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Reston, United States (IBwire.com - July 03, 2012)  

MapMuse today announced the release of the Parks and Rec Locator, an app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch that plots the locations of national recreation sites across America. Included among the more than 5,000 listings are national parks, monuments, lakes, trails, museums, lodges, and monuments that members of the general public are encouraged to explore. Most locations come directly from Recreation.gov, the official online database of federal lands.

“Recreation.gov is a fantastic resource, and we’re so pleased they’ve shared their data with us,” says Mike Pilon, owner of MapMuse. “The Parks and Rec Locator is, in our opinion, now far and away the best travel guide for federally designated lands on the iTunes App Store.” Built on an interactive map, the app allows users to locate and contact recreation sites they’d like to visit. The map can be populated with any combination of National Parks, National Historic and Nature Areas, or National Recreation Sites and Areas. Users looking for a place to stay can also toggle on lodges and other accommodations located within national parks.

Every location that appears on the map has a dedicated profile page filled with background information, helpful links, photos, and more. In the interest of engaging the hiking and camping community, MapMuse also encourages users to submit photos and reviews of the sites they visit. “The more active the user base, the richer the app becomes for everyone,” says Pilon. Putting this concept to use, MapMuse offered free downloads to employees of federal lands. The move paid off, as park rangers, docents, and other federal workers proved all too eager to add helpful data to the profiles of sites under their care.

The Parks and Rec Locator is available to the general public for $2.99 on the iTunes app store. MapMuse has also posted free web maps of National Parks, National Historic and Nature Areas, and National Recreation Sites and Areas for explorers without iPhones. The maps plot the same sites as the app, but with reduced functionality (e.g. no instant dialing or emailing).

MapMuse, an internet and app company based out of Reston, VA has created dozens of apps and thousands of web maps that locate various interests and brands for the general public. Users of the Parks and Rec Locator may enjoy some of their other government land and historic preservation locators, including the Main Street Locator and the State Parks Locator.

To download the Parks and Rec Locator, please visit http://www.mapmuse.com/recgov.

For more information on MapMuse, please visit their homepage at http://www.mapmuse.com.