I use the app “Map My Ride” to keep track of my cycling. I also decided to use it when I went paddling today. It was flat-water paddling. The app tracks distance and also the amount you climb up hills. Map My Ride calculated that on my flat-water adventure, I had an elevation gain of 129 feet! (This is not the Bay of Fundy!)
Is there a better app for paddling adventures, showing on a map where you went, how far and how fast you went?
I was told Strava has a paddling pull-down by a cyclist who has never used it. I have no personal experience with it, so I can’t speak to how good it is.
Additionally, those apps elevation measurements are not as accurate as speed and distance, so it may still be useful for speed and distance.
A friend uses Strava to track our trips. Does a good job.
I have a Garmin watch (Fenix 5) that I use for all me activities. I have found that it is the most accurate
gps is not that accurate for elevations. This is due to angle of satellite/s that are tracking you to the Earth’s surface.
Was discussed here nor long ago try a search.
The elevation feature of map my ride and other apps is bad, but it’s not of much concern in paddling on flat water. I checked out Strava and it does indeed have options for canoeing and kayaking. I’m going to give it a try.
I’ve used Runtastic/Adidas Running for years, and also occasionally use Strava. Both will show phantom gains and losses in elevation while I am paddling. I just ignore it - if I was running or biking in a hilly area I’d be more concerned about the accuracy.
I have a Suunto watch that I use for paddling. It uploads the paddle data to the Suunto app which then syncs the data into Strava. I also use it for cycling as well. My cycling club uses Mapmyride for posting route info which I upload into my Wahoo to display turn by turn and sprint sections during the ride. Afterwards it syncs data with Strava.
I use a Garmin Fenix 6, whose GPS system does a good job at tracking the horizontal stuff. But altitude readings are still a joke, despite the umpteen updates and promises of more accuracy.
IME, GPS devices all suck at identifying correct altitude. They all show lake paddles with elevation gains or losses. Ignore it.
Even on a walk from home, after I manually set the altimeter for the elevation from a topo map, somehow my home almost always ends at a different elevation than it was at the start! 
Yeah, I’ve had several Garmin watches over the years, and I’ve ceased listening to their elevation claims. Pretty much every activity, of every kind, on any terrain, ends up showing that I climbed when I know I didn’t. I think it has to do with barometric pressure and temperature. Just the fact that that it gives you temperature when it’s attached to your wrist seems suspect to me (as expected, the temps are always way high). Anyway, I think the barometer and thermometer functions are tied together. Personally, I don’t worry about it - I might be upset if I didn’t know it was just incapable of giving accurate readings.
Speed and distance are what I care most about. Elevation, if I’m biking or running hills, but in the general ballpark is okay. For me.