When you’re planning a route or viewing a route/ride, you can switch map styles to work in your preferred style.
Not all maps have the same routing functionality, so switching maps allows you to gain additional information, or work around areas where routing encounters a problem.
Switching Maps:
At any time while viewing a ride, route, or planning a route, you can change the map type by clicking the box in the upper right corner of the map.
Available Map Styles:
Map: Google Maps
Bike Paths: Click this button just next to the map selector to display the bike path info. This button only works on the Map view by Google. You can view the bike path legend here.
Map: Google Maps with Terrain. Check the Terrain box to view contours of the map.
Satellite: Google Satellite Imagery – this is useful for determining the width of a road and pavement type.
RWGPS: Ride with GPS Maps based on Open Street Maps.
The legend for RWGPS (our signature Map Style) is as follows:
The legend for RWGPS (our signature Map Style) is as follows:
- Green: Designated hiking or walking singletrack, can be routed occasionally for mountain bike use depending on the rules in your region.
- Blue: Designated cycle paths or mountain bike trail
- White: Paved, typically automobile or paved path.
OSM: Open Street Maps. An open source map that covers the entire world. Anyone can submit changes to OSM. You can view the map key at openstreetmap.org/key.
OSM CYCLE: A variation of Open Street Maps. http://www.opencyclemap.org/ and the key can be viewed at opencyclemap.org/docs/
OSM OUTDOORS: Open Street Maps with elevation contours.
ESRI TOPO: ESRI Topographic maps.
USGS TOPO: United States Geological Survey Topographical maps.
USGS SCANS: Scanned maps by the United States Geological Survey.
Street View:
- Click and drag the yellow person icon from the left to a spot on the map to get a Street View.
- Or drag the yellow person icon to one of the blue dots on the map to view a Photosphere. These are 360-degree shots that allow you to see in places that roads may not normally go.
- To exit Street View or Photosphere: Click the left arrow in the box just above the elevation profile.
Changing Maps to Work Around Routing Issues
If you ever come across a section of road that won’t route properly, change the map view to RWGPS or another type.
Click and drag the route to re-snap it into place, or undo the last bit of routing with the undo button, then click passed the intersection again.
Follow Roads: Optimized For walking/cycling/driving
Changing the OPTIMIZE FOR setting to WALKING, CYCLING, or DRIVING will change the rules of the road that the FOLLOW ROAD tool uses. This tool defaults to CYCLING but you may have to switch to WALKING for some paths to get routed correctly.
Google Cycling Error Message:
If you are not working in Google Maps, and try to go somewhere without routing information, then you may see this error:
Click OK to clear the error box. Then switch map type to another map style like RWGPS or OSM Cycle, then try making your next route point again.
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