Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know before you twist the throttle.

GoraAdv uses OpenStreetMap data to find the most adventurous path between your points — maximising dirt tracks, gravel roads and forest paths over tarmac. Map data is community-maintained and not always complete or current. Tracks may be missing, mislabelled or changed. Routes can look more challenging than expected — or lead somewhere that no longer exists. Your best bet before riding is to switch to satellite view in the planner and eyeball the track. Just don't count on it in places like Montenegro where satellite zoom runs out before the trail does.
GoraAdv filters out tracks tagged as legally restricted in OpenStreetMap — no entry, private land, motor vehicle bans. But map data isn't always current, local rules vary by country and region, and signage changes. Always check before you ride. If a gate is closed or a sign says no — respect it. When in doubt, ask a local.
GoraAdv is built to maximise offroad — that's the whole point. Routes prioritise dirt tracks, gravel roads and forest paths over tarmac. The results panel gives you a rough idea of the terrain ahead — distance, offroad percentage and elevation are based on map data. Real conditions can differ. Treat it as a guide, not a guarantee. Know your limits and ride accordingly.

GoraAdv does prioritise offroad — but it can only use what's mapped. The router runs on OpenStreetMap (OSM), a community-maintained map. In well-mapped areas like Spain or France, thousands of forest tracks and gravel roads are in the data. In less-mapped areas, those same tracks might simply not exist in OSM yet — even if they're clearly visible on satellite.

A few common reasons your offroad percentage is lower than expected:

  • Missing tracks — the trail exists on the ground but hasn't been mapped in OSM yet. Very common in Eastern Europe and North Africa.
  • Mislabelled roads — a gravel track tagged as a paved road, or a forest road tagged as residential. The router sees tarmac and routes accordingly.
  • Geography — some regions simply have long tarmac gaps between offroad sections. The router can't invent dirt roads that don't exist.
  • Access restrictions — tracks tagged as private or motor-vehicle-restricted are deliberately skipped, even if they'd make the route dirtier.

The router also has to get you there. Even with a full offroad preference, the routing engine still needs to connect A to B — and sometimes the only viable connection in a given direction runs along a main road. There might be a dense network of tracks 5 km to the left, but nothing usable on the direct line between your points. In that case, the router has no choice.

The easiest fix: move your marker. Shifting your start or end point by just a few kilometres — nudging it toward an area with more tracks — can completely change the route. Try dragging the pin sideways or adding an intermediate waypoint to pull the route through dirtier terrain.

Other things that help: Switch to satellite view in the planner and compare the route to what you see on the ground. If you spot unmapped tracks, you can add them to OpenStreetMap yourself — it takes about 10 minutes and improves the route for everyone.

How to contribute to OpenStreetMap →

Every segment of a route is classified into one of five tiers based on road type and surface. The tier breakdown is shown in the results panel after each calculation.

T1 — Dirt Track
Unpaved tracks with dirt, sand, mud or unknown surface — farm roads, logging roads, forest service tracks. What the OSM data says, nothing more. Often fine on any ADV bike — check satellite before assuming it's difficult. Conditions vary widely.
T2 — Gravel Track
Tracks with a compacted or gravel surface — the backbone of most ADV rides. Predictable and well-maintained. Comfortable on any capable adventure bike including heavier machines. Around 20–30 km/h average.
T3 — Unpaved Road
Unclassified roads without tarmac — rural connectors, agricultural access roads. Any bike handles T3 comfortably. Around 35 km/h average.
T4 — Paved Road
Quiet tarmac — unclassified country lanes, village roads, residential streets. Used to link offroad sections. Fine on any bike. The router uses these sparingly when no dirt alternative exists.
T5 — Highway
Primary roads, trunk roads and motorways. GoraAdv minimises these aggressively. You're here to escape T5, not ride it. Used only where no offroad alternative exists.

The colour-coded map line, the segmented bar and the percentage breakdown in the results panel all use these tiers — so you can see at a glance what kind of riding is ahead before you leave.

Ride time is calculated using conservative average speeds per terrain type — 20 km/h on heavy offroad up to 90 km/h on highways. Your actual pace depends on your skill level, bike, weather, and how many times you stop to take photos. Treat it as a minimum benchmark, not a race target.

