September 6, 2011

Forest Park, America's largest urban park, is now on your iPhone!

Portland Parks & Recreation and the Forest Park Conservancy are very proud to announce a new iPhone app to improve your experience at the park, which contains more than 80 miles of trails, roads, and fire lanes.

The app showcases the Forest Park Conservancy's popular 10-map set of the park, "The Hiking & Running Guide to Forest Park," in digital format. It allows you to navigate the park in its entirety; zoom in and rotate the maps to see small details and find trailheads; plan a loop with information about elevation, mileage, and a map; and learn more about the park and the Conservancy.

Once downloaded, the app doesn't require internet access for use, so it's perfect for the "old-growth induced dead zones you might come across way out on the Wildwood Trail," writes Brian Barker on Portland Monthly's website.

Especially remarkable is that the app was developed by a local teen, Lincoln High School's Dylan Gattey, as part of a school project. "I love using Forest Park," Gattey says, "but I had never been able to find an app or tool to help me navigate it. So I thought, what better project to work on than a Forest Park mapping app, one that can benefit Portland park-goers for the long term?"

"Murmurs: High Schooler Builds App" - Willamette Week