Unwanted Loops in Route

Also don't put the point in an intersection. That can cause "T" turn if it's A little off. Put the point before or after the intersection.

I understand. The trade-off with that approach is when creating a long route, say for me typically 300 miles with 250 shaping points, its awkward zooming in so close every time you want to add a shaping point. I think then that when creating a large route without zooming in for every shaping point, the easier thing to do is try and be careful to place the point on the right side of the road and after the route is completed,run the route simulation at a speed slow enough to watch for the position arrow to suddenly reverse course or make an unexpected turn. Also I will sometimes walk the route when zoomed in to look for anomalies. Ultimately ive learned to ignore the non nonsensical "make a U turn" when I know the path is forward.

Wow!!!

...for me typically 300 miles with 250 shaping points...

Wow! 300 miles is not a very long Route to need that many shaping points particularly on divided highways. I've done Routes over 1,500 miles that needed to follow secondary roads by route numbers and never come close to using that many shaping points.

I'm curious, do you build your Routes point by point, or do you first do beginning and end points and then shape the Route by dragging it to the roads you wish to follow?

Agreed. I can't imagine why you would need that many shaping points? I'm constantly planning routes of two to three hundred miles that go the way I want with no more than five or so intermediate points, some of them being shaping points.

Like AugustFalcon I begin with start and finish points and then 'rubber band' as required.

I previously posted but for some reason it did not post. Ill try again.

I mispoke. An example of 316 mile route Ive created has 259 points and 80 via points. I take it via points are the same as shaping points that I add. Why so many? These routes are designed for dual sport motorcycle to minimize paved roads. The route travels along county, farm to market, forest and even unmapped gravel and dirt roads. Many of the roads zig zag and criss cross with right angle turns around farm fields and pastures and have only 0.5 to 1 mile straight line distances. Further there are known obstacles to plan around of washed out roads, deeply rutted roads and roads of deep sand especially near the rivers.

In contrast, a 1000 mile Saddlesore route, a sanctioned1000 mile ride that must be completed within 24 hrs is planned for shortest time. In that case there are few via points and Basecamp does most the planning. But still some shaping for gas station and rest stops and sight seeing detours. By comparison a 1021 mile route from Dallas to Corpus Christi and back has 1031 miles, 130 points and 20 shaping points.

So the dual sport route is 4miles/via point and the fast route is 51 mils/via point.

The rubber band approach is not practical to use for the dual sport route becuase the route is so complex and trying to create the complex path while manipulating as rubber band a mess. Much more practical for the longer straight line pavement routes.

I assume these longer 'routes' are actually tracks as most Garmin devices wouldn't allow that many points in a route?

As for viapoints versus shaping points read here

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?21640-POIs-Waypoints-Via-Points-Shaping-Points-101

The value for points and via points that I presented are the values provided by Basecamp at the top of the window when you double click on the route. I have published many adventures for both dual sport style and endurance style motorcycle rides as rkruz2 which are the captured results of the actual ride.

That makes more sense if I understand you correctly, as those would be the tracks created by you riding the route? Tracks can contain many more points than routes.

...I have published many adventures for both dual sport style and endurance style motorcycle rides as rkruz2 which are the captured results of the actual ride.

And, they are very nicely done! Thanks.

Sure hope I get a chance to get back down to Texas this year to try out some of your adventures. Rode the Hill Country for a week last year.