Map makers tool
GPX viewer
Open a GPX file in the browser to see its tracks, routes and waypoints with total track length, then export to KML or GeoJSON.
Short answer
What is read from a GPX file
Waypoints (wpt) become points with their name, description, and elevation. Each track segment (trkseg) becomes a line, and each route (rte) becomes a line. Track points keep their elevation when the file has one. The total length is the sum of great-circle distances between consecutive points of every line.
How to use it
- Export a GPX file from your watch, bike computer, or hiking app, then drop it onto the box or click to choose it.
- Tracks and routes appear as lines and waypoints as points. The map zooms to fit them.
- Read the line beside the export buttons for the number of features and the total length of all lines in kilometers and miles.
- Press KML or GeoJSON to convert.
Tracks, routes, and waypoints
GPX is an XML format for GPS data, maintained by TopoGrafix. A track is where you actually went, recorded as a breadcrumb trail. A route is a planned list of points to follow. A waypoint is a single named place. Watches and hiking apps export tracks; planning tools export routes.
Why the length differs from your watch
The viewer measures straight lines between recorded points on a sphere and ignores elevation, so climbs do not add distance. A watch may smooth jittery points, add distance from its motion sensors, or count vertical change. Differences of a few percent are normal. A track recorded at long intervals cuts corners and reads short.
Two recordings of the same walk rarely match to the meter, because each GPS fix has its own error of a few meters.
Converting and next steps
KML export opens the track in Google Earth. GeoJSON export suits web maps and GIS tools. To see the climb along a track, draw it roughly on the elevation profile, which samples ground heights from the Copernicus elevation model.
Getting a GPX file
Most sports platforms and GPS apps let you export an activity as GPX from its detail page. Some watch makers call it "export original" or "export to GPX". Route-planning sites export planned routes the same way.
A GPX file can contain your home location at the start of the track. Check before sharing converted files publicly. Some privacy settings in sports apps trim the start and end of shared tracks, which is another reason totals can differ between exports.
Questions people ask
Is the total the same as my watch's distance?
Close, but not exact. The viewer measures straight segments on a sphere and ignores elevation.
Does the viewer show elevation gain?
Not from the file. Use the elevation profile for ground heights along a path.
Is the file uploaded?
No. It is parsed in your browser.
Sources and data as of
Data as of: no stored data; files stay in your browser.
How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.