Can I open a GPX file in Google Maps or Apple Maps?

No. Neither Google Maps nor Apple Maps can read GPX files. Use a dedicated app such as Guru Maps, Organic Maps, OsmAnd, Gaia GPS or Locus Map. Organic Maps is free and open source.

Do I need a mobile signal to follow a GPX track?

No. GPS positioning works from satellites and needs no data connection. You only need a connection to download map tiles in advance, so download the offline map for your region before you leave.

Why does my app not give turn-by-turn directions for a GPX?

Because these files are recorded tracks rather than calculated routes. A track is a dense line of recorded points; the app displays it and keeps you on it, but does not generate street-by-street instructions. Most apps can alert you when you drift off the track.

What is the difference between a track, a route and a waypoint in a GPX file?

A track is a recorded breadcrumb line of where someone actually travelled. A route is a small set of points that a device connects by calculating its own path. A waypoint is a single marked location such as a viewpoint or a water source.

How do I put a GPX file on a Garmin device?

Either import it in the Garmin Connect app under Training and Planning, then Courses, then Import, and sync the device; or connect the device by USB and copy the GPX file into the NewFiles folder, then restart the device.

Can I reverse a GPX track and walk it in the opposite direction?

Yes. Most navigation apps and the free browser tool gpx.studio can reverse a track. Remember that the elevation profile reverses with it, so descents become climbs.

The GPX file downloads as .xml or opens as plain text. Is it broken?

No. A GPX file is a text file in XML format. Some browsers rename the extension. Save the file, rename it so it ends in .gpx, and your navigation app will open it.

How to use GPX files

What is a GPX file?

A GPX file — GPS Exchange Format — is a small text file holding a list of coordinates. Nothing more. It carries no map: it describes a line, and your app draws that line on whatever map it already has. That is why GPX works with almost every navigation app, and why a 40 km walk is often a file of only a few hundred kilobytes.

Track, route and waypoint

Three things can live inside a GPX, and knowing the difference saves a lot of confusion:

Track — a dense breadcrumb trail of where someone actually walked or rode, recorded every few seconds. It follows the real path, including the wrong turns. This is what you download here.
Route — a handful of points that a device is expected to connect by calculating its own way between them. Useful on roads, unreliable on footpaths.
Waypoint — a single marked spot: a viewpoint, a water source, a parking place.

Because a track is a recorded line rather than a calculated route, most apps will show it and keep you on it, but will not read out turn-by-turn directions. You follow the line on screen. For walking that is usually better — footpaths rarely have street names.

What you get on this site

Each trail page has a Download GPX button that gives you the original recorded track, exactly as it came off the device that recorded it. Some trails have several files, one per day or per stage. Nothing is stripped out, so you also get elevation data where the recording device captured it.

Apps that open GPX on your phone

Your phone is a capable GPS. The only thing it needs is an app that reads GPX and holds map data offline, because coverage is exactly what you lose when it matters.

App	Platform	Cost	Offline maps	Good to know
Guru MapsI use this	iOS, Android	Free tier; Pro by subscription or one-time purchase	Yes, worldwide	Imports GPX into folder-like Collections. The free tier caps you at 15 pins, 15 recorded tracks and 3 offline regions — enough to try it properly.
Organic Maps	iOS, Android	Free, open source	Yes, unlimited	No account, no ads, no tracking. The simplest thing that works. Fewer power features than the others.
OsmAnd	iOS, Android	Free up to 7 map downloads; paid unlocks the rest	Yes	The most capable and the most cluttered. Contour lines, slope shading, hiking route overlays. Worth an afternoon of patience if you go off-trail.
Gaia GPS	iOS, Android	Free tier; subscription for offline and topo layers	Paid tier	Excellent topographic layers, popular for backcountry use.
Locus Map	Android	Free tier; paid add-ons	Yes	Deeply configurable, a long-standing favourite among Android hikers.
Komoot	iOS, Android	Free tier; regions paid	Paid regions	Imports GPX as a tour. Strong for planning and for cycling.
AllTrails	iOS, Android	Free tier; GPX import needs the paid tier	Paid tier	Large community trail database. Import is behind the subscription.
Avenza Maps	iOS, Android	Free tier	Georeferenced PDF maps	Handy when a park hands out an official PDF map.

Google Maps and Apple Maps cannot open a GPX file. This is the single most common stumbling block. They are navigation apps for roads and addresses, not track viewers. Install one of the apps above — several are free.

Step by step: getting a trail onto your phone

iPhone with Guru Maps

Install Guru Maps from the App Store and open it once, so iOS knows it can handle GPX files.
On the trail page here, tap Download GPX. Safari saves it to Files → Downloads.
Open the Files app, tap the downloaded file, then the share button, and choose Guru Maps.
The track appears on the map and is filed under Collections. Tap it to see distance and the elevation graph.
Before you leave home, download the offline map for the region: the gear icon → Download Maps. Do this on wi-fi.

