Route planner Wandrer & Squadrats: Explore regions, MTB trails & paths in a fun way
Sandra Schuberth
· 11.02.2024
There are people who always prefer to do the same lap. After work, for example. Or at the weekend, alone or in a group. Others plan their MTB routes without putting much effort or time into it. And still others love to sit for hours in front of the route planning software of their choice and meticulously plan route after route. Not even all of the planned tours have to be realised. Sometimes dreaming is enough.
Speaking of route planning software, a little digression. Nowadays, very few outdoor sports enthusiasts use traditional paper maps to plan their routes. Instead, they rely on online route planning solutions such as outdooractive, komoot, Strava, Ride with GPS and more. You can define the start and finish and also set intermediate points. Depending on the tool, there are photos of the trails (komoot's Trailview), 3D views, information on the surface and also the cycle path network, the category of single trails (i.e. the level of difficulty) and more.
But now to the topic. Here we present two browser plugins that I use myself for route planning: Wanderer.earth and Squadrats.
1. discover new paths and roads with Wandrer.earth
Wandrer.earth is an exploration game where you win by going to places you've never been before. - Wallhanger
Wandrer.earth is all about exploring the network of paths and roads. You can discover unknown places in your surroundings or wherever you are travelling. You can also collect points and compare yourself with other users of the software. Personally, this is not important to me, but it can also be an additional source of motivation.
Route planning: See where you've been and where you haven't yet
With a browser plug-in, you can display a map overlay in the browser of route planners. Colourful overlays over the roads and paths show you where you have been and where you have not. And with this help, you can plan your next tour on your laptop or PC - with as many new metres as possible.
To use Wandrer, you need a Strava profile. However, many cyclists are likely to use Strava anyway. As soon as Wandrer.earth is connected to Strava, your new public activities are automatically synchronised. For a fee of 30 US dollars, all your public Strava activities will be synchronised and you will receive Access to the browser plugin. And you also get points for every path and every road you haven't been on yet.
2. collect squares with Squadrats & explore the world piece by piece
Squadrats works in a similar but different way. Here you don't collect paths and roads, but squares of different sizes. The squares you have already been to are superimposed on the map. The motivation is to enlarge the large square in the centre bit by bit. The so-called oversquare shows the area that you have already travelled through without any gaps.
Some people take this very seriously. A look at the standings shows this. We have superimposed the names and profile pictures. The picture clearly shows that some people plan their routes mainly to increase the size of their square (second row, third column). For others, the size of their square is important, but other tours also play a role (third row, first column).
When planning your own routes, a look at the squares can be an inspiration, but of course you don't have to be completely guided by them. Squadrats also has a browser extension that allows you to view the progress of various route planning tools (komoot, Strava, BRouter, Garmin, Hammerhead, Naviki, bikerouter.de, Ride with GPS).
With komoot For example, you can show and hide the Squadrats progress by clicking on the Squadrats icon next to the eye in the top left-hand corner. Squares that you have not yet been to, i.e. that would be new territory, are highlighted in colour when planning a route if you use the Squadrats extension. This allows you to plan routes with komoot in such a way that you collect a few new squares and explore new areas at the same time.
Squadrats announces the following rules on its website:
- Leave your house or flat.
- Record your activity with a phone or GPS device.
- Collect Squadrats.
Ride, run, walk, swim, boat - but use your muscles, the wind or gravity.
Motorised vehicles are not permitted!
The combination of Wandrer.earth, Squadrats and komoot to plan routes has a special appeal. When you ride the planned tours, you not only see new areas, but also completely new roads and paths in familiar regions. In the process, one or two trail gems, small paths or roads that you didn't even know existed are revealed.
Always, always: You should keep this in mind!
A few important tips for route planning:
- Many route planning tools indicate when biking is prohibited on a section of the planned route. You should take this into account and either push your bike there or plan the route differently.
- Forest paths and trails in particular may no longer exist, for example because they are overgrown and have not been maintained. React to the situation and look for a new path instead of forging your way through dense thickets.
- Caution: Pay attention to any information and prohibition signs. Just because it was possible to plan a route on a certain path or road does not mean that you are allowed to cycle there.
- Seasonal or year-round access restrictions always apply. Closures for forestry work and wildlife protection zones are not without reason.
More tips for your MTB tours
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
