Importing hiking routes onto my Fenix without 3rd party apps.

Is there a way to load hiking routes on my Fenix without using any 3rd party apps or websites? I know Garmin Explore can upload manually created routes (not entire hikes afaik), and I can use a 3rd party apps, but I'm wondering if there's a way to get hikes onto my watch using just my iPhone and Garmin apps.

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Dan.Boilermaker over 4 years ago in reply to 7581191 +2

7581191 said:
I'm referring existing routes/trails,

Neither one of those apps provide a database of hiking routes other than your own. The closest you might get is to download a previous hike from one…

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0 Dan.Boilermaker over 4 years ago

Garmin Connect is fairly easy to use. You can create a route and sync it to the watch all within the same app.

0 7581191 over 4 years ago in reply to Dan.Boilermaker

I'm referring existing routes/trails, not ones that I manually create.

My current workflow is using All Trails app to find a hike/route, download the gpx file to my phone, then upload it to my device with Garmin Connect.

Between Garmin Connect and Explore, I was hoping I could accomplish this w/o using a 3rd party app/site.

0 tylosaurus over 4 years ago

Plug the watch into a computer, and copy the gpx file into the \garmin\newfiles\ folder.

The 3rd party apps are popular because they don't require a PC and cable.

0 spinnekopje over 4 years ago

Can you explain why you can't import/upload entire hikes from gpx using garmin explore?

I haven't tried with files that gave problems with garmin explore, but I have fixed problems with garmin connect, by changing the header of the gpx to one that works (without changing the track/route data).

0 Dan.Boilermaker over 4 years ago in reply to 7581191

7581191 said:
I'm referring existing routes/trails,

Neither one of those apps provide a database of hiking routes other than your own. The closest you might get is to download a previous hike from one of your Connect "Connections". I just sent one of my son's (one of my "connections") previous runs to my watch using Connect Web. However, I couldn't find the same feature with the Connect App (android).

0 tylosaurus over 4 years ago in reply to spinnekopje

Garmin Explore has problems with some GPX files if everything isn't just right. I had to import them into Garmin Basecamp first, and then export GPX files that Explore would import properly.

0 C.sco over 4 years ago in reply to Dan.Boilermaker

Dan.Boilermaker said:
Neither one of those apps provide a database of hiking routes other than your own.

Exactly, Garmin does not maintain any databases, anywhere, of user-curated hiking trails. The closest thing they've got is the routable trails that are on their maps, but they are not curated by anyone. In other words, none of the trails have descriptions or ratings or pictures, in most cases they don't even have names, and you have to generate the route you want to take on them yourself, they haven't been pre-routed by anyone.

So there's no avoiding using a 3rd party for what you want to do. If people didn't need Alltrails do find and download user-curated trails, then there wouldn't be an alltrails ;)