Using Heat Maps

Heatmaps give you a visual display of the most popular activities in your area. These are activities that have been uploaded to GC, You can use heatmaps to help you create your own courses in these same areas. if you want to search for someone else's activity, then use the Explore page on Garmin Connect. If you find one you'd like to use, you can save it as a course and upload it to your device.

Thanks so much SEILOGRAMP, and for the link. I imagine I'm completely missing where on Garmin Connect it is, however I can't find the Explore area without using the link you've provided. Would you mind explaining where to find it on Garmin Connect?

Thanks again!

You need to arrange your dashboard to have your favorite items on the main display, including "activities."
Click the hamburger menu on the left, then click the arrow to the right of "activities," then "add to dashboard."

" />">

Now that this is on your dashboard, click the magnifying glass to get to the explore page. Highlighted below.

" />">

I had not seen the Heat Maps before.

But I found that it is not a Garmin thing, but rather Google Maps. If you open google maps and look at the drop down under the menu in the upper left.

Bing also has it, but the amount of data is very limited.

Thanks again SEILOGRAMP, thats great. It's not clear by any means for new users.. Such a shame as it's an incredible application, if only it was user friendly!

I am still not getting the heatmaps... perhaps it's not rolled out in the UK yet? The view I'm getting is as below:



billhart46 thanks for the tip re: Google Heatmaps. I have a feeling maybe that's not available in the UK yet... I'm getting the view as below; can't find anything for heat maps.

No Garmin Connect heatmaps outside of the USA. Not sure what billhart46 is referencing. :confused: Possibly selecting Google/Bing within GC. But they both give you the same Garmin heatmap overlay, just over a Bing map vs a Google map.

I suppose people have to share their activities publicly in order for them to be visible for others on the heatmap? Might explain why in some areas you don't see much.

Thanks again SEILOGRAMP, thats great. It's not clear by any means for new users.. Such a shame as it's an incredible application, if only it was user friendly!

I am still not getting the heatmaps... perhaps it's not rolled out in the UK yet? The view I'm getting is as below:



billhart46 thanks for the tip re: Google Heatmaps. I have a feeling maybe that's not available in the UK yet... I'm getting the view as below; can't find anything for heat maps.

May not work in the UK, but try selecting maps (not satalite) , then bicycling.

No Garmin Connect heatmaps outside of the USA. Not sure what billhart46 is referencing. :confused: Possibly selecting Google/Bing within GC. But they both give you the same Garmin heatmap overlay, just over a Bing map vs a Google map.

This is the heat map in Connect with google maps selected.


This is Google Maps with Bicycling selected.


Without blowing up the maps and checking each path separately they look like they are identical.

The is the heat map in Connect with Bing maps selected.


It only has the activities along the river and a little on a near by street.
But it is only when you zone in closer that you can see the difference. But they are clear on the Google maps.

For comparison here is the Strava heat map.


Strava is strictly the GPS activity reported by their users and the frequency is denoted by colors.

In Google the paths are denoted by the type (road, trails, etc) and there is no indication frequency of usage. I suspect that it is from automated collection of GPS data and then someone vets them and decides on the type. But zooming in I see lots of amonimalies. There is a packed gravel maintained trail by the river. At one point it ends at a road and you go over the bridge and it resumes on the other side of the river. The first part is marked as unpaved trail, the second as trail. And I see several 4 lane road that show the north bound lanes as dedicated bike lines, and the sound bound as bike friendly lanes. North and south bound are exactly the same width, markings, etc.