Tested: The Best GPS Hiking Watches to Wear on Your Next Trek (2024)

As we as a society become more and more plugged into technology, we may find it easy to view a trip outdoors as a vacation away from our gadgets as well. However, some of the best technology can be the most important tools for your next excursion. From health monitoring to navigation, lots of smart devices serve as a great way to ensure your safety when traversing unfamiliar territory, but they can also be a lot of fun to use as well.

Even the most experienced adventurers can find utility in a GPS hiking watch. Without the need for a cell signal, many of these devices can be used off the grid and in remote areas. Likewise, as you make your way back to town, a global positioning system strapped to your wrist can give you peace of mind if you’re the type of person who loses his phone a lot. With all the options out there, both affordable and expensive, it can be overwhelming trying to decide which GPS unit is right for you. That’s why we’ve tested and reviewed a handful of GPS hiking watches, highlighting the best ones to bring with you on your next wilderness outing.

How We Tested

With the number of brands these days getting in on the smartwatch game, including some traditional horological icons, it may be difficult to delineate the good from the bad. Lucky for you, we get to see a lot of different models and have a good sense of which ones are better than the others. However, we wanted to compare some of our favorites side-by-side, along with a few that we haven’t gotten too in-depth with before.

We started by making a short list of candidates based on our knowledge of the space. From there, we determined which watches would make a good companion for outdoor activities, looking at material, size, durability, battery life, and some other factors. After acquiring our samples for testing, we got hands-on with these different watches, taking them out into the field to decide what we liked and didn’t like, ultimately coming to our list of the best GPS watches for hiking.

Different GPS Types

As the primary option in the United States, GPS has become the generic name for all GNSS satellite positioning systems. However, some watches accommodate some, if not all five global GNSS systems, while the majority only track GPS. This will be perfectly fine for almost every occasion. However, if you’ll be traveling outside the United States, maybe you’ll want an option that extends beyond GPS.

How To Pick A GPS Watch For Hiking

Case Size: Like with any watch, you’ll want to make sure the GPS timepiece worn on your wrist won’t be too big or bulky. Smartwatches in general tend to run a bit larger than standard wristwatches. Likewise, the extra width and thickness only adds more weight to your wrist, which will make a difference in comfort when you’re wearing it all day.

Durability/Water-Resistance: This goes without saying but a hiking watch should be both durable and water-resistant because you never know what you’ll face out in the wild. Look for models that are around 50m to 100m of water resistance, as well as materials such as stainless steel, carbon fiber, or titanium.

Positioning: As we mentioned, “GPS watch” refers to a timepiece that taps into any or all five global GNSS satellite systems, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and Beidou. Don’t get overwhelmed here; GPS will get you by on most occasions, especially if you’re staying in the United States.

Battery Life: Before venturing out off the grid, make sure you note both the max battery life AND the battery life when GPS is turned on. These will be vastly different numbers and will make or break how long you’ll be out and how much you’ll be using your maps.

Map Features: This one comes down to personal preference, but if you’re a frequent or extreme hiker, you may want a watch with more bells and whistles. Most models can accurately track and log your routes, but some will give you different map “textures” and even a breadcrumb feature so you don’t get lost. Also, you’ll want to make sure that the way the maps are depicted work to your own liking.

Coros Apex Pro 2

Best for Backpacking: Coros is an excellent smartwatch company out of the eastern U.S. and the Apex 2 Pro is the most up-to-date version of its most rugged option. Adventurers have taken Coros wearables to the ends of the Earth and back, traversing up to the highest peaks in the world. Lightweight at around 2oz, this GPS watch has an easy-to-read 1.3-inch touchscreen dial with maximum visibility for its data readouts and landscape, topo, and hybrid map options, which are also available offline. Communicating with GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and Beidou satellites and capable of up to 30 days of regular use (75 hours in GPS mode), the Apex 2 Pro has one of the longest battery lives on the market as well.

