One week ago, I published my review of Garmin Connect+, a $6.99 a month premium service for Garmin GPS device owners. My conclusion: though it’s not currently worth paying for, “there are plenty of new features that could be added in the future to justify the price.” Well, as if on cue, Garmin rolled out a new feature on Thursday called Garmin Trails. So far, it looks like a useful tool and could eventually compete with paid, third-party services like AllTrails and Trailforks Pro.
Garmin Trails
Garmin Connect+ subscribers can access the new Trails feature on the web or in the Garmin Connect app. The interface includes a map and a list of trails located within the viewing area. You can click on any trail to get more details, including an elevation profile, reviews, and even a chart showing which months tend to be the least crowded. Filters allow you to zero in on trails by difficulty, length, and features like waterfalls and flowers. At this time, Garmin Trails is focused on trails for hiking, backpacking, and trail running, though presumably bike trails could be added in the future. Many multi-use trails that allow biking — like the Back 40 trail in Northwest Arkansas — are included already.
Garmin notes in online marketing materials that Trails is “available now in select regions,” and in my area, I can see routes at popular parks like Stone Mountain and Arabia Mountain. However, looking at the map, it’s clear the Garmin Trails coverage isn’t complete. Southside Park, a City of Atlanta park with almost 10 miles of multi-use singletrack trails, isn’t on the map. Ditto for popular county parks in the region with extensive trails like South Rockdale Community Park and Yellow River.
To be clear, Garmin Trails offers trail routes, as opposed to comprehensive trail system maps. Most trail systems are already documented in the base maps built into Garmin devices, and a route is more like a highlighted line that your local buddy draws on the map for you to follow.
Sending routes to your device is the real killer app
There’s no shortage of apps and websites offering hiking and biking routes. However, unless you’re fairly tech savvy, the process of moving a route from a website or app onto your GPS device can be difficult. It’s certainly easier today than it was 25 years ago when Singletracks first started sharing trail route data files, but the process usually involves multiple steps across two or more apps. For example, while it’s possible to send a route from AllTrails to a Garmin device at the push of a button within the AllTrails app, you first need to connect your AllTrails and Garmin accounts.
With Garmin Trails, users can find trail routes and, at the click of a button, send those routes to a Garmin GPS device, using a single app. In a word, it’s seamless.
Building a trail information resource
Digging into Garmin Trails a bit, it’s clear Garmin is hoping to build a more extensive trail information resource akin to more popular services like Trailforks Pro, AllTrails, and even Singletracks. Garmin Trails users can rate trails, share reviews and trail conditions, and post photos. There doesn’t appear to be a way for users to add new routes at this time, and it’s unknown how Garmin sourced the route information that’s currently available.
For paid users of Trailforks Pro and AllTrails, Garmin Trails could be a compelling alternative in the future, though for now, the Garmin trail data is extremely limited by comparison.
Bottom line
It’s only a matter of time before Garmin Connect+ adds bike routes, and over time, I expect to see expanded coverage and more detailed trail data in the app. By offering a seamless user experience, Garmin Trails could become a formidable competitor to third-party paid services like Trailforks Pro and AllTrails.
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