Garmin GPS Route Creation Guide

This document tells how to plan a motorcycle trip by creating a GPX file and copying it to the Zumo XT.

The Zumo XT reads GPX (.gpx) files on the device from the GPX folder, then imports them on startup. It then displays them in the various GPS Apps. It does not read from subfolders of GPX.

After adding a .gpx file to the folder, each waypoint in your waypoint lists will appear on the map and under Where To > Saved. Routes appear in Apps > Trip Planner if imported upon device startup. Tracks appear in Apps > Tracks.

You can use the program Route Converter to create a .gpx file. GPX files consist of Waypoint lists, Routes, and Tracks.

When you create a GPX file and copy it into the GPS GPX directory, the different lists will appear in the various GPS apps.

• Waypoint lists appear as Waypoints in the Saved locations menu.
• Routes will cause a message to popup so you can import it into the trip planner. This then allows you to select the trip and have the GPS guide you to each waypoint using it's own calculated directions.
• Tracks appear as tracks which you can display in the map. You can manually follow the track as it appears on the map, or have the GPS guide you from start to finish.

Google Earth can also be used to plan routes. Although, Route Converter is needed to convert .kml files from Google Earth to something Garmin can understand (.gpz).

Here is how it works:

In Google Earth, create a placemarks (equivalent of waypoints) and paths (equivalent of a track) that represent your route. Then, right click -> Save Place As on the folder containing your placemarks and route. Open the resulting file in Route Converter, then use File -> Save As to save that file as a gpx file.

You save the Google Earth stuff as a KML, then you use Route Converter to turn the kml file into a gpx file. Files in KML format are also plain text, so can be very easily version controlled. It is nice to use Google Earth for route planning because it has a very good satellite view and you can search for anything just like in Google maps. It can also give directions just like in Google maps.