Laying out a route

There are three things that will determine how BaseCamp (or your GPS for that matter) calculate a Route.

• The Routing Activity: This is the Garmin Routing code and it has hardcoded parameters (like Faster Time/Shorter Distance - you MUST use one of them unless you're using one of the Activities that can travel direct/off-road) and optional parameters (things you can change/set - like Avoidances & Speed).
  
• The Digital Maps you are using and within them how the road-types are coded: Interstate, Major Highway, State Highway, etc.
  
• Where you place your Via Points on the map. First, you must make sure the Via Point is placed on the mapped road that you want your route to follow. Placing a Via Point off of the road can cause some vary strange behavior as BaseCamp tries to calculate a route where there is no road info.
  

So, what I do is to setup my Activities so that they are more in line with my travel needs. For example, Automobile Driving I leave as it is with the default setting. No changes. This is my baseline for how Garmin thinks routing should be for "most" folks. Then I setup a few other Activities to reflect my Motorcycling, Hiking, Walking, etc., preferences.

I usually start long-generic routes with Automobile Driving since I know it will take the Fastest route over Interstate and Major Hwys. Then I change the Activity to what I really intend to do which is Motorcycling and recalculate the route. OK, I don't always start with Auto. Most of the time I start with the Activity the route is intended for because I know generally what to expect. But, take your time and get a feel for what these Activities do with routing - it will help you in the future with your trip planning.

Now here is where "Routing as an Art" starts. You must adjust the generic route BaseCamp calculates through editing to really achieve the results you probably want. To do that you must use Via Points and the Insert and/or Move Tools. The best place to put a Via Point is at an intersection (unless you use a zumo GPS). Again, make sure you have zoomed in and are sure you're placing the Via Point on the road. If the route continues to route away from the road you want you may try adjusting your Activity Avoidances slightly (one variable at a time) so you can see what difference that change makes. If it didn't make any, change the setting back and try another one until you get the results you desire. If, after all of that, you cannot get the route to calculate the way you want and you've placed "a lot" of via points, there may be something wrong with the map data in that area you're having trouble with. Rather than get hung up on a short section of road route around it if you can for now. You can always go back and get help to figure it out later.

Cheers,