts at the bottom are especially helpful.

https://jalopnik.com/2021-ford-bronco-trim-levels-and-option-packages-explai-1844371574