How to Easily Find Off-Road Trails in Your City
In the hustle-and-bustle of a busy city, especially when you’re a newcomer, it can be difficult to find uninterrupted off-road trails away from the noise and pollution of the traffic and the annoyance of having to constantly stop to cross the road.
The benefits of running and cycling on trails is clear - not only for the beauty, nature and peace a trail can bring, but also by reducing the impact on your body on the softer ground, improving your balance and technique with the changing terrain and working different muscle groups with the variation in gradient.
The good news is many cities do have a network of off-road trails that can be incredible places to run and cycle, and with FATMAP you can easily find them.
Read on to find out how…
Finding the good stuff
As you can see in the GIF above, FATMAP conveniently highlights trails with dotted yellow lines, making it easier to pick them out amongst the network of roads.
Using the route drawing tool with SnapTo enabled, you can then map your path, with the line sticking easily to these trails.
| How to quickly plan adventures using SnapTo ✏️
Maximise your chances of experiencing the best nature has to offer by drawing your route so that it takes in as many parks and green areas as possible.
As you can see in the screenshot below, this 6 mile route in London goes through at least two parks, a wood and a nature reserve. You can also clearly see the yellow dotted lines of other trails and other possible options the route could take.
Misha’s Run
The route featured in this blog is a real life example by Misha Gopaul (founder of FATMAP) when he planned a run in London over the holidays. He managed to get to his friend’s house almost completely on off-road trails.
Check out the full route below.
Are you a frequent runner in your city? Would this feature be useful for you?
We’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below or send us an email on hello@fatmap.com