Android with OsmAnd

Install OsmAnd and download the map for your region first — Menu → Maps & Resources.
Tap Download GPX here; Chrome puts it in your Downloads folder.
Open your file manager, tap the file and choose OsmAnd, or use Menu → My Places → Tracks → Import.
In My Places, tap the track and switch Show on map on.
Optional: tap the track and choose Navigation if you want OsmAnd to keep you on the line and warn you when you drift off it.

Either phone with Organic Maps

Install Organic Maps and download the region for offline use.
Download the GPX and open it with Organic Maps from your file manager or the Files app.
The track is added to your bookmarks and drawn on the map. That is the whole procedure.

Whichever app you pick: download the offline map before you leave. The GPX line will show without signal, but an empty background is not much use when you want to know whether that side path leads anywhere.

GPS watches and bike computers

Garmin — two routes to the same result

Via Garmin Connect, no cable. Download the GPX to your phone, open the Garmin Connect app, go to Training & Planning → Courses, tap + and choose Import. Pick the activity type, save, then sync your watch or bike computer. On the device the trail appears under Navigation → Courses. This works on Fenix, Epix, Forerunner, Instinct, Venu and most Edge units. You can do the same from Garmin Connect in a desktop browser.

Via USB, no account. Connect the device to a computer with a cable. It shows up as a drive. Copy the GPX file into the folder named NewFiles — on some handhelds it is Garmin/GPX. Eject the device properly and restart it: it reads that folder on boot and turns the file into a course.

Garmin Connect sometimes refuses a file that carries no timestamps. If an import is rejected, the USB method almost always still works, or convert the track to TCX first.

Wahoo

Open the GPX on your phone and share it to the Wahoo app, or connect the ELEMNT over USB and drop the file into the plans folder. It then appears under Routes.

COROS

Download the GPX on your phone, open it and choose COROS as the handling app. Save the route, then sync from Explore → My Collection. Works on PACE, APEX and VERTIX.

Suunto

In the Suunto app open the Map view, tap + and choose Import GPX. Save the route and sync the watch.

Polar

Import the GPX in Polar Flow under Favourites → Routes, then sync your watch.

Looking at a GPX on a computer

gpx.studio — opens in the browser, free, shows the track on a map and lets you trim, split or merge it. The quickest way to check a file before a trip.
Garmin BaseCamp — free desktop software for Windows and macOS, made for planning and for pushing data to Garmin handhelds.
Google Earth Pro — free, opens GPX directly and is unbeatable for seeing the terrain in three dimensions before you commit to it.
QGIS — full-blown open source GIS. Overkill for a walk, excellent if you want to do real analysis.

Before you set off

Download the offline map for the region while you still have wi-fi. This is the step people forget, and the only one that cannot be fixed in the field.
Check the elevation profile. Twelve flat kilometres and twelve kilometres with 900 m of climbing are entirely different days.
Bring power. Continuous GPS with the screen waking constantly will empty a phone in a handful of hours. A small power bank costs less than a taxi home.
Treat the track as a suggestion, not a promise. These are recordings of walks I actually did, on the day I did them. Paths get overgrown, bridges wash away, land changes owner and access. If the ground contradicts the line on your screen, believe the ground.
Carry a backup. A paper map, or a screenshot of the route, weighs nothing and works with a dead battery.

Frequently asked

Can I open a GPX in Google Maps or Apple Maps?: No. Neither app reads GPX files. Use one of the apps listed above — Organic Maps is free and takes two minutes to set up.
Do I need a mobile signal to follow a track?: No. GPS works from satellites and needs no data connection. You only need signal to download the map tiles, which is why you download them in advance.
Why does my app not give turn-by-turn directions?: Because these files are recorded tracks, not calculated routes. The app shows the line and keeps you on it; you read the map. Most apps can warn you when you stray off the track.
Can I reverse a track and walk it the other way?: Yes. Most apps and gpx.studio have a reverse function. Bear in mind that a descent that was comfortable becomes a climb, and that the elevation profile flips with it.
The file downloads as .xml or opens as text — what went wrong?: Nothing, that is what a GPX is. Some browsers rename it. Save it, rename the extension to .gpx, and your app will read it.
Can I use these tracks for cycling or trail running?: Check the trail page: each one lists the activity it was recorded for. A walking track may cross terrain that is unpleasant or impossible on a bike.
May I share or reuse these files?: Text, photographs and video on this site are copyright protected. You are welcome to download a track and use it for your own trip, but permission is required for any republication or reuse of the written and visual material. Get in touch and ask — that is usually a short conversation.

Niko Caignie