Help

Quick start

1. Allow location access, or search an address, or tap anywhere on the map to set the start (you can also drag the green marker).
2. Set the distance with the − / + stepper (or type it), and your pace in the field next to it. The km / mi toggle sits right there too.
3. Optionally pick a direction from the row of compass buttons under the shape — it points to where the loop heads first; Any lets the app choose.
4. Tap Generate route. The result shows the real distance, total ascent, your estimated time and an elevation profile. 🔀 Variant gives a different loop with the same settings.

Routes follow real roads, paths and trails (OpenStreetMap data), so the distance is matched as closely as the street network allows. If no exact match is possible, the closest route is shown with a note — you can then adjust it by dragging.

The options

Finish (optional)

Leave it empty for a loop back to the start. Search a finish location for a point-to-point route (say, from work to home): the app routes start → finish and sizes a detour so the total matches your distance. Drag the 🏁 marker to fine-tune; ✕ clears it.

Pace

Used only to estimate your time for the generated distance — shown next to the ascent in the result bar.

Shape

◯ Loop is the default round trip. ↔ Out & back goes halfway toward your chosen direction and retraces the same way home — handy along rivers, beaches or for intervals. ⭐ Star and ❤️ Heart trace that shape over real streets — expect a rough approximation; they work best in areas with a dense street grid. Tap the ⓘ next to "Route shape" for a short explanation in the app.

Surface preference

• Roads only — sticks to paved roads and sidewalks.
• Mixed — everything: roads, paths and trails (default).
• Trail — prefers paths and hiking trails.

Elevation

Flat or Hilly makes the generator compare a few route options and pick the flattest or hilliest — it takes a moment longer. Any just takes the best distance match.

Units

Switch between kilometers and miles with the km / mi toggle next to the distance and pace fields — distances, pace, km markers and the elevation profile (m/ft) all follow.

Editing a route

• Drag to reshape: tap anywhere on the route to drop a handle, then drag it onto another street. The ~450 m around that point is rerouted and the distance updates — drag outward to lengthen, through a shortcut to shorten. The handle has a generous tap area, so grabbing a point right on the line is easy.
• ↩ Undo / ↪ Redo: the two buttons (top right) step back and forward through your edits — every drag, trim, draw or loaded route. The map stays exactly where you left it, so you don't lose your place.
• ✂️ Trim removes leftover out-and-back sections (where the route doubles back on itself).
• Eraser: tap the eraser button (next to ✏️), then sweep over the part of the route you want gone. That section is removed and the gap is closed automatically with the shortest way between the two loose ends — also across the start/finish of a loop. Not happy with the reconnect? ↩ Undo brings the old route back.
• The elevation profile at the bottom is interactive: slide a finger (or hover) over it to see the height at any point — a dot on the map follows along.

Draw your own route

Prefer to sketch a route by hand? Tap the ✏️ button (top right), then draw a line on the map with your finger. When you lift off, LoopMaker snaps your sketch to the nearest roads and paths and shows the real distance and elevation — you can then drag to fine-tune it or export it like any other route. Tap ✏️ again to cancel.

If a route is already on the map, drawing extends it: your sketch is stitched into the nearest part of the existing route rather than replacing it — handy for adding a small detour or a corner. Use ↩ Undo if a stitch doesn't come out the way you wanted.

Follow a route on your phone

Tap the ➤ button beside export and LoopMaker shows where you are on the route, how far is left, and buzzes if you drift more than about 40 m off the line. Useful in a city you don't know, where the point of the route is not having to think about it.

It keeps the screen awake while it runs, so glancing down shows the map rather than a lock screen. Tap ■ to stop; generating or editing a route stops it too, since the line it was measuring against is gone. It needs a connection for the map tiles — the route itself and your position keep working without one.

Export to Garmin or Strava

The green ↓ button in the result bar opens the export panel, which offers three formats: GPX (works everywhere), TCX (Garmin's course XML, with your pace baked in) and FIT (Garmin's binary course format). On phones the chosen format opens the share sheet; on desktop it downloads the file.

Garmin Connect on your phone (use GPX or TCX)

The Garmin Connect mobile app imports courses as GPX or TCX. The most reliable way is to import from inside the app rather than the share sheet:

1. Tap the green ↓ button → GPX (or TCX) → Save to Files.
2. Open the Garmin Connect app → Courses (More → Training & Planning → Courses).
3. Tap + → Create a Course → Import, and pick the file from Files.

The course then syncs to your watch. (On the phone a .fit is read as a recorded activity, not a course, so use GPX or TCX here.)

Garmin Connect on a computer (GPX, TCX or FIT)

Garmin Connect on the web accepts all three: Training & Planning → Courses → Import. The FIT course is Garmin's own binary format and is best used here (or sideloaded straight onto the device).

