How do you plan your way and follow it ?

I plan my trips with Strava routebuilder (on the desktop site). I load the exported GPX in this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.rooehler.bikecomputer&hl=nl (I use the pro version). The app and the maps that come with it are great. The maps are free and downloadable for off-line use. I use my watch for recording the trip with HR, cadance and speed sensor.

I plan my routes normally with LocusMaps on my phone which I used way before I had a Garmin watch.
I also use this for navigation for hiking, if I want navigation on my watch of if I need a quick glance of the route or directions for running I use dwMaps.

You can upload one route at a time on your watch via a website (internet access needed to upload) and you see your position on that route and it tells you if you are off-route.
If you sign up for premium (10$/year or 20$ lifetime) you get way more features like navigation prompts (e.g. turn left in 300m) and you can use a companion app where you can store as many routes as you like and send them to the watch offline. You can also add up to 10 waypoints to a route for points of interests etc.

Features like "back home" are also included similar to the fenix series. If you need to turn around you will be navigated in the opposite direction back to the start of the route.

I am not associated with the devoloper btw. I just found that app recently and it covers the main functionality I missed on the VA3 over the fenix ones.

You even can show maps on the watch (premium) which requires internet access the whole time and it loads very slow.
The slow loading is not that big of an issue because the behavior of your position indicator changes so that it does not need to load the map that often.
This looks like this:

?

Activities can be chosen while the app is running (I think you can choose between running, hiking, cycling) and they will be displayed as such in Connect.

There are other apps like "bf hiker map" which also does routing and nav propts and has some charts as well but it reacts very slowly for me what disqualified it.

To summarize:

If you care for navigation on your watch I recommend dwmaps.
If you want high detail maps and loads of features for navigation, mapping, route planning etc. I recommend LocusMaps on Android (not sure about iOS).

The combination of both works great for me. You can also use your watch to transmit heart rate data to a recording on Locus maps.

Since the image seems broken and I can't edit because the forum is broken, here is a link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mK1eNrmsJb4OyCi42

I plan my routes normally with LocusMaps on my phone which I used way before I had a Garmin watch.
I also use this for navigation for hiking, if I want navigation on my watch of if I need a quick glance of the route or directions for running I use dwMaps.


There are other apps like "bf hiker map" which also does routing and nav propts and has some charts as well but it reacts very slowly for me what disqualified it.

I use BF HIKER Map and others from developer BeFitter.

NomekSan i can't find any "LocusMaps"-app on Garmin IQ? What app are you running on the VA3?

I use BF HIKER Map and others from developer BeFitter.

NomekSan i can't find any "LocusMaps"-app on Garmin IQ? What app are you running on the VA3?

Hi,

there was a missunderstanding. The app on ConnectIQ is called "DwMaps".
LocusMaps is an Android and iOS(I think) app for map Navigation and route planning. I use this in correlation to dwMaps on the watch and used it before for Navigation in general.

Those two apps are not related in any way but they work great together for me.