Trail Notes

GPX & Offroad Navigation Guides

Learn the map before you need it. Guides to GPX files, coordinate systems, and backcountry navigation — written like instrument documentation, not marketing.

All Guides

Field-tested guides. Read before you ride.

These guides explain how GPX files and GPS navigation actually work — so you can fix a broken track, convert a file, or plot a position before a trip instead of troubleshooting it at the trailhead. They are written for offroaders, overlanders, dirt bikers, hikers, and anyone who records GPS tracks and needs the data to be right.

Coverage runs from the basics up: what tracks, routes, and waypoints are inside a GPX file; how to convert between GPX, KML, and CSV; why files get corrupted and how to repair them; reading topographic maps with UTM coordinates; datums like WGS84 and NAD27; why GPS elevation numbers disagree; and how sensor data such as heart rate and cadence is stored. Every guide pairs with a free browser tool on this site, so you can apply what you read to your own file immediately — no uploads, no accounts.

GPS GPS accuracy explained: HDOP, VDOP & signal errors 6 MIN → Elevation Creating elevation profiles from GPX data 5 MIN → Nav GPS device vs. smartphone: which to trust on the trail? 6 MIN → Files Sharing & discovering GPX routes online 5 MIN → Files Building a route with waypoints & POIs in a single GPX 5 MIN → Convert How to convert KML to GPX (Google Earth files back to GPS) 4 MIN → Export How to export GPX from Strava, Komoot & AllTrails 4 MIN → Nav Using GPX files on your phone for offline navigation 5 MIN → Basics GPX file basics: tracks, routes, and waypoints explained 8 MIN → Convert How to convert GPX to KML for Google Earth 10 MIN → Repair Why GPX files break — and how to fix them 9 MIN → Nav Topographic map navigation with UTM coordinates 12 MIN → Datums Datum 101: WGS84, NAD27, and why your coordinates drift 7 MIN → Safety Navigation safety tips for the backcountry 6 MIN → Convert How to convert CSV to GPX 7 MIN → Edit How to split, trim, and cut GPX tracks 8 MIN → Sensors Heart rate, cadence, and sensor data in GPX files 7 MIN → Formats GPX vs KML vs TCX vs FIT: choosing the right format 8 MIN → Elevation Why GPS elevation and elevation gain differ everywhere 8 MIN →
Coverage

What the guides cover.

File formats

GPX, KML, CSV — what each stores and when to use it.

Coordinates

DD, DMS, UTM, MGRS, and the datums underneath them.

Map reading

Topographic maps, grid lines, and plotting positions in the field.

Trip safety

Redundant navigation, offline maps, and pre-trip file checks.

Put It To Work

Need to check a GPX file right now?

The field tools analyze, validate, and convert GPX files in your browser.

Open the Tools Contact Support