(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia/Tom's Guide)
I just got back from a trip to North Cascade National Park where I experienced the grandeur of jagged mountain peaks, dynamic waterfalls, cerulean rivers, and breathtaking glaciers. Of course, I logged each day of my adventure using a menagerie of the best smartwatches.To kick things off, my partner and I hiked to Blue Lake, a seriously stunning alpine lake accessible via a well-maintained out-and-back trail. I’m in the process of reviewing the new Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to test it against its direct competitor, the Apple Watch Ultra 3, and my current go-to smartwatch for adventure tracking, the Garmin Instinct 3.With just two wrists of my own, I asked my partner to rock the Apple Watch Ultra 3 (worn on her left wrist), while I wore the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 on my left wrist and the Garmin Instinct 3 on my right wrist before embarking on our Cascadian trek. I also ran Strava from my iPhone 16 Plus.Apple Watch vs Galaxy Watch vs Garmin: hike data compared
(Image credit: Dan Bracaglia)Three hours, five miles, roughly a thousand feet of climb, and one very chilly swim later, we returned to the car, where I carefully logged the results from each device. The outcome of the comparison was crystal clear; one wearable proved more capable and up to the task than the others. Read on to find out which.
