Loading GPS routes in Garmin Training Center for Mac

If you’re a long-time Apple user you know we often get the shaft when it comes to GPS hardware support. While Garmin does offer a Macintosh version of its free Training Center software (included with the Edge 205 and 305) it’s pretty underpowered and difficult to use compared to the PC version. That being said, …

If you’re a long-time Apple user you know we often get the shaft when it comes to GPS hardware support. While Garmin does offer a Macintosh version of its free Training Center software (included with the Edge 205 and 305) it’s pretty underpowered and difficult to use compared to the PC version.

That being said, it is possible to carry out basic operations involving your Edge GPS and this tutorial walks you through the process of loading GPS routes on your Edge using Garmin Training Center for Mac. Many parts of the process are the same for the PC version which has been outlined here.

All of the GPS data on singletracks is now available for your Garmin Edge GPS (both the 205 and 305) with one click. Find the trail you want by clicking the “Trail Maps” link at the top of any page and choosing your state from the pull-down menu midway down the page. For this example we’re using the Blodgett trail data (Colorado) which is available free of charge.

On the GPS data and trail map page click the “Garmin Edge file” link above the map (shown here)

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Now fire up your copy of the Garmin Edge Training Center software (free with your Garmin Edge GPS). If your computer is like mine this is a painfully slow process. Choose File -> Import to load the GPS data you’ve downloaded from singletracks.

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Select your file – then wait. You’ll notice the little pinwheel working overtime in the upper right hand corner for about 30 seconds while seemingly nothing is happening. Don’t worry, just wait.

Now you should see a new entry in the history folder on the right at the top of the list with today’s date. This is your newly loaded GPS data – click to view an elevation profile and simple map of the route. For the data you download from singletracks you can ignore the time and speed data – this is completely arbitrary.

Now you’re ready to create a course. With the new data selected in your history on the right, choose File -> New Course from History. After a few seconds you should see “New Course” in your courses folder in the right pane.

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Select the new course (you should see the same map and elevation profile as in your history) and choose File -> Send to Device.

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After you hear your GPS beep it is safe to disconnect. Once disconnected, turn your Edge on to make sure the trail has been loaded. You can find your saved courses at any time (no GPS signal needed) by navigating to the Main Menu and choosing “Training,” then “Courses.” Select your course (in this example, labeled “Blodgett”) from the list and you can see several options:

  • Do Course
  • Edit Course
  • Map
  • Profile
  • Delete Course

“Do Course” allows you to navigate the course just as it was submitted to singletracks. This gives you some good information like distance to course, navigation stats, and more. This will also help you stay on track but don’t worry about trying to keep up with the pace – remember it’s arbitrary! To stop following the course return to the Main Menu and select “Training,” “Stop Course.”

“Edit Course” lets you edit the name of your course, though I don’t recommended it. Instead, do this on your computer before you send it to your GPS – it’s much faster!

“Map” shows you an overall map of your course. Zoom in and out using the arrow controls on your Edge GPS.

“Profile” gives you the elevation profile for the trail. Zoom in and out to get a good view using the arrow controls.

“Delete Course” is self explanatory. While this deletes the course from your GPS it DOES NOT delete it from your Garmin Training Center computer software.

With a few simple steps you can download GPS trail data from the internet and send it to your Garmin Edge GPS device, giving you piece of mind and relevant data when riding an unfamiliar trail.