Whoever is planning a road/off-road trip abroad, such as in the Pyrenees, the Western Alps, or in Iceland, will eventually face the exciting challenge of route planning. Off the paved roads, it’s essential to find drivable dirt, forest, and meadow paths that are accessible for off-road vehicles, while also avoiding routes that are blocked by barriers or traffic restrictions.
The art of a successful off-road tour lies in connecting a starting point with a destination while including as many beautiful trails, scenic passages, landscapes, and sights as possible.
In my article, I provide a comprehensive insight into the planning of our 16-day trans-Pyrenees tour from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. It explains the entire process in detail: from gathering GPX tracks from the internet and friends to evaluating and sorting the routes, and finally integrating them into popular navigation apps.
Article: Offroad Route Planning and Track Navigation
The Aricle is available too in german language.
Planning and familiarizing oneself with track navigation is indeed time-consuming. In my post, I share my method for utilizing the groundwork laid by other travelers to create a well-organized network of routes for the destination region with minimal effort. I, along with all other readers, am grateful for tips, additions, and suggestions—because the next trip is surely on the horizon.
The apps shown also have an integrated GPS/track-recording function, so you can save your route as a GPX or KML file. This outlined approach also brings a wealth of data, routes, and travel reports to light for regions such as southern Africa.
Off-road and track navigation here always serves as a complement to road navigation. After all, outside the tracks, we all want route guidance at times (such as “turn left onto Bismarck Street in 50m,” “exit the highway at xx toward Windhoek,” or directions to the nearest gas station or hotel). We’ve also blogged about road navigation that works well offline (downloadable maps!).
The described import should also work for the OB App.
trippin