Something that shouldn’t be overlooked is how easy it is to set up the Coros right out of the box. Once you download the phone app, it lets you build your profile with ease, focusing on selecting and deselecting the sports modes that you want to show up on your watch’s menus. This is the exact opposite of most other watches, which inundate you with too many options before you’re ready to explore all of them. Most people don’t do ALL of the activities. Although, if you are a multi-hyphenate in the world of sports, you’ll love the Apex. Of the watches on this guide, it’s also the most complete when it comes to fitness and multi-sport, with a plethora of modes, including windsurfing, cross-country skiing, jump rope, and both indoor and outdoor rowing, among others. Considering the amount of features it has, the phone app is incredibly helpful. You can download workouts and training routines from Coros’ website and keep track of your personal records. Downloading maps for navigation is a breeze as well, with the ability to select regions in a grid-like format from the phone, which prevents lagging when rendering on the watch.

Great for multi-day hiking or backpacking, the low weight is obviously attributed to the grade 5 titanium case, but also the nylon band helps. However, despite the soft and comfortable nature of the strap, I’ve found Velcro-style straps to be surprisingly difficult to fine-tune on your wrist; they’re easy to make too tight or too loose. Likewise, the large #EXPLOREPERFECTION text on the strap itself is needless and a little tacky. It’s also important to note that the Coros Apex Pro is the only watch on this list without any left-sided buttons or knobs, which might be an issue for any right-armed wearers.

Verdict: Correspondance between the Coros app and Apex watch is the most fluid of all the ones we tested, and there are seemingly countless options when it comes to sports modes. For just around $450, the Apex is a fantastic budget option, but it’s also one of the most lightweight you’ll find, which is great for multi-day wear –– not to mention the 75-hour battery life with GPS usage.

Case Size: 46.5mm
Water Resistance: 50m
Case Material: Grade 5 titanium
Battery Life (GPS): 75 hours
Satellites: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, Beidou

Garmin Instinct 2 Solar

Best Budget Option: Garmin has become known for its fantastic range of smartwatches, aiding everyone from athletes to the health-conscious to the everyman. Its Instinct 2 Solar is designed for the most enthusiastic outdoor adventurers among us. The solar-powered wearable is built with a fiber-reinforced polymer case and a scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass for ultimate ruggedness so you don’t need to worry about protecting one extra thing. Speaking of peace of mind, the incident-detection feature lets you opt to send your location to your contacts in case of an emergency. Aside from the GPS functions, the Instinct is also built with many of Garmin’s handy fitness and sports apps as well.

If you’re not familiar with the smartwatch space, Garmin is a good place to start. Its app is intuitive, but most importantly, it’s really easy to function on-wrist. A lot of smartwatches have fantastic apps but they’re frustrating to scroll through when you’re actually trying to use them for what they’re designed for. In terms of navigation, you’ll need to download the Garmin Smartphone Link or Garmin Explore app in order to search for, save, and send locations for navigation on the Instinct 2 Solar. On the watch itself, the “up” and “down” buttons are the bottom two pushers on the left side, with the top being the backlight. Typically, if there are three pushers on one side, the top and bottom will be the “up” and “down,” respectively. This takes a bit to get used to. On the wrist, I loved how lightweight the watch felt considering its durability and size. However, at 45mm, this is one of the smaller smartwatches you’ll find, but you couldn’t tell from the large display screen.

The main issue you’ll come across with any Garmin model is that the Garmin Connect app is designed to cater to all of its models across different categories. For this reason, it will take some searching and playing around to find the proper navigation tools you’ll need for trekking or even simple hiking. Lifestyle features, like health and sleep tracking, are front and center on the home page, but since Garmin gets specific with each of its models, you’ll need to download extra apps like the aforementioned Smartphone Link and Garmin Explore. While keeping track of additional apps may become a headache, it’s a necessary evil to keep things more focused on each one. As a lifestyle watch, the Instinct has some nice features, such as a highly-customizable home screen and secondary face on the top right that serves multiple purposes. For notifications, it displays the icon from the app you’re being notified from (e.g., Instagram, Gmail, Facebook), which makes it easier to triage your pings. One of my biggest complaints, however, is not even with the watch itself but with the length of the power cable that comes with it. It’s far too short and not a proprietary type of plug that’s not used by any other gadgets in your home, so you’ll have to just deal with it unless you by a longer version online for around $25.

Verdict: Incredibly lightweight and durable, the Instinct 2 Solar from Garmin not only benefits from Garmin’s famous app capabilities, which allow you to compartmentalize its focus at any given time (for better or worse), but has intuitive features on a digital level as well. Easy to read and interpret, the watch’s plethora of navigation functions and purposes give this an edge up, especially for the price.

