Take your trek offline

Most Himalayan trails have no phone signal for days. Your phone's GPS doesn't need any. Load the trail and an offline map before you leave and you'll see exactly where you are on the route, in airplane mode, anywhere. About 15 minutes at home.

The short version

  1. 1Install Organic MapsFree, no ads, no account. Android or iPhone.
  2. 2Download the region's mapThe state, or Nepal. On Wi-Fi, at home.
  3. 3Load the trail fileDownload the GPX from the trek's page, open it in the app.
  4. 4Test in airplane modeMap still shows, blue dot appears: you're ready.

Need the details? Pick your device:

AndroidOrganic Maps + backupsiPhone & iPadOrganic Maps + backupsComputerView, print, send to phoneGPS watchGarmin, Suunto, Coros

Basics

How it works

You need two things on your phone: an offline map of the area and the trail file.

The offline map

Valleys, rivers, villages and paths, saved on your phone. Apps like Organic Maps download a whole state or country at once, usually a few hundred MB.

The trail file (GPX)

The walking line start to finish, plus every overnight stop as a named point with its height. About 40 KB. Every map app and GPS watch reads it.

On the trail your phone's GPS chip listens to satellites directly: no SIM, no data, works in airplane mode. The app shows a blue dot where you are and the trail as a line. Dot on the line means you're on the route.

A backup, not your guide. Paths shift after landslides and heavy snow, and a GPS line can't tell you a bridge is out. Follow your guide and your operator's route; use the map to know where you are, how far the next stop is, and the way back if you get separated.

At home, on Wi-Fi

Before you leave home

Tick these off a few days before you travel. Mountain data, where there is any, is too slow for map downloads.

Before you leave home

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Step by step

Android

  1. 1
    Install Organic Maps from Google Play, open it, and allow location access with Precise on.
  2. 2
    Download the region: open the menu → Download maps, search for the state or country (Uttarakhand, Nepal) and tap to download. Or pan the map to the trek and accept the offer to download that area.
  3. 3
    On the trek's page, tap Download trail (GPX). It saves to Downloads, named after the trek.
  4. 4
    Tap the file in the download notification (or Files → Downloads) and choose Organic Maps. The trail and stops appear, saved under Bookmarks and tracks (the star).
The file won't open in Organic Maps
Open Organic Maps, tap the star (Bookmarks and tracks), open its menu and choose Import, then pick the file from Downloads.
Organic Maps doesn't work for me: other apps

These read the same file. Each needs its own offline map downloaded at home.

OsmAndfree; the free version limits map downloads

Open the file with OsmAnd, or Menu → My places → Tracks → Import. For spoken guidance, open the track and choose Follow track.

Gaia GPSfree account; offline maps need a paid plan

Share the file to Gaia GPS, or upload it on gaiagps.com and it syncs.

Guru Mapsfree to start; some features paid

Open the file with Guru Maps; it adds the track and stops.

Locus Mapfree with ads

Open the file with Locus Map and choose Import.

Step by step

iPhone and iPad

  1. 1
    Install Organic Maps from the App Store, open it, and allow location While Using the App with Precise Location on.
  2. 2
    Download the region: menu → Download maps, search for the state or country and tap to download.
  3. 3
    On the trek's page in Safari, tap Download trail (GPX) and confirm Download. It goes to Files → Downloads.
  4. 4
    In Files, press and hold the file → Share → Organic Maps. The trail is saved under Bookmarks and tracks.
Organic Maps isn't in the share list
Swipe the row of apps to the end and tap More to switch it on. Or open Organic Maps → the star → Import and pick the file from Files. On Chrome, tap Open in… after the download.
Organic Maps doesn't work for me: other apps

OsmAnd Mapsfree; the free version limits map downloads

Share the file to OsmAnd, or My places → Tracks → Import.

Gaia GPSfree account; offline maps need a paid plan

Share the file to Gaia GPS, or upload it on gaiagps.com and sync.

Guru Mapsfree to start; some features paid

Share the file to Guru Maps from Files.

Windows, Mac, Linux

On a computer

Not for navigating on the trail, but the best screen for studying the route and printing a paper backup.

  1. 1
    Click Download trail (GPX). It saves to your Downloads folder.
  2. 2
    Look at it: drag it onto gpx.studio in your browser (free, nothing to install) for the line and its elevation, or open it in GPXSee or Google Earth Pro (File → Open) for 3D.
  3. 3
    Print a backup: zoom to each day's section and print or save as PDF. A folded page in a zip bag never runs flat.
  4. 4
    Send it to your phone by email, WhatsApp, Google Drive or iCloud, then follow the Android or iPhone steps.

Garmin, Suunto, Coros

GPS watches

Outdoor watches follow a GPX as a course or route: the line on the screen, a buzz if you stray. Get the file onto your phone or computer first; menu names vary a little by app version.

GarminGarmin Connect, free

On connect.garmin.com: Training & Planning → Courses → Import, save, Send to Device. On the watch: Navigate → Courses.

SuuntoSuunto app, free

Share the GPX to the Suunto app; it saves a route. Sync, then start an exercise with navigation.

CorosCoros app, free

Share the GPX to the Coros app to import a route, then sync the watch.

OthersWahoo, Polar, Amazfit, handheld GPS

Nearly all import GPX in their app or desktop software as a route or course.

Using it

On the trail

Open the app, find the trail in Bookmarks and tracks, and tap it so it's showing. Tap the location button to centre the blue dot.

Am I on the route?

Dot on the line means yes. A few dozen metres off in a deep valley is normal: cliffs and forest bounce the signal.

How far to camp?

Tap the next stop's point for the straight-line distance. The trek's itinerary has the walking distance and climb for each day.

Which way?

Tap the location button again so the map turns with you and the way you face is up.

Separated from the group?

Stay put and visible if you can. If you must move, follow the line back to the last stop you all passed.

Cold drains phones

Battery in the cold

  • Airplane mode while walking. GPS keeps working; hunting for a signal is what empties phones in the mountains.
  • Check, don't stare. Open the map at junctions and breaks, then lock the screen.
  • Keep it warm: an inside pocket by day, your sleeping bag at night. Batteries fade fast below freezing.
  • Carry a power bank (10,000 mAh is two to three charges). Lodge charging is paid and shared, where it exists.
  • Low Power Mode (iPhone) or Battery Saver (Android) helps a lot and doesn't stop GPS.

Fixes

If something goes wrong

The file opens as text, or "can't open file"
Your phone picked the wrong app. Import from inside the map app instead: Organic Maps, the star → Import; OsmAnd, My places → Tracks → Import.
I can't find the downloaded file
Android: Files → Downloads. iPhone: Files → Browse → Downloads (or On My iPhone → Downloads). It's named after the trek and ends in .gpx.
The map is blank grey under my trail
The offline map for that area isn't downloaded, and that needs Wi-Fi: do it before the trip. Organic Maps: menu → Download maps.
The blue dot doesn't appear or doesn't move
Check the app has location permission with Precise on and that Location is on in settings (airplane mode doesn't turn it off). Step into open sky and give it a minute; the first fix after a flight can be slow.
The dot jumps around
Normal in narrow gorges and thick forest. Wait a moment or step into the open; don't follow a single jump.

Treks with a mapped trail show it on their page and on the Adventure Map, with the GPX to download. More guides live in Adventurepedia.