Want to know just about everything that Acadia National Park has to offer, on your smart phone?  Two guys from the Portland area have taken care of that for you!

The idea for a National Park App called Chimani came to Kerry Gallivan and Shaun Meredith while hiking Gorham Mountain within Acadia National Park, in the rain.  According to the story on the Chimani website, "Kerry was hiking 7+ miles and wanted some data on where he was going, what route he should take, the amount of rain he could expect, and the steepness on the western side of Cadillac Mountain. Kerry had his iPhone, but there was neither cell phone coverage nor an app to guide him. Frustrated and alone in the rain in Maine, Chimani was conceived."

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I'm a big fan of kayaking and hiking, especially within Acadia National Park, so I couldn't get this app into my IPhone quick enough!  It's very impressive and they didn't leave much out!

Want to hike the Jordan Stream Trail?  Chimani will tell you where the Trailhead is,  how long it is, how long it will take you and how difficult it will be. It will even tell you the best time of the day for your hike based on things like tides and the position of the sun.

There's a massive amount of information, including recent news about the park, a detailed map, ranger events, a schedule for the Island Explorer shuttle bus service, where to bike, boat launches, where to park, where to have a picnic, where to camp and swim or ride a horse, even where the restrooms are.  There is an enormous amount of information!

One of the many cool things about this app is that it will still work when you lose internet service!  All information will be downloaded before your hike and then retained for reference while you're on the trail!

Another feature of Chimani is that it will refer local places of interest to you as well, like Baxter State Park.  Tap on the image and it will take you to the App Store where you can download the Baxter State Park version.

I picked up the Chimani: Acadia app for zero cost from the App Store.  Other National Park versions include the Great Smokey Mountains, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, Zion, Rocky Mountain, Grand Canyon, and many others!

It's definitely is worth the cost, which is nothing, for any outdoor enthusiast!

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