How to plan a route that follows real trails (Pro)

⏱ About 5 minutes · Applies to NomadTracks for iPhone, iPad, Mac & Apple Watch

Route planning (a NomadTracks Pro feature) turns the map into a drawing board: tap a few waypoints and the route snaps to actual roads and hiking trails, with live distance, duration and elevation totals. Plan the evening before, then follow the line the next morning.

Start a new route

On the map, enter route-planning mode and tap your starting point — waypoint A appears. Each further tap adds a waypoint, and the route between them snaps to the road and trail network.

Route planning on a satellite map with waypoints A, B and C and distance labels

Pick the right profile

Choose between profiles like walking and cycling — the routing engine picks appropriate paths (a bike route avoids stairs; a hiking route happily takes the singletrack).

Read the numbers

Distance labels appear along the route, and the summary shows total distance, estimated duration and elevation gain — enough to judge whether the loop fits the daylight you have left.

Adjust by dragging

Drag any waypoint to reroute, or add intermediate waypoints to force the route over a specific pass or past a specific hut. Each change recalculates instantly.

Save as a track and follow it

Happy with the plan? Save the route as a track. It lands in your library like a recording, syncs to your devices, and on the trail you simply keep your live position on the line. You can record your actual track simultaneously and compare afterwards.

A planned route shown on a satellite basemap with total distance
Tip: Plan on the basemap that shows the terrain best — Pro unlocks Google Maps and OpenStreetMap, and OSM in particular knows many small hiking trails that other maps miss.

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