Save your route in the Planner, go to My Routes and hit GPX to download the file. Then load it onto your device:

Garmin Zumo / Montana / XT (USB)
Connect via USB → open the device in Finder or Explorer → navigate to Garmin/GPX/ → copy the .gpx file in. Eject and the route appears under Saved Routes or Trips on device startup.
Garmin via Explore app (wireless)
Open the Garmin Explore app on your phone → Collections → Import → select the GPX file → sync to your paired device over Bluetooth. No cable needed.
TomTom Rider
Open MyDrive on your computer or phone → Import Route → select the GPX → send to device. Alternatively connect via USB and drop it into the routes folder.

GoraAdv GPX files are track-based — they follow the exact calculated path. Your GPS navigates it turn-by-turn once you start the route.

Any app that imports GPX files works. These are the ones most used by adventure riders:

OsmAnd (Android & iOS)
Free, offline-capable, OpenStreetMap-based. Import GPX via Menu → My Places → Tracks → Import. Supports offline maps for the countries you're riding in — download them before you go.
Komoot
Import via Profile → Routes → Import GPX. Komoot adds turn-by-turn voice navigation and shows surface type alongside the route. Works well for adventure touring.
Wikiloc
Upload to your Wikiloc account and follow it as a trail. Good for community sharing and logging your ride afterwards.
Google Maps
Standard Google Maps doesn't support GPX. However, Google My Maps does — go to mymaps.google.com, create a new map, import your GPX file, then open the layer on your phone and follow it in Google Maps. It works but it's a few extra steps — OsmAnd is easier. Apple Maps has no GPX support at all.
Calculate your route in the Planner, then hit Save Route in the results panel. You need a free account — if you're not logged in a prompt will appear. Once saved, all your routes live in My Routes where you can re-open them in the planner, check the stats and download GPX. Routes are stored on the server — they survive clearing your browser cache or switching devices.
72 countries live across 6 continents. Europe: Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Greece, Great Britain, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Albania, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Andorra, Kosovo, Moldova, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Turkey. Caucasus: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan. Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar. Oceania: Australia, New Zealand. North America: USA (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming), Canada, Mexico. Central America: Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua. South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, Guyana. North Africa: Morocco.

See the full coverage map — new countries are added regularly.
Any adventure or dual-sport motorcycle works well on T2–T5 terrain. T1 sections (heavy offroad, dirt, mud) are better suited to lightweight dual-sport or enduro bikes. Heavier adventure bikes can struggle on tight or very rough T1 tracks — check the tier breakdown and use your judgement.

Tire choice and setup can significantly affect performance on loose or wet surfaces — what works depends on your specific bike, load and the terrain you're riding.
Map data isn't always current — tracks wash out, gates go up, bridges disappear. Always carry a backup plan, check satellite imagery before committing to remote sections, and never ride beyond a point you can safely return from. If a track is genuinely wrong in the data, it can be fixed in OpenStreetMap.

GoraAdv is built for motorcycles — adventure and enduro bikes specifically. The routes we find are single tracks, narrow dirt paths and mountain trails where a 4x4 or ATV simply wouldn't fit. They're not just unsuitable, they're often physically impassable for anything wider than two wheels. If you're planning offroad trips in a 4x4 or ATV, you'll need a tool built around your vehicle's width and clearance — GoraAdv will send you places you really don't want to be in a truck.

Planning routes is free — forever. The only paid feature is downloading the GPX file to take on the ride. Pricing is currently in beta; when it goes live, new visitors get 2 free GPX downloads (one as a guest, one after signing up and verifying email), then it's pay-per-download credits that never expire — no subscription. Create a free account to save routes and get your signup freebie.

Credits are how you pay for GPX downloads once your freebies are used. One credit = one GPX file. They're sold in bundles of 1, 3, or 10 and never expire — buy what you need, use them whenever. There is no subscription, no recurring charge, no auto-renewal.

Payment is handled by Lemon Squeezy (Merchant of Record — they handle EU VAT). GoraAdv never sees your card details. See Terms and Privacy for the full picture. Pricing is not yet live; bundles will appear in the app once the beta ends.

Yes. After you download a GPX, you'll see an option to share the ride with up to 12 friends by email. They each get a one-time invite link and can download the GPX without creating an account. Each share link allows up to 50 downloads total — enough for a riding group to grab the file on different devices.

GoraAdv does not store recipient email addresses. The addresses are used once to send the invite and then dropped. Only an aggregate log is kept (who shared, how many recipients, when) — no names, no emails.