RALEIGH – The free Pocket Ranger mobile application for North Carolina’s state parks, developed for smartphones by ParksByNature Network, has been ranked among the top 100 free navigation applications by Apple’s iTunes, the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation announced.

Apple’s iTunes ranked the North Carolina State Parks Pocket Ranger Mobile App 43rd in popularity, based on the number of times the application has been downloaded. The mobile application, or app, was introduced in May 2011 by the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation in partnership with Friends of State Parks and ParksByNature Network. The app was among the first such comprehensive mobile applications for state parks systems created by New York-based ParksByNature.

The downloadable application for iPhone and Android smartphones allows visitors to plan trips and explore state parks with details readily at hand about park locations, trails, facilities, reservations, events and special news alerts. It also allows GPS-aided, state-of-the-art navigation of state parks, storage of detailed topographic maps and enhanced interactive features for social media. An “alert” feature supplies GPS coordinates to designated contacts in case of emergencies.

The mobile app for North Carolina state parks can be downloaded from the iTunes Store and Android’s Market by searching NC State Parks or NC Pocket Ranger or by logging on to http://www.officialstateparkapps.com.