Make better route planning decisions with our Map Layers. They can help you plan around current conditions on the ground like snowpack, headwinds, or gnarly air quality, and find area highlights (like coffee shops and campsites) along your way. You'll find these available on the web in the Route Planner, as well as Route and Ride pages.
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Take your route planning to the next level. Most Map Layers are available with a Premium membership. The Highlights Map Layer is available for free to all.
Toggle on Map Layers
Premium subscribers can access a variety of map layers that are useful for planning out a route or preparing for a ride. You can access these map layers from the Explore page, from the Route Planner, or when viewing a ride or route. Simply click on the Layers tab, then toggle on the map layers you'd like to view.
Once you've toggled a map layer on, you'll see the legend for that layer appear in the Layers menu, as well as additional options to display or hide.
Available Map Layers
Unpaved Cycling
This map layer allows you to easily visualize unpaved surfaces in the Route Planner. This data is updated from OSM on a weekly basis. Only roads that allow cycling are highlighted with this map layer, so dedicated hiking trails won't be shown.
Highlights
Highlights helps cyclists discover useful and interesting points along their rides. It provides a curated, high-quality POI dataset derived from the Ride with GPS community, ensuring that this information is accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date.
You can click on any Highlight to add to your route as a Waypoint.
Wind
The Wind layer uses NOAA-derived data, updated twice daily, to show real-time wind data along your route. Toggle between Wind Speed and Wind Direction, or both, to see live conditions while planning your route! Check the Wind layer before you head out, and use the reverse tool to always keep the wind at your back!
NOAA Air Quality
This map layer offers two options. The first is NOAA-derived forecast data, updated twice daily, to show the Air Quality Index (AQI) along your route. This layer is great for predicting pollution from things like wildfire smoke, so you can time your ride perfectly. If you want current on-the-ground results, toggle on the AirNow Current Conditions option to see conditions at different AirNow monitoring stations. These are updated at an hourly frequency.
NOAA Snow Depth
This map layer uses NOAA-derived data to show current snow conditions along your route. Data for this map layer is updated on a daily basis. Use it in combination with our 7-Day Heatmap while planning those shoulder season excursions to keep your feet dry!
US Cell Coverage
This map layer shows cell coverage by major providers across the United States. Switch between AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, or All Providers, with data that's updated on a yearly basis. It's a great way to know whether or not you'll need to download your routes for offline use before your ride!
FAQ
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I can see the option to toggle on Advanced Map Layers, but I'm not seeing any map layers appear in my area. Why is that?
- At this time, some Advanced Map Layers are only available in the United States. The Wind, Unpaved Cycling, and Points of Interest map layers are available globally.
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Can I use Advanced Map Layers in Google-based map types?
- No. You'll need to switch to an Open Street Map-based map type in order to utilize Advanced Map Layers.
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Can I access Advanced Map Layers when viewing an activity's or route's summary page?
- Yes! You can access Advanced Map Layers while viewing an activity's or route's summary page, or while viewing the Explore page, in addition to accessing them in the Route Planner.