So you’ve heard of GPX files but have no idea what they are? Or you don’t have the slightest idea how to use a GPX file? Or maybe you want to customize them before you leave, adding the places where you’ll stay and points of interest to visit while you’re traveling?
You’re in the right place, because in this mini-guide I want to share all the information about GPX tracks. These are notions I’ve gathered from experience, and they’re useful not only for the Cammino Materano, but in general for every outdoor occasion.
I also recommend what, after much research and trial, turned out to be the best app for using them when you’re offline, i.e., when you don’t have an internet connection available because you’re at the bottom of a ravine or in the middle of an endless wheat field. But let’s go in order and start from the beginning:
What are GPX files?
A GPX file (GPS eXchange Format) contains a route and/or a series of points within a map, all based on GPS coordinates. To open and use a GPX file, you must use an app or a website, because the file contains data in a raw format that must be read by a computer or mobile phone.
Are GPX files from the Cammino essential?
Even though the pilgrimage routes have their own signage (painted arrows, wooden poles with arrows, adhesive stickers) as a precaution, it’s always better to also have the GPX track already loaded on your phone; nowadays we all have one with satellite positioning (GPS), and to put it briefly, it costs us nothing.
It’s very important, before you leave, to have already downloaded and configured the app so you can view the tracks even in offline mode since away from populated areas – so very often during the stages of the Cammino Materano – you won’t have internet available.
Are there GPX tracks for the Cammino Materano?
Yes, before you start walking you can (should) download all the GPX tracks. Let’s see how:
Downloading personalized GPX tracks to an app and using them offline: the steps
Step 1: Download the tracks to your computer
Using a computer helps you customize the tracks more easily and quickly by adding the points that interest you. If you don’t intend to make additions, you can download the GPX files directly to your phone.
On the official website you’ll find one GPX file for each stage, but to be faster you can download a the entire Via Peuceta, the Via Ellenica and the Via Lucana in 3 separated single files directly from here.
There are also many sites with huge collections of GPX tracks for every type of hiking/trekking. One above all is Komoot, from where I got the track for the loop I did on my “rest” day in Matera.
Step 2: Customize the GPX track
You’ve downloaded the GPX track and since you’re at it, would you like to mark the locations of various hostels/B&Bs so you can find them quickly when you arrive in town tired and eager for a shower? Do you also want to add partner restaurants, the rock churches you’ve heard about, and other points of your scenic or tourist interest? It’s quite simple to do, but if you think you don’t need it you can skip this step.
Before importing everything into our app to navigate offline, let’s see how to add points of your choosing: the easiest way to customize a GPX track is to use Google My Maps (from your computer, not your phone!). Once you’ve logged in (it’s free and you just need a Google account) we create a new map and import the GPX file we downloaded to our computer by clicking on the “Import” link that Google gives us.
At this point we’ll have the entire route in view, including some points of interest that have already been added (not by me, but by whoever created the track). Now we can have fun and add all the points we want to the map. For example, I added to the track:
- All the archaeological points of interest mentioned on the Cammino website and guide
- The location of all my overnight accommodations
- The geocaches found near the route or in the towns (if you don’t know what geocaching is, I’ll send you to Wikipedia)
When we’re done, we click the three vertical dots next to the map name and choose “Export to KML/KMZ” to download our customized file.
Step 3: Transfer the GPX to your phone
Now that we’ve exported it to KML or KMZ format (it doesn’t matter which), we need to get it to our phone. How? Via USB, by sending yourself an email, via WhatsApp, use your imagination and you’ll find a way.
But why don’t we just continue using Google Maps on our phone?
Here’s the answer: now we’ve created in Google My Maps this new map with the routes of the various stages plus all the points we’ve added, right? Certainly, in fact we can already find it on our phone: we just need to open the Google Maps app (important: the Google account must be the same as the computer), search for our maps in “Your places” and voilà, here are our tracks without needing any further steps.
So why don’t we settle for that? Do we need another app to use GPX files?
Yes, because Google Maps is certainly a well-made and powerful navigation app, but unfortunately it has a big limitation: as long as we’re connected to the internet everything will work perfectly, but not when we’re offline. Customized maps don’t open in offline mode on the Google Maps app, making all the work pointless and leaving us without a GPX track. We therefore need an alternative app simply because Maps isn’t suitable.
Step 4: Which app to open GPX files on your phone offline?
As mentioned, unfortunately Google Maps isn’t a suitable solution for our purposes because it doesn’t allow you to open customized maps without internet, and during the Cammino Materano we won’t always have a connection because we’ll be away from populated areas and repeaters.
We therefore need a dedicated app that can store both our GPX tracks and the map of the terrain in advance, and that allows us to use both at any time to help us understand if we’re on the right path or if we’re getting lost in the Murge.
Fortunately there’s an easy solution to continue using GPX tracks offline, and it’s called Organic Maps: it’s a free, open-source app with no ads or trackers; it’s stable, not power-hungry, and is also translated into Italian. It’s available for both iOS and Android.
Organic Maps, being based on Open Street Maps, is perfect for pilgrimages and in general for hiking because it already has quite accurate indications of trails, panoramic points, and water supply points; all things we don’t find in Google Maps.
Once the app is installed, all we have to do is import the file with our track. If we previously made customizations via Google My Maps, we’ll import the KML/KMZ file we copied to our computer into Organic Maps. If we didn’t make customizations we can import directly the GPX downloaded from this site or one by one the GPX files of the individual stages you find on the official Cammino Materano website. Organic Maps knows how to read all these formats (GPX, KML, and KMZ), so for the app it makes no difference.
Step 5: Navigate the route even without internet
The first time we move to a region in the app, we’ll be asked to download the relevant map; this will allow us to “navigate” in that territory when we have no connection. It may seem obvious to say it but you never know: it must be done before you leave :-)
At this point we can have the route in view and therefore wherever we are, even without internet. By the way, the app also has the function of measuring distances, both as the crow flies and along roads or trails, so we can know at each moment how much is left to our destination.
If we forgot to add something to our track, no problem: there’s no need to redo all the steps. It’s possible to add/modify/delete points and routes directly through Organic Maps.
I won’t add anything else about how the app works, because it’s really simple and intuitive; personally I love it and I can only recommend it to you.