Case Size: 45mm
Water Resistance: 100m
Case Material: Fiber-reinforced polymer
Battery Life (GPS): 48 hours
Satellites: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo

G-SHOCK Master of G Rangeman GPRH1000-9

Best Digital Watch: While most other GPS watches don’t function as an actual, well, watch, G-SHOCK’s Master of G Rangeman does it really well. Based on the Rangemam series, which was the first from the brand to feature the acclaimed Triple Sensor (pressure sensor, temperature sensor, and direction sensor) upon its 2013 debut, this particular GPRH1000-9 levels up the adventure readiness with built-in GPS features. On top of that, it can also serve as one of the most rugged wearables on the market thanks to the high-rigidity resin case and metal guards designed to protect the GPS antenna and six sensors inside. Oh yeah, and it boasts 200m of water resistance. As a quasi-smartphone, the Rangeman also sends you phone notifications and performs health monitoring.

First off, don’t let the massive 60.6mm case size fool you; like all G-SHOCKs, the Rangeman is still lightweight on the wrist all things considered. You can wear this all day, no problem. In fact, the bulk only adds to the watch’s durability, which is perhaps more apparent than it is on any other model from this guide. Blending high-visibility with retro aesthetics, the Casio sublabel does what it does best with the Rangeman, a non-navigational GPS device that uses signals to measure your speed, distance, and positioning. These can be used in association with the multiple sports features, including ones dedicated to trekking, trail running, walking, biking, swimming, and more. There’s also a handy compass feature that keeps you oriented without the need for cell service.

Again, we need to emphasize that the Rangeman isn’t a traditional GPS smartwatch. It uses its GPS to supplement its sports modes. If that’s okay with you, you’ll surely love the Rangeman as a wristwatch-first option. Although the buttons could be easier to push, their designated functions are easy to get the hang of, as is toggling through the watch’s menus. You can customize the home screen, which is a nice touch, but I really loved the simplicity of its menus in general, with an easy-to-reference bar on the side to let you know how far up or down the options you’ve gone. Of all the options in this guide, the Rangeman’s backlight is the most helpful in terms of brightness, although it won’t stay on for long enough.

Verdict: For those wanting a GPS map on your wrist, you should look elsewhere. G-SHOCK still doesn’t have a traditional smartwatch yet. However, if you’re a big fan of the brand’s timepieces and want a little extra adventure ability, the Rangeman utilizes its GPS functions to improve accuracy with an array of activities. Super durable and surprisingly lightweight, the bulky watch is an incredible outdoor adventure watch while also benefitting from thoughtful menu layouts and some pretty cool features.

Case Size: 60.6mm
Water Resistance: 200m
Case Material: Resin
Battery Life (GPS): 14 to 19 hours, plus solar assist
Satellites: GPS

Polar Grit X Pro

Best Rugged Option: With up to 7 days of battery life per charge, Polar’s Grit X Pro can be at your side (and on your wrist) even if your portable charger runs out of juice on longer trips or you can’t get near a charging station. To take your adventure even further, the watch taps into GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS satellites for ultimate globetrotting. The Grit X Pro also has a breadcrumb feature so you can find your route back. The case itself, sporting a compass around the bezel, is made from military-tested materials so it can withstand extreme heat and cold, as well as water depths of 100m.

One of the most accurate GPS watches around, the Polar Grit X is similar to the Coros in its ability to select from a myriad of sports and activities, with some of its most unorthodox being cricket and roller skating. When it comes to outdoor excursions, on the other hand, the real calling card of this watch is its compass feature. Fun to use, the detailed readout gives you precise degrees and also allows you to lock in your departure direction, which can be helpful when mentally visualizing your path when exploring. I also love how lightweight and comfortable this watch feels on-wrist. Despite the 47mm case size, the screen had a nice size. Unlike the other watches on this guide, aside from the Garmin tactix 7 below, the Grit X also benefits from both touchscreen and push-button operation, bringing more control to the overall experience.

