Creating a Routable Track on an Off Road Map

I was thinking that the older Garmin Zumos had a custom routing feature for off road navigation where tracks could be converted to custom routes. I have no first hand experience with the zumo but I think I remember reading discussions of this back on the old (now defunct) GPS Passion forum.

I may be completely wrong on this as my memory is not what it used to be. Hopefully someone more familiar with the zumo line will comment.

If you are adventurous, see if you can find an old mapping program, TOPO by Delorme. Garmin bought them out and shut them down. They were the best mapping an routing programs around at one time.

Delorme Topo 7.0 USA ws the lat version they made.

Delorme also had a product called GPS Mapkit which let you create routable maps by scanning paper maps. I used it quite a bit in the mid 90's to scan marine charts.

Unfortunately, like TOPO, it went the way of the Dodo.

Thanks for the reply.

I bought a used Zumo on eBay a while back and played around with it. I never got far enough to try all it's capabilities though. I eventually resold it due to it's short battery life and relatively small screen.

The current Garmin Tread series reportedly has many of the Zumo features, but they're quite pricey:

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/702373

I may give one a try when they show up used on eBay or as refurbs.

Thanks Alan, for the reminder about the Zumo.

I have some experience in this area. I have done things for biking and ATVing.

Are you looking to do this on a Garmin device or something else?

There are a couple of programs that I have found that will do this, but I have generally done this to stay on an off-road bicycle or ATV trail.

If this interests you, please let me know and I will be happy to share those websites and forums that deal with this.

I use Garmin Montana handhelds when I ride my ebike on a variety of trails. I get maps from various sources and create tracks using Basecamp and Google earth. I'm trying to make these tracks routable so I can navigate between waypoints along these tracks.

I know of several sites where this is discussed, but haven't found specifics on what I'm trying to do with the equipment and software I have.

By all means, if you know of a useful website, I would be grateful if you can point me in the right direction.

I am a Garmin Zumo XT user on my e-bikes and ATV. My wife and I are still negotiating on what we will use on our UTV. I have used MRA Routeplanner and then just sent it over to my Garmin Zumo XT. There are other ways to do exactly what you are referring to. I am not saying that my way is even the best. It just happens that it worked the best for me. There is some great information on the Zumo User Forums. Create an account there. Poke around a little bit and post when you are ready.

https://www.myrouteapp.com/routelab

https://explore.garmin.com

https://www.zumouserforums.co.uk

One other thing I would encourage you to try is other maps. Open Street Maps aren't necessarily better, but they are another option and worth trying. Standard is probably fine for most people. CyclOSM or Cycle Maps can be good for bike trails. The Tracestrack Topo is new to me.

There are actually way more variants of OSM than I realized originally. Essentially they are taking Standard OSM and overlaying whatever other things that are of interest. There are some for the fire service that show hydrants and fire stations. They is one for marine and nautical navigation.

Also take a look at BBBike. They make it pretty simple to download maps.

https://www.bbbike.org

https://www.openstreetmap.org

https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_Map_On_Garmin/Downlo...

I haven't played around with TrailForks, but I know it has a following.

https://www.trailforks.com/tools/garminmaps

I hope I am not overwhelming you with too many URLs, but I found that I actually learned a few tips from each of them.

Thanks for the links. I've used most of them, but should probably give them a closer look.

If a map shows a trail, it can easily be made routable. I have yet to find maps from any source, including OSM and BBBike, that show all the remote trails I ride. That's why I need to make my own.

I've had the best luck with GPS File Depot:

https://www.gpsfiledepot.com/

A lot of talented people post maps they've created. I use quite a few but not all the places I ride are covered.

Anyway, thanks for the help.

That is similar to the challenges I face. Most of my e-bike ridding, either summer of winter, is on paved trails that are on maps.

However, ATVing and UTVing is another story. Many of the trails are one certain maps, but our biggest challenge is making sure that the trail allows ATV/UTV use and which class ATV/UTV.

Minnesota & Wisconsin both have a number of snowmobile trails, but only certain ones allow ATV or UTV operation.

And, if they do allow ATV/UTV operation, do they allow Class 1 only or do they also allow Class2?

I am finding that there are really two main issues for off-road navigating. They are:

1) Selecting the correct equipment.

2) Selecting the correct maps.

From there you can focus on things like water/dust resistance, can the display be read in bright sunlight, etc.

Also, my Garmin Zumo XT came with Topo Maps (TopoActive PowerSports). I did buy, but ended up returning, Garmin TOPO U.S. 24K North Central. They had it at REI on a micro SD card. I really didn't find them to be all that useful or worth the price, so I returned it.

It is good to hear that GPS File Depot has what you are looking for. I looked a little bit, but it seemed like what I wanted was a bit dated. Although, in the case of TOPO maps, that may not be much of a concern to you.

The same problem applies to e-bikes. The regulations are constantly changing, sometimes monthly.

Last June, I drove two hours to a trail, only to find it posted "NO Ebikes" I had ridden it the month before and it had no restrictions.

Some state and local parks have websites that post trail regulations but, unfortunately, most do not.

As a hedge against this sort of thing, I now travel to areas with a concentration of trails. If one suddenly bans ebikes, there are others to ride and the trip isn't wasted.