Loading GPX Data Into LR4 Nav - It Works

[danrhiggins]

A couple months ago when I had nothing better to do while waiting for my LR4 I asked if there was a way to load GPS data (GPX files) into the LR4. There is!

One of the sets of books we plan to use for backroad touring comes from a company called Funtreks. For each trail they provide ratings and descriptions and then a route map with waypoints and descriptions of the waypoints. They have books for Colorado (North and South) and for AZ, UT and CA (North).

At some point they also created data files with GPS data for all the trail heads and the waypoints. GPX format for use with all sorts of GPS devices. I purchased the Colorado set which comes on a micro-SD for plugging into a GPS device. You can also use an adapter for regular size SD and load the data to your Mac or PC. From there you copy the selected tracks to a flash drive. The flash drive can then be plugged into the LR4 and through the Nav menu you can ADD POIs that correspond to those waypoints/trails. (See the owners manual section on My POIs - in the Index.)

I haven't tried to follow a trail with the waypoints yet but I will able to make the trailhead the destination for a route and the Nav system found it and calculated a route (on surface roads) to get me to that trail head.

The waypoints are intended to be used with the books. But as we drive along it will be nice to know how close we are to the next waypoint.

Of course there are a number of POI websites where you can download tons of POIs. Once downloaded you should be able to copy those to a flash drive and go through the same process to load them into your LR4 Nav system.

My LR4 is a MY14. Not sure how far back this capability goes.

 

[mbw]

The 2013 has this, but I dont think the 12's do, but not sure.

 

[epiclr4]

Did you see how these waypoints show up if you hit the Nav button twice to choose between On-Road or Off-Road navigation?

 

[danrhiggins]

Did you see how these waypoints show up if you hit the Nav button twice to choose between On-Road or Off-Road navigation?

I just briefly toyed with the off road navigation stuff. Not long enough to see how the waypoints were displayed. But they did show up on the normal navigation mode. As it was the road we were on (and most of the intersecting forest roads) showed up on the normal map. So not only did the waypoints show up as yellow stars but I could ask for a route to the next waypoint and it found a way. A couple of times it took a slightly different route than the author of the book recommended but it was usually only for for 100 yards or so then the routes would merge. I think the yellow star signifies a favorite or maybe simply a downloaded "POI".

Bottom line is that this worked out because the authors of these books did all the work of creating the tracks and waypoints. In fact it really worked out great because we came across a family in a jeep who were using the same book but had misunderstood the route descriptions and got lost. So we had them follow us out.