After the initial setup of the watch, which took more than 20 minutes, including updates, I tried navigating somewhere. However, the map feature on the Grit X was frustratingly complicated. After some research, I learned that you need to log into the website on the computer to save locations to your favorites before you can access the “routes” feature. This really hampers any freedom you’d want out on the trail. Perhaps the Polar’s biggest flaw is that it tries to be a fitness watch and an outdoor companion at the same time. As the former, tons of cool features give you in-depth feedback on your training by using the watch’s heart monitor (there’s also a chest strap you can buy separately for even more detailed readouts). However, it feels like the outdoor capabilities are an afterthought. To add insult to injury, the non-user-friendly app doesn’t help much.

Verdict: Erroneously blending a fitness tracker with a multi-sport adventure watch, the Polar Grit X suffers from poor map features, albeit a useful compass. It’s lightweight and really rugged, but unless hiking is your third- or fourth-most frequent activity, you may want to look elsewhere.

Case Size: 47mm
Water Resistance: 100m
Case Material: Plastic with stainless steel bezel
Battery Life (GPS): 40 hours
Satellites: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS

Suunto Vertical Adventure Watch

Best for Trail Running: Suunto is one of the biggest names in the GPS watch industry, and for good reason. Its new top-tier Vertical line is the real deal, made for adventurers who want to focus on navigating and trekking places they’ve never been before. The watch utilizes all five GLONASS positioning systems for super-accurate navigation and the breadcrumb feature is perfect for trailblazing to ensure that you can venture off the grid worry-free. Aside from the other built-in bells and whistles for measuring speed, distance, and altitude, the Vertical also pairs with a smartphone app for more in-depth information and discovering new locations. New features also include offline maps access and over 95 sports modes.

Interestingly enough, the initial part of the setup for the Suunto is performed on the watch itself, rather than on the phone app. While usually I prefer the ease of phone-based setups, this allowed me to get accustomed to the basic operations of the watch and how to toggle through menus. However, connectivity and notification settings are performed via the phone app. There are three buttons on the right side of the case, but I loved how Suunto gives you the option to select and scroll (for most menus) by touchscreen. The buttons are a bit hard to press and those who wear watches on their right arms will benefit from being able to tap the watch’s face. We did our testing with the stainless steel option, which was surprisingly lightweight on my wrist while feeling incredibly durable in the process. So if you’re hesitant about springing for the extra $200, rest assured knowing that the cheaper option still won’t weigh you down. Likewise, the silicone strap was really comfortable and breathable.

As easy as it was to toggle through menus, the menus themselves aren’t set up in a way that’s easy to decipher. For instance, unlike most smartwatches, which use vibrations as their default notification ping, the Vertical had this really annoying chirping sound. I scrambled to turn this off, heading straight to the “Settings > Tones” menu. Switching everything to “vibrate,” I thought I had fixed the issue. But lo, the chirping continued and I just resorted to switching off ALL notifications from the phone app. Granular complaints aside, the Suunto Vertical doesn’t have a very intuitive navigation feature, which is far too confusing compared to popular apps like Waze and Google Maps. However, for trekking in the wilderness, the phone does let you fine-tune your route with its Free Drawing feature and select the types of roads you want to take (e.g., paved, unpaved, avoiding hills). Also, there needs to be an easier way to kill back to the home screen for those who are using this as an everyday watch. Luckily, the phone app is fairly easy to use and details your fitness and health readouts really well.

Verdict: While the Suunto Vertical has some serious ruggedness and some nice granular navigation features for hiking, its utility as an everyday smartwatch comes into question due to its inability to serve as a practical navigation tool for driving and frustrating menu syntax. Get this watch if you love fine-tuning your trailblazing but expect a steeper learning curve than normal.

Case Size: 49mm
Water Resistance: 100m
Case Material: Stainless steel or grade 5 titanium
Battery Life (GPS): 85 hours
Satellites: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, Beidou

Garmin tactix 7 AMOLED Edition

Best High-End: Garmin has slowly made its way to the top of the wearables food chain, but the ultra-tactical tactix 7 is also notable for its practical utility as well. Built with an LED flashlight and night-vision capabilities, this smartwatch utilizes both touchscreen and exterior button functionality. Stealth mode allows the device to stop storing and sharing GPS locations and disables wireless activity. Jumpmaster mode is perfect for skydivers who want some help navigating to an objective point. Other features include hunt tracking, airport locators, weather reports, and a memory-wipe kill switch, along with many of Garmin’s famed sports and outdoor apps. We got hands-on with the AMOLED Edition, which swaps in a nylon band and features a screen that can adapt in brightness.

