Looking for a simple/user friendly way to plan day trips for me and the wifey on the bike. I know you can map routes on the HD site and download to a GPS which sounds great but I can never get it to work right, what are some other alternatives?

Thanks

 

I look at the maps on my iPad and take pictures of them with it. I pinpoint stops and locations and if I get lost, we stop and look. Pretty easy.

 

I'm curious about phone apps for ride planning with way points. I'd like to be able to use GPS without it trying to make me always be on the interstate.

 

I use http://www.tyretotravel.com/

 

I Google maps and, if it is complicated, I print the map. If not, I just carry my iphone and pull it out if I need to check my route.

 

You might be able to do it using Google maps on the computer and the google maps app. Google maps on the internet lets you put in all the way points and custom changes you want and, if you are signed in at Google, you can save your map. I just saw on my phone that my iPhone Google Maps app now lets me access my online Google maps history. Not clear if it lets me open saved maps yet.

 

I have a Garmin Nuvi that lets me plan trips using waypoints. When I start a route, it asks me which waypoint I want to hit first, then it just leads me along my chosen path. You can do this right on the device or plan it on a computer and download the route/s. HD Ride Planner works well, if you put in enough waypoints to force it on the roads you want. Garmin Basecamp works, but it's not very intuitive. I prefer planning on HD, then just downloading to the GPS. Only thing that might screw it up, is that you actually have to hit each waypoint or it will keep telling you to make a u-turn. You can avoid that, by putting waypoints after a turn and on the right side of a divided highway, etc.

 

Last I checked, you can view your saved Google maps, but it will only navigate from point A to B(final destination). In other words, it won't follow the route you want or use waypoints. Of course, you could visually follow the route you built, but the phone won't tell you anything about the next turn or distances, etc.

Bear

 

Teresa, I don't know what you have but I'm using "inRoute" on my iPad. You can have 5 waypoints for free. Anymore and it costs. It'll show alternate routes, mileage and travel time too.

 

I'm pretty sure most GPS devices you can select to avoid a certain road (Freeway). If not you can just pick your next spot (waypoint) so you would have to avoid whichever road you wanted to avoid. A town or landmark or such should work. Used to do it before everybody had GPS and smart phones, back in the MapQuest days...LOL