How to Plan a Trail Running Route – GPX Guide

Trail Running > Guides > How to Plan and Plot a Route

Learn how to plan a trail running route in the UK — from research and mapping to following GPX routes confidently in the mountains.

Why Plan Your Own Trail Running Routes?

Following other people’s routes is a great place to start, but sooner or later you’ll want to plan your own — quieter trails, hidden corners and truly wild places that feel exploratory rather than prescribed.

At that point, the ability to thoroughly research, plot and follow your own trail running routes becomes invaluable.

Researching a Trail or Fell Running Route

Every route I plan starts with three questions: where do I want to run, how long for, and over what terrain?

Good route planning is a process of research rather than discovery. Every source has its strengths: printed guidebooks often provide carefully curated routes and expert insight, blogs and videos offer first-hand accounts, while social media can reveal seasonal conditions and lesser-known locations. Taken together, they create a far richer picture than any single source ever could.

Once I’ve narrowed things down, I’ll skim platforms such as AllTrails, Komoot, HiiKER, OS Maps and Wikiloc to see what’s already out there. Popular circuits on some platforms have hundreds of reviews – one of their key strengths.

They’re not specifically geared towards trail running though, so some filtering is needed. I focus on recent reviews and photos to gauge ground conditions, expected footfall and practicalities like parking pinch points.

Google Maps has become increasingly useful, particularly as Street View now covers some mountain trails. Projects like Trek View allow contributors to upload 360° imagery of remote trails, creating 3D paths that you can virtually “walk”. I use this regularly to sense-check terrain where coverage exists.

Here’s a great example of virtual trails – you preview major routes up to Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) and inform your route choice before you go:

Apple Maps has become one of my favourite tools when researching new routes. In many parts of the UK, the satellite imagery is exceptionally detailed, making it easier to pick out faint trods, walls, gates, vegetation boundaries and other subtle landscape features that aren’t always obvious on other mapping platforms.

The trade-off is that the imagery isn’t always the most up to date. Google often refreshes its aerial imagery more frequently, so recent forestry work, new tracks and major landscape changes may be apparent there first. I tend to compare both before plotting a route where there are no clear tracks marked, using Apple Maps to study the finer details and Google to check for more recent changes.

I don’t use Strava for route planning — the mapping is too basic. Heat maps are its one strong feature, highlighting popular routes even in remote areas. For me, that’s not enough to justify a subscription – I already get a similar overview with Garmin Connect data, displayed as a map layer on my watch.

In short, Strava helps you discover routes. Dedicated mapping tools are much better at helping you create them.

Plotting a Trail Running Route

I rarely find an off-the-shelf route that I’m completely happy with, so I plot my own.

That process is valuable in itself – it forces me to learn and visualise the route in advance, rather than blindly following a set of coordinates. It also gives me the freedom to adapt the route if I spot an interesting – or necessary – diversion.

I also familiarise myself with escape routes and any shortcuts in case I need to bail early on the day.

I use a combination of OS Maps and HiiKER when plotting trail running routes. OS Maps remains the definitive mapping resource for the UK, while HiiKER combines Ordnance Survey mapping with a wide range of other map layers, including Harvey Maps. HiiKER also incorporates a comprehensive range of international map providers, making it particularly useful if you run abroad.

Unlike fitness platforms such as Strava, these apps are built around the landscape rather than the activities other people have recorded. Detailed topographic mapping, land access information and multiple map layers make it much easier to plot your own routes with confidence.

If you’re serious about creating your own routes, a subscription to one of these services is a worthwhile investment. Both platforms give you:

Exporting and Preparing a GPX Route

I plan my routes on a laptop so I can work at scale and cross-check satellite imagery, alternative map sources and layers.

Before heading out – while I still have network coverage – I do the following:

Following a GPX Route on the Trail

By the time I hit the trail, I’ve already used 3D fly-through and satellite view several times to familiarise myself with key landmarks and overall orientation. I’ve checked likely hazards, investigated current ground conditions and monitored specialist weather forecasts. I also have a paper map as a fallback.

That preparation allows me to relax and navigate primarily by sight for most of my run.

My watch acts as a secondary navigation tool – useful when paths fade, junctions confuse, or visibility drops. The watch alerts me to upcoming turns, but I’m rarely focusing on it unless I’m genuinely unsure.

If I want to re-route, I’ll use the offline map on my phone or a paper map – far easier than relying on a small watch face.

After the run, I update and refine the route on OS Maps with any improvements or diversions I discovered, then publish the GPX, photos and commentary as a trail running route for others to use and enjoy.