Say you’re driving through the Triad, you have some time on your hands and you think, “Hmm, I wonder if there’s a state park around here where I could do some rock climbing?” Used to be you’d have to be content to keep driving, keep wondering. Now, there’s an app for that.
The N.C. Parks Department this morning unveiled its Pocket Ranger app for iPhones and Droids that answers such immediate and pressing questions of the outdoor recreationist. Using our hypothetical situation, you could simply open your Pocket Ranger app, tap on “Park Activities,” finger down to “Rock Climbing” and tap on that, and discover that — holy cow! There’s not one but two state parks nearby (Hanging Rock and Pilot Mountain) where one can rock climb.

Among the other features of this free app: Stay current on park events; get news, alerts, and location-based weather updates; find basic park info such as hours of operation, facilities, trails and campgrounds; get directions; and some other stuff. Fork over $3.99 and upgrade to the “Pro” version and you get access to a slew of GPS-based features, social media options, a devise that lets you tell friends and family where you are, and more. A portion of the proceeds benefits the N.C. State Parks and Friends of State Parks, Inc.
To learn more about the Pocket Ranger app, go here.