Obviously larger than the Instinct 2 Solar that we reviewed above, the 51mm tactix 7 is different in more ways than just its physical prowess. Aside from the color display in favor of the simple black-and-white one, the tactix also benefits from both button AND touchscreen operation (the Instinct 2 doesn’t have a touchscreen), which you can actually turn off if you want to, although it comes in handy when using its various functions, especially navigation. For instance, in the map mode, which itself is very detailed, you can zoom in or out and simply touch a waypoint you’d like to hike to. From there, you can select how you want to get there (e.g., hiking, running, flying, biking, even parachuting). There’s also a handy “Save Location” setting from the main settings menu, that allows you to quickly mark your current waypoint as a destination to reach on your next outing. I really loved the flashlight feature, which can be turned on by double-clicking the top left button, and the brightness can be adjusted via touchscreen as well. For anyone who struggled with brightness on other smartwatches, you won’t have that issue with the tactix, with adjustable brightness, as well as “red shift” and “night vision” modes for different purposes.

Just like the Instinct, the “up” and “down” side buttons don’t make as much sense as the instinctual positioning of these pushers on some other smartwatches (i.e., placing them at the top and bottom of the case side rather than next to each other at the bottom). Also, the audible alerts were getting on my nerves and it took way too long for me to figure out how to turn them off; there should be a volume control that’s easily accessible from the main settings menu. Fortunately, the rest of the features on the tactix 7 make up for any of its inefficiencies. As for the fit of the watch itself, the 51mm case size won’t pose much of a problem due to the lightness of its materials. However, the nylon strap, while insanely rugged, is difficult to take on and off. Also just like the Instinct, the tactix 7 comes with a proprietary Garmin charging cable that’s incredibly short (a longer one can be purchased separately).

Verdict: As you could have guessed, there isn’t, and shouldn’t be, as much to complain about when you get into $1,000+ territory on a smartwatch. Appropriately, the tactix 7 is a superb specimen that’s easy to get the hang of, with both push-buttons and a touchscreen that make the learning curve even shorter. If you’re looking for the ultimate outdoor smartwatch in terms of both ruggedness and a myriad of features, this is your best bet, although it might be overkill for some.

Case Size: 51mm
Water Resistance: 100m
Case Material: Fiber-reinforced polymer with titanium rear cover
Battery Life (GPS): 89 hours
Satellites: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo

GPS Hiking Watch Comparison Chart

How Accurate Is GPS?

When using your GPS outdoors, you should know which kind of conditions will make it most accurate. If you’re in a wide-open field, your GPS will likely be at its best, although still about 1 to 2% off in terms of distance. However, when surrounded by trees or hills, it may be more difficult to get an accurate read. It’s the same reason why indoor GPS usage is not recommended.

Honorable Mentions

With the release of Suunto’s Vertical series, the smartwatch essentially bettered all the features from the Suunto 9 Peak Pro. However, if your budget’s a little lower, the Peak Pro is not a bad option.

Suunto is definitely a brand to watch out for in this space and has both high- and low-end options. Its Baro is one of the best cheap GPS watch options without losing much in the way of features. Unfortunately, the model is being phased out. However, it’s still available from some retailers.

Coros is another name that has some solid smartwatch options. We went with the Apex for our guide, but the Vertix 2 is a good upper-tier pick if you’re a fan of the brand. While a good option for the price, the Vertix is simply just too expensive when you consider other picks at that price tag (Apple, Mudmaster, Suunto Vertical).

Let’s be honest, this entire list could be from Garmin, but since we’ve already included the tactix and Instinct, the Enduro — a good extreme endurance multisport watch — is more running-focused than hiking-focused.

Apple recently updated its Ultra watch, which already made a statement the year earlier by finally appealing to the adventurers of the world. Aside from the several sporty band options, 100m of water resistance, and IP6X dust-resistance rating, this 2nd-gen version has a much wider display screen, titanium construction, and the new S9 chip.However, its recent availability issues prevented us from getting hands-on for testing, but it’s been met with widespread acclaim.