User Guide

Getting the most out of the map

The Trail Guide shows how wet or dry each trail is likely to be. Here's how to read it, check the forecast, find a spot, and plan your own route.

Reading the colours

Every trail segment is coloured by its estimated wetness — from firm and dry to soft and muddy. Think of it as a traffic-light for trail surface:

Tan at the far end means bone-dry and dusty; green is firm and tacky — the best going. The only line the model is calibrated on is dry ↔ moist, so warmer colours (yellow → orange → deep red) mean softer, wetter ground where you should expect mud and take more care — and tread lightly to spare the trail. The wetter grades are a guide, not a guarantee.

Why some trails are grey

Thin grey lines are trails we show for orientation but deliberately don't score. You can still click one to see what it is. Almost all of them (~98%) are paved — asphalt or concrete forest roads, footways and paths. Tarmac doesn't soak up and hold water the way soil does, so a "wetness" reading there would be meaningless rather than useful.

The small remainder are unpaved trails where we simply don't have good enough soil and drainage data to give an honest estimate. We'd rather leave those grey than colour in a guess. They're on the map so your route still makes sense — you just won't get a condition for those stretches.

Current vs. +24-hour forecast

Use the Conditions toggle in the header to switch between:

• Current — the best estimate for today, from recent weather.
• +24H Forecast — how trails are likely to look tomorrow, so you can plan ahead or wait for things to dry out.

Satellite view

Use the 🛰 Satellite button under the legend to swap the map for aerial imagery — handy for seeing whether a trail runs through open meadow or under tree cover. Press it again (🗺 Map) to go back.

Where am I?

The target button under the zoom controls centres the map on your location and draws a circle showing how accurate that fix is — a phone GPS is usually tight, a laptop on Wi-Fi can be out by a long way. Your location stays in your browser: it's only used to move the map, and is never sent to us or stored.

It needs your permission the first time, and only works over a secure (https) connection. Outdoors with a clear view of the sky gives the best fix.

Finding a place

Use the search box to jump to a peak, place, or lake by name. As you zoom in, the map adds context: summits and passes, mountain huts, lakes, and faint elevation contour lines with hillshaded relief so you can read the terrain.

Planning a route from a GPS file

Already have a route from Strava, Komoot, Garmin or Outdooractive? Load it to see the predicted conditions along your exact line.

1. Export your route as a GPX, FIT or TCX file.
2. Click “Upload a GPX / FIT / TCX route” in the header — or simply drag the file onto the map.
3. The matching trails light up, and a route summary shows the mix of dry, moist and wet sections for both current and forecast conditions.

Matching takes a few seconds on a long track — you'll see a "Matching your route…" overlay while it works. Done with it? Hit Delete route in the route box to clear the trace and go back to the normal map.

Inspecting a segment

Tap or click any trail to open the inspector. It shows the segment's estimated condition plus the terrain behind it — surface, slope and how much sun it gets — which is why two nearby trails can dry out at very different rates.

Tell us what you think

The 💬 Feedback button in the top-right corner of the map takes a 1–5 star rating and a comment. It goes straight to us — no email client, no account. Spotted a trail that's clearly wrong, or a bug? That's the fastest way to tell us.

Tips

• North-facing and forested trails hold moisture longest — the map already accounts for this, but it's worth remembering after rain.
• Give wet trails a day. Check the +24H forecast; travelling over soft ground causes ruts and erosion.
• Use the theme toggle for a light or dark map to suit the light.

Want the background on how the estimates are built? See the About page.