How do I use the Trailguide app?

Bjørn Jarle Kvande

The main screen

The trailguide main screen

When opening the Trailguide app you will see the main map with the search field at the top and the main navigation bar at the bottom.

The numbers 6752/6947 in the search field indicate how many trails are within the current map section (6752) and how many trails are available in total (6947).

The icon to the right gives you access to sign in to the app, set the language, and to adjust app settings.

The bottom bar gives you access to list the available trails, adjust the content to your liking, change the base map, add map overlays such as a heatmap, and to show your current location on the map.

The map

The main map shows trails clustered in blue "bubbles" of varying sizes indicating the number of trails in the area. Clicking on a bubble will zoom in to that specific area and reveale the trails.

Clicking on a track will show information about it at the bottom of the screen. Clicking on the bottom information bar will open the full trail page. Clicking a selected track will unselect it.

The blue 'bubble' with the number 77 indicates that there are 77 trails to be found in that area.

Clicking on the 'cluster bubble' will zoom into that area and reveal the tracks on the map.

Clicking a track on the map will show information about the trail. Move your finger along the height profile to see the track position.

Map layers

You can select your base map layer and map overlays by clicking the Maps icon at bottom.

For the base layer you can select the standard Trailguide map, Norgeskart, MTBmap, and Google satellite images.

You can turn on map overlays such as OSM tracks, and a biking heatmap. You can also turn off the trails from the trailguide database if you prefer to navigate after OSM tracks or the heatmap.

Clicking the map selector button enables you to select base maps and overlays.

Selecting OSM tracks as an overlay will display MTB tracks from OpenStreetMap and enable you to navigate a dense trail network.

The MTBmap.no layer shows OSM MTB trails in Norway with yellow highlights for the best trails.

You can also select the Google satellite images as a base layer.

Showing the biking heatmap you can see where others have been riding and enable you to find and navigate hotspots for trail biking.

Set the map to dark mode to make it easier to navigate in bright daylight.

Browse the content

Browse the trails within the current map selection by clicking the Trails icon in the bottom navigation bar. Clicking on an entry in the list will open the trail page with further information, images, videos and detailed maps.

Browse the mountain biking trails within the current map section. The trails are color coded by difficulty (easy to expert).

You can also check out longer tours of mixed terrain such as gravel and tarmac roads.

Just scroll, enjoy the images, and get inspired to go ride.

Sort trails by age, difficulty, length, descent and so on.

Check reviews of the local trails from other bikers.

Check the latest trail condition reports before going.

If you want to contribute with your local trails, see how you add trails using your computer.

Detailed trail information

For trails and tours on Trailguide you will find descriptions, track maps, elevation profiles, images, videos, reviews, and condition reports.

You find other trails nearby and detailed data such as track length and total descent.

You can also download the GPS-track if you want to transfer it to your favorite GPS device.

The content page for a trail on Trailguide gives you access to a wealth of information.

Check the elevation profile of the track and where the hills are by dragging your finger across it.

Add this trail to your favorites or other lists you have created for vacation or tour planning.

Give feedback on trails

Imagine you found a trail that really did not meet your expectations, and you wan to let others know. Or you just found an absolutely amazing trail and want to share your experience.

You can give feedback in the form of reviews and condition reports. Really bad reports will be picked up by the Trailguide team and the trail might be removed or change from a trail to a tour to keep th quality of the content high.

Write your own trail reviews so others can see what you think.

Write a condition report to let other users know what to expect.

Check the latest reviews of the trail from other mountain bikers.

Navigation

Use the GPS of your phone to navigate using Trailguide. If you are having trouble getting your GPS to work check here for how to enable GPS on your phone.

Click the location icon and give grant access to your phone's GPS and compass.

Your location on the map and compass direction is shown as you move around. Click the location indicator to stop and remove it.

Make the map shows 'heads-up' instead of north-up by clicking the compass icon. This will rotate the map to always show the direction you are heading.

One-handed zoom

If you frequently use the app with one hand while biking and need to zoom in and out, you can enable one-handed zoom from the settings menu.

To perform one-handed zoom, double-tap the map with one finger and then drag your finger up or down to zoom in or out.

It is a little bit of a hack and if the screen gets stuck, just double-tap and try to zoom to unstuck it. When zooming out there might be some artifacts on the map if you use an iPhone.

Enable one-handed zoom in the settings menu. It requires a restart of the app.

Zoom out by double-tapping and moving your finger up. Some artifacts might be visible.

Zoom in by double-tapping and moving your finger down.

Searching and filtering

Use the search field to search for trails, places, and users.

Search for a place by typing in the name. The result here shows the town of Nesbyen in Norway and that there are 38 trails there.

Clicking on the search result will take you to the place on the map.

Filter trails by difficulty, reviews, length, descent and other criteria. The search field shows how many are found within the map section.

User page

See all the content added by a single user on Trailguide.

Click on the user image in the content page to access the user page.

See all the trails and tours added by the user. Here you will also find trails and tours not on the map.

See all the reviews and condition reports added by the user.