OkMap Tutorial - Plan GPX Routes for Hiking

Published on April 15, 2026 - Video duration: 6:47

Tutorial Overview

OkMap tutorial for planning a GPX route and preparing a hiking track using DEM data, elevation analysis, and comprehensive statistics.

In this video from the OkMap Tutorial series, we will see how to plan a route before your trip using OkMap as a GPS planning software and GPS route planner, analyzing the elevation profile, distance, elevation gain, travel time, and route difficulty.

The result is a complete GPX route, ready to be used on GPS devices or smartphones such as OkMap Mobile.

OkMap allows you to work with hiking maps and topographic maps, helping you evaluate route difficulty, travel time and terrain characteristics in advance.

Recommended prerequisite

To better understand this tutorial, we recommend watching first:

Procedure:

  • Open a georeferenced raster map or a web map
  • Adjust zoom to the area of interest
  • Download elevation data (DEM)
  • Draw the track or use autorouting (if available)
  • Calculate travel times
  • Analyze distance, elevation gain and statistics
  • Check slope graphs and fatigue index
  • Export the track in GPX format
  • Use the GPX file on GPS or OkMap Mobile

Tips:

  • Use high-resolution topographic maps for accurate route planning
  • Always check the elevation profile before hiking
  • Compare multiple route alternatives to evaluate difficulty and timing
  • Always verify consistency between track and elevation model

Common errors:

  • Not correctly considering actual elevation gain of the route
  • Using low-quality maps for planning
  • Underestimating the real length of the route
  • Ignoring the elevation profile when estimating time

Related articles:

Do you want to apply these concepts with OkMap?

After watching the video tutorials, you can learn more by reading the technical articles or download OkMap Desktop and work directly with maps, GPX tracks and GPS data.

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