Alabama State Parks Mobile App Now Available

MONTGOMERY-The Alabama State Parks Pocket Ranger smartphone app for iPhone and Android is now available in the iTunes and Android Markets and at pocketranger.com. The app is being released in conjunction with the park system’s 75^th Anniversary celebration. This free interactive guide gives users detailed information on all 22 of Alabama’s state parks including general policies, contact information, activities, trails, park maps and much more.

“This app should help improve the user’s visit to any of the parks,” said

Greg Lein, Alabama State Parks Director

, Alabama State Parks Director. “With this app, visitors can tailor their experience based upon their individual interests. It also alerts visitors to various accommodation specials and events.”

The Alabama State Parks Pocket Ranger app helps users plan their outdoor trip by searching for a park via GPS location or by activity to find nearby locations to enjoy mountain biking, hiking, camping, boating, birding and more. Visitors can even store GPS maps in advance of their visit to ensure that navigation remains possible in the event of lost mobile reception.

Alabama State Parks Pocket Ranger offers other features to maximize the outdoor adventure including:

• Educational information, amenities, maps and directions
• Real-time calendar of events
• News, advisories and weather alerts
• Social networking and photo sharing
• Potentially life-saving alert feature
• Advanced GPS mapping features
• Record trail distance and time elapsed
• Recall, post or share saved data
• Friend Finder
• Built-in compass

Pocket Ranger apps are products of the Parks By Nature Network. To learn more, visit pocketranger.com.

For more information about the Alabama State Parks 75th Anniversary Celebration or the Partners Pay the Way campaign, visitwww.alapark.com during the coming months. Visit the website often for lodging, camping and dining specials and event announcements.

The Alabama State Parks Division operates and maintains 22 state parks encompassing approximately 48,000 acres of land and water. These Parks rely on visitor fees and the support of other Partners like local communities to fund the majority of their operations.  To learn more about Alabama State Parks, visit www.alapark.com.

MEDIA RELEASE/ALABAMA STATE PARKS/Kevin Jones