One of the fantastic things about hiking is its simplicity. You don’t really need a whole lot of gear to get out and explore a trail. Good gear is a bonus, of course, and it can be especially important to have gear that does its job correctly when your safety depends on it. The hiking watch is a great example of one of those nice-to-have pieces of gear. The right GPS watch can help you keep accurate track of your pace, body indicators like heart rate, the terrain around you, and other environmental factors like weather to help you have the safest, most enjoyable hiking experience.
Picking the best GPS watch can feel overwhelming, though. It's often a big investment and the number of features on these things can feel infinite. For these very reasons, and more, I'm here to help.
I have been using a GPS watch for hiking, running, biking, and living for over a decade now and have tested dozens of them in my decades-long career as an outdoor journalist and gear tester. For this specific test, I researched eight watches that I thought could be the best hiking watch—based on my past experience—and my team and I tested them for the past four months to create this gear review that will hopefully help you pick the best one for you.