Michael Since the onset of COVID, we have practically been going for an hour-long walk every day, exploring the lesser-known corners of the city. Finding a nice circular route in a densely populated city like San Francisco that offers wide views and runs far from heavy traffic, perhaps even includes a 300-foot high staircase within a posh neighborhood, or an unpaved path known only to the immediate neighbors, is not so easy. Let alone finding such a previously explored path exactly the same way on the next hike; often, it gets tricky at the points where you actually need to turn, and you end up on a suboptimal path.

Enough of that! With the Komoot phone app, I can plan new city walks on the built-in map, save them, and when we want to go for a hike, I just need to open the app and select one of the 50 saved routes, quickly drive to the starting point, and then get going. We have the craziest routes, one goes over rocks that you have to climb down, and another goes through the wing of an abandoned old hospital. All strictly secret, of course! And when we were in Germany last summer, as tourists sightseeing in the city of Heidelberg, I also created a circular route there that passed by all the sights, from the Philosopher's Walk to the castle.

When Komoot navigates through a previously saved hike, it informs you at which corners you need to turn right or left to follow the given route and find your way back to the parked car. The app itself is free, and the basic version is sufficient if you only stay in a specific region. However, if you leave your home area, it suddenly doesn't recognize any maps, even though they are based on the freely available OpenStreetMap data. But if you pay an additional 30 dollars, it suddenly works everywhere. Okay, the Komoot team needs to keep the lights on in the server room, and with your contribution, you're practically paying their electricity bill.

The clumsy English of the documentation, by the way, reveals that the app is a German product. Rumor has it that many British road cycling enthusiasts also use it for navigation. All in all, it is well-made, although very amateurishly monetized. But well, German internet entrepreneurs are not good at that. Tragically, they always leave money on the table. Okay, at least those who stayed behind in Germany, haha! As an outdoor product, however, I recommend the app without reservation.

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• More topics you might be interested in:

  	Corona Winter
  	Doctor's notes now viewable
  	First Defund, then Refund the Police
  	School Board Recall
  	Walgreens
  	Top Product: Pizza Steel