onX Backcountry Unveils New Mobile Route Builder Tool
This latest update to the App’s steadily expanding capabilities helps optimize planning for users ahead of peak trail season.
onX Backcountry, a navigation and discovery App for outdoor enthusiasts, today announces its newest feature: Route Builder, a route creation tool that allows recreationists of all levels to quickly and easily design their dream adventure. With Route Builder, users can now seamlessly create a route with as little as two clicks, on both web and mobile devices – so they can spend less time planning, and more time hitting the trails.
Because onX Backcountry’s entire mapping platform and Route Builder engine are built on its robust proprietary dataset, the App is able to generate routes at exceptionally high speeds. This also enables unprecedented interactivity, providing users with an immersive real-time experience where they can preview routes in any direction, to compare options and determine the ideal path to their objective.
“The fastest route builder tool available now snaps to the largest trail dataset in the country,” said onX Backcountry Senior Product Manager, Charlie Von Avis. “onX Backcountry’s Route Builder opens a whole new level of discovery for our users, enabling them to explore every potential path to get from point A to B, and choose the one best suited for their adventure. Whether they’re looking for the fastest route, most scenic, most challenging, or one that hits specific Waypoints… the options are virtually limitless.”
The App allows users to draw routes using a ‘snap to’ function across more than 650,000 miles of rich trail content available on onX Backountry’s mapping platform – removing the friction of needing to use multiple drop points to create a route that navigates complex and windy terrain. In addition to facilitating customization and reducing planning time, Route Builder helps users create more accurate routes to ensure they know exactly where they’re headed, how much distance they need to cover, and how much elevation gain and loss they can expect along the route. Users can also easily share their routes with others. This helps optimize planning adventures with a group and streamlines preparation for even the longest explorations.
“The route building tool is perfect to plan my multi-day mountain adventures,” said onX Backcountry Ambassador Jeff Garmire, record-breaking thru-hiker, adventurer and author. “Combining multiple trails and having all the trail data and metrics lets me know what I’m in for, and the seamless integration into offline maps makes it reliable even in the most remote areas.”
Route Builder is just the latest among the vast suite of features offered by onX Backcountry. The multi-season App, which allows users to toggle between their preferred adventure settings in ‘Trail Mode’ and ‘Snow Mode,’ continues to steadily expand its capabilities for users this trail season. It also recently debuted its Private Lands Layer feature – another new highlight for 2023. With this tool, which is available to those with an Elite Subscription of onX Backcountry, users can easily see whether land is public or private, and access property owner information, acreage and boundaries on the map.
Other key features across the Trail Mode experience include: 3D Maps and 3D Landscape Viewing, enabling users to virtually visualize their journey and obtain a comprehensive understanding of the landscape before hitting the trail; National Park Maps and Adventures, providing guidebook-quality adventure descriptions, recreation points and more; 24K Topo Maps; Hybrid Basemaps to combine satellite imagery and 24K topo, so users can plan and navigate with total confidence; Comprehensive Wind, Weather and Fire information easily accessible right in the App; Offline Mapping capabilities, to ensure users maintain real-time GPS positioning to track their route, as well as access to all of their customized maps, even when cell service is spotty or unavailable; Customizable Waypoints to guide exploration and share with friends; and more.
In addition, the company has numerous other features set to roll out later this season, helping onX Backcountry achieve its goal of being the most comprehensive “all-in-one planning tool” for human-powered adventures.
For more information about onX Backcountry, visit onxmaps.com/backcountry.
About onX Backcountry
onX Backcountry empowers trailblazers and powder seekers of all levels to find new outdoor experiences and relive old favorites. Unlike other apps on the market, onX Backcountry combines industry-leading GPS tools with expert-curated adventure content. Members can enjoy access to 770,000+ trails and 30,000+ guide-book adventures. Because off-the-beaten-path experiences are at the heart of what onX does, the company also leads initiatives to protect and expand access to public land and promote stewardship opportunities. Learn more at https://www.onxmaps.com/onx-access-initiatives