I'm a big fan of the NOAA website. No advertising, so they don't try to oversell the "giant death storm" drama! The website does require you input your town and state, which I could see as annoying if you aren't sure what town your near on the trail.
As for carrying a specific radio only to get NWR bands, not going to happen. Extra weight and have to listen for a number of minutes until they get around to discussing the weather in the area you're interested in. The advantage this app has is that I can turn on the phone for 15 seconds, dial in the point on the trail, get my information, and turn it back off. Minimal battery use.