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The Elevation & Surface tool adds two types of data to your tracks: elevation profiles from terrain data and surface types from OpenStreetMap.

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Elevation Data

Elevation data is essential for:
  • Calculating total ascent and descent
  • Viewing accurate elevation profiles
  • Planning routes based on terrain difficulty
  • Transferring routes to GPS devices that display elevation

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Adding Elevation

  1. Select a track or waypoint in the File Tree
  2. Open the Elevation & Surface tool
  3. Click Add Elevation Data
The tool updates:
  • All GPS points in selected tracks
  • Selected waypoints

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Elevation Data Source

Elevation data is provided by Mapbox. You can learn more about its origin and accuracy in the Mapbox Terrain documentation.

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When to Use Elevation

  • Manually drawn routes - Routes created with the Route Planning tool may not have elevation data
  • Imported routes - Some GPX files lack elevation information
  • Inaccurate GPS elevation - Barometric or GPS-based elevation can be noisy; terrain data provides a cleaner profile

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Surface Data

Surface data tells you what type of terrain your route passes over - paved roads, gravel paths, dirt trails, etc. This is invaluable for planning rides and understanding route difficulty.

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Adding Surface Data

  1. Select a track in the File Tree
  2. Click Request Surface Data
  3. Configure fallback surfaces for road types (optional)
  4. Click Request Surface Data in the dialog

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Surface Types

Surface information comes from OpenStreetMap and includes:
  • Asphalt - Smooth paved roads
  • Concrete - Concrete surfaces
  • Paved - General paved surfaces
  • Compacted gravel - Well-maintained gravel
  • Gravel - Loose gravel surfaces
  • Fine gravel - Finer gravel material
  • Dirt - Dirt roads and paths
  • Ground - Natural ground surface
  • Unpaved - General unpaved surfaces
  • Grass - Grass surfaces
  • Sand - Sandy terrain

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Fallback Configuration

Not all roads in OpenStreetMap have surface data tagged. When surface information is unavailable, you can configure fallback assumptions based on road type: Major Roads
  • Motorway / Highway
  • Trunk road
  • Primary road
  • Secondary road
  • Tertiary road
Urban Roads
  • Residential
  • Living street
  • Service road
  • Unclassified road
Paths & Trails
  • Footway / Sidewalk
  • Cycleway
  • Path
  • Track
  • Bridleway
  • Pedestrian area
  • Steps / Stairs
Unmatched Points
  • Points not matched to any road type in OSM
For gravel riding, set your trail fallbacks to “Gravel” or “Unpaved” to get a more accurate picture of off-road sections.

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Viewing Surface Data

Once surface data is added, you can:
  • View surface breakdown in your route statistics
  • See surface types color-coded on the elevation profile
  • Export the data with your GPX file
Surface data quality depends on OpenStreetMap coverage in your area. Well-mapped regions will have more accurate surface information.