Turn workouts
into viral GPS art

GPS art is the practice of running, cycling or walking a route that draws a picture on the map when your GPS track is recorded. It is also called Strava art or GPS drawing, because most people share the finished shape on Strava. You plan the route first, follow it with a watch or phone, and the recorded activity becomes the artwork.

In four steps. First, draw a shape in RouteSketcher or pick one from the GPS Art Directory and place it over your city. Second, snap it to real roads and paths. Third, download the route as a GPX file. Fourth, load that file into Strava, Garmin Connect or your watch and follow it. When you finish the activity, the recorded track shows your drawing.

RouteSketcher is a browser-based route planner built for GPS art. Draw freehand on the map, pick a ready-made shape from the GPS Art Directory, or describe a shape and let the AI draw it. Position and resize it over any location, snap it to real streets, then export it as a GPX file for your favourite outdoor app or smartwatch. There is nothing to install.

Yes. Snapping uses OpenStreetMap street and path data, so your shape follows roads, trails and cycleways you can actually run or ride. You can also download the unsnapped freehand version if you prefer the pure drawing, which works well in open spaces like beaches, parks and tracks.

Anything that accepts a GPX file. That includes Strava, Garmin Connect and Garmin watches, Komoot, Suunto, Coros, Wahoo, and phone apps on iPhone and Android. You can also open your route in Google Maps. RouteSketcher itself runs in the browser, so no extra app is needed to create the route.

Download the sketch as a GPX file, import it into Garmin Connect as a course, then sync your watch. The course shows up under Navigation on the watch and guides you turn by turn while you run or ride. Our step-by-step guide covers the whole flow with screenshots.

A GPX file is not meant to be opened like a photo or a document: it is a route file you import into a mapping or fitness app. Upload it to Strava, Garmin Connect, Komoot or Google Maps and it becomes a route you can follow. Our tutorials walk through each app one step at a time.

Yes. Import any GPX file and edit it in RouteSketcher like any other sketch: move points, extend the route, re-snap it to roads, then export it again. It is handy for reworking an old activity into a shape, or for tidying up a route someone shared with you.

Describe the shape you want in plain words and the AI draws it for you. Drop the result on the map, resize it, fine-tune the points and save it as a sketch like any other shape. The AI Doodle Generator is in beta and is included in both the free and the paid plan.

Yes. Upload a PNG, JPG or WebP image under 2 MB and the auto-tracer turns its outline into a route in seconds, ready to drop on the map. Simple, high-contrast images such as logos, text, cartoons and silhouettes trace best; photos and busy pictures rarely give a clean route.

RouteSketcher works with routes from 500 m up to 1000 km (about 621 miles). Anything shorter than 500 m is too small to read as a drawing on the map. Most GPS art routes land between 5 and 15 km because that is a comfortable run, and larger shapes read better, so size the shape to the distance you actually want to cover.

Nothing breaks. Your artwork is whatever your device records, so small detours simply soften the lines, and GPS drift near tall buildings or tunnels does the same. Keep the shape bold and avoid tiny details and your drawing stays readable even when the track wanders a few metres.

Yes. GPS art works with any activity your device records: running, cycling, walking, hiking, even skiing. RouteSketcher shows the distance and an estimated time for your route in kilometres or miles, so you can size the shape to the activity you have in mind.

Yes, anywhere in the world. Snapping uses OpenStreetMap data, so any city, town or trail network in it can be your canvas. Dense grid cities suit detailed shapes, rural areas suit big outlines. Always check the route before you head out: snapping follows the map, not the traffic rules, so keep off motorways and private property and adapt the shape to what is safe where you are.

Yes. It runs in any modern mobile browser, so you can sketch on a phone or a tablet just as well as on a laptop. There is no app to download and no app store account involved.

You need a free account, but no credit card. The free GPS Art Explorer plan includes 2 sketches, the AI Doodle Generator, GPX import and export, the shape directory and social overlays, so you can test the whole flow before paying anything.

RouteSketcher costs 19.99 USD once, down from 50 USD as a launch price. It is a one-time payment rather than a subscription, and it unlocks unlimited sketching forever, editing of saved sketches and publishing to the public gallery. The free plan gives you 2 sketches to try first.

Yes. Purchases are refundable within 15 days: email [email protected] with your purchase details and we will take care of it. After 15 days purchases are final.

Export your sketch as a transparent PNG or as an animated video overlay, then place it over your own photos, Reels or Stories. You can also publish the route to the public GPS Art Directory, where other creators can find it and get inspired.

Use the Feedback link in the menu or in the footer: it opens a short form that lands straight in my inbox, and I reply to it myself. You can also reach me on Instagram or by email at [email protected].