The U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station has just unveiled a Web app that will take users on a ride as they plan their next hiking, mountain biking or horseback riding trip in Nantahala National Forest. The Forest Trail Explorer is a searchable app, designed for iPhones and Androids, that combines details on three popular trail systems in the Nantahala – the westernmost of the state’s four national forests – with the latest on-the-ground forest science and virtual fly-overs. Forest explorers can find trail information, including directions, trail type, distance and difficulty, and elevation, in addition to background and history of the trails. The app also uses information from the Forest Inventory and Analysis to provide details on topics ranging from ecosystem and threats to forest products, to weather and climate. Perhaps the coolest feature of the app – one not found in a paperback – is the virtual fly-overs using Google Earth technology.