It’s like Google Maps for when you’re off the map. Off the road map, at least. OnX Offroad just rolled out its new Route Builder feature — an app and in-browser routing feature designed for anyone who wants to deviate from the paved path and instead go exploring.
The idea behind the new Route Builder feature, onX said, is to make it simpler and more intuitive to plan your off-road drive. To help accomplish that, the app was built entirely on an in-house designed engine.
It was designed by engineers, programmers, and data experts at onX Offroad. People with experience making maps for off-roading and backcountry living who know what it means to head out into the wilderness down your favorite trail or an all-new one.
Because we built the Route Builder engine in-house, we’re not tied to a pre-existing solution from a third-party vendor. That allows us to scale and innovate at a faster rate. In the near term, this avoids frustrating customer experiences, and lets users build a route spanning the entire country at an unmatched speed.
— onX Offroad General Manager, Rory Edwards
In-House App Means Future Features
Through the app and user-sourced data, onX Offroad sees big expansions down the road. Imagine adding route constraints for your vehicle, your skills, and your adventure preferences. It already lets you search trails based on vehicle type, like ATV versus side-by-sides or 4x4s.
Maps and data in the app and browser route planner include the usual suspects — more than 500,000 recreation points like trailheads and campsites. The free version includes satellite, topo, and hybrid maps. You can customize waypoints, sync to the cloud, and even get local weather.
A Premium subscription adds featured trails for side-by-sides, dirt bikes, ATVs, snowmobiles, and 4x4s. It also gives you trail status info. There are 3D maps and government land boundaries. OnX Offroad will also let you save unlimited maps offline for areas with no service.
Elite Adds Incredible Levels of Data
Step up to the Elite version and you gain a wealth of well-presented off-road data. Elite adds boundaries for private land in addition to public land. The map will show you ownership information for nearly 1 billion acres of private land. It will also show ownership for more than 147 million private properties in all states.
That land information lets you know where you can and can’t off-road, plus where you can and can’t camp. Tap the property and the app will show you guides to help find OHV parks or trail easements.
Route Builder Makes Travel a Snap
The real trick, though, is in the new Route Builder feature. Drag your cursor where you want to go and your route will snap to the nearest available trail. You can drag your route to the trail you want. Unlike Google and Apple Maps, you won’t have to add countless waypoints to take the route you want. On the trail, you can see actual photos of waypoints and route markers to help you stay on course.
From your browser, you can send routes to the app on your smartphone or tablet. From there, you can see your route on your in-vehicle screen using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. It’ll let you navigate off road with ease, just like you can on pavement with Google Maps. You can also display your routes on your device if your ride doesn’t have a built-in infotainment system with CarPlay or Auto.
More Flexibility
OnX Offroad says the app and Route Builder will help you get more on-trail flexibility. A Discover mode lets you search trails nearby to find something fun and new. Tap any trail, and it gives you more details about that specific trail.
Last, but certainly not least, the Route Builder will give you visualizations of what trails link the places you want to go. Choose a starting point and a destination and see the range of trails you could take. Then send them instantly to your phone or your friends.
The onX Offroad app is available now. Pricing for the Premium and Elite versions starts from $29.99 per year.
