Paddle Ways - Lets Go Paddling

This app is intuitive and visually appealing but lacks helpful content even in the membership version. There are claims about gaining more info on river details yet I only ever get the river distance in its entirety and nothing more besides a few major rivers in my state. Also when you create a route, the lines are wildly inaccurate. That being said, the gauge location/information and general map of rivers is nice to have and it is convenient to be able to save certain river gauges to keep an eye on levels. Suggestion: More river info (a lot more), allow local users to suggest/report boat launches on the map, create more accurate snap-to mapping, allow commenting so local users can share updates and info, incorporate a list of what is runnable like AW has, add important features like dams to the map. I look forward to the developers working out the kinks because someday this will be a fantastic app.

Very cool concept. I think it has the potential to be the all in app for everything needed for whitewater paddling if a few things were improved. Continue to look for contributors to add data on rivers since the current data is very lacking. I’d say look to at least have what American Whitewater has in terms of data covered and then continue to add to that with local experts. Next, I find adding data is a bit difficult to be able to scroll down and hit submit. Lastly, in order to be in the premium category, I’d maybe consider teaming up with rain pursuit to get map overlays showing accumulated rainfall. This can help for those runs that don’t have a corresponding USGS gage. I think if the goal is to have this be one stop for paddlers this stuff is a must to get them to spend the money on the app. The ability for users to update will be helpful as well.

Hopping into the beta test for this - so if you’re reading this review in the future and I haven’t updated it yet, keep that in mind. I have high hopes for this app! Maybe it’ll be like alltrails for paddling. Things I think need some work currently: Needs more content. Only one route near me, but I know of so many more. The boat launch drop in/out locations should have addresses and an info page for parking, restroom access (if any), fees, photos. I’d love to see the ability for users to create their own routes. Lakes should be listed too, with boat ramp info. I SUP a lot on local lakes. It’s strange to me that there isn’t much of a navigation bar - I haven’t paddled yet but I would hope that the app will be able to record my route, and save that in a log. It would be awesome if it had some functionality similar to Strava for cyclists where you have your own profile and can follow others, share your routes etc. Another neat feature would be something similar to Waze where users could mark hazards on the route or create comments for others like “if the water is low stay left here” Pros so far: The app is smooth. No ads are a big plus. The map is beautifully done. I like the list view option (but it should tell me how far the route is from my current location too) This is an awesome concept that paddlers have needed for far too long!