Strava

Export as GPX, then in Strava: Maps → Routes → Create route from GPX (mobile: Maps tab → Routes → ⊕ → Import).

Why not just share to Garmin from the browser? iOS often leaves Garmin Connect out of the share sheet for files shared straight from a browser. Saving to Files and importing from inside the Garmin Connect app (steps above) always works.

Check before you run. LoopMaker routes are generated automatically and can be inaccurate, unsafe or impassable. Always review a route before following it and obey local rules and traffic laws — you're responsible for your own safety.

Import a GPX

📂 Import a GPX file, in the Saved routes panel (the ♥ button, top right), loads an existing GPX file as your current route — so you can edit it, save it to your library, see its elevation profile and re-export it, just like a route you generated here. If the file has no elevation data, LoopMaker looks up the heights so the climb and profile still show. Routes opened from a shared 🔗 link work the same way.

Saving and sharing

• The 🔖 button on the result card saves the route in your browser; the same bookmark button (top right) opens your library. Routes stay on your device unless you turn on sync (below).
• 🔗 shares the route as a short link — no account needed for the recipient. The link previews as a card showing your route drawn on a map (with distance and ascent) in chat apps like WhatsApp, and opens straight into the app when tapped. (Chat apps cache previews per link, so if you tweak a route, share the freshly generated link.)

Sync across devices (optional, private)

Want your saved routes on your phone and your computer? In your library, tap Create a sync code. Your routes are encrypted on your device with that secret code before anything is uploaded, so the server only ever stores an unreadable blob under an anonymous id — it can't read your routes and has no idea who you are. On another device, tap Enter a code and type the same code to merge your routes in.

It's not really an account: no email, no password, no cookies — just the code. Keep it safe, because it's the only key: if you lose it, the synced copy can't be recovered (your routes on each device stay put). Stop syncing removes the code from that device.

Weather

The line under the start location shows current conditions at the start — temperature, humidity, wind and rain chance — so you can dress right before you head out.

Install as an app

LoopMaker works as a home-screen app: in your browser menu choose Add to Home Screen (iOS Safari: share button → Add to Home Screen). It then launches full-screen with its own splash screen, like a native app. Dark mode follows your device automatically and can be overridden in ⚙ Settings & help.

Settings & help

The ⚙ button (top right) opens one panel with two halves. At the top are the ways out of the app — Explore public routes, this help page, the Guides, About LoopMaker, Privacy & data and the Disclaimer. Below them sit the three preferences:

• Theme — System (default), Light or Dark.
• Routing engine — Auto (default) plans routes with OpenRouteService and automatically falls back to a second engine (Valhalla) if it's briefly overloaded, so a route still comes back. You can also force ORS or Valhalla if you prefer one.
• Map style — Auto (default) shows CARTO tiles and falls back to OpenStreetMap if tiles fail to load, so the map never stays blank. You can also pick a style yourself: Standard (OpenStreetMap), Voyager (CARTO), Topo, Satellite or Cycle.

Settings that shape the route itself — route shape, pace, finish, surface, elevation and Scenic routes — live under the sliders button in the bottom row instead. Rule of thumb: the sliders decide how the route is made, ⚙ decides how the app looks and where you go next. The km / mi unit toggle sits with the pace field.

Troubleshooting

• The distance doesn't match exactly — the app iterates until it's within a few percent, but the street network sets the limit. Use drag-to-edit to fine-tune.
• "Closest match" keeps appearing — near coasts, rivers or sparse networks a full loop in the chosen direction may not exist; try another direction or Any.
• Every generation is different — that's intentional: each tap explores a new variant. Save the ones you like with 🔖.
• A route won't generate — on Auto routing the app quietly falls back to a second engine when the main one is overloaded, so this is rare. If it persists, switch the Routing engine in ⚙ Settings & help, or try another direction or start point.

Frequently asked questions

Is LoopMaker free?

Yes. LoopMaker is completely free, with no account and no ads. You can generate, edit, save and export routes without signing up.

How does LoopMaker create a route?

You pick a target distance and a compass direction, and LoopMaker builds a loop over real roads, paths and trails from OpenStreetMap, adjusting until the routed distance matches your target. You can also make out-and-back or point-to-point routes.

Does it work with Garmin and Strava?

Yes. Export any route as a GPX file, a Garmin TCX course or a Garmin FIT course. For the Garmin Connect phone app, import the GPX or TCX under Courses → + → Create a Course → Import; on a computer, Garmin Connect also accepts FIT. For Strava, use Routes → Create route from GPX.

Do I need to install an app or create an account?

No. LoopMaker runs in your browser with no sign-up. You can optionally install it to your home screen as a PWA.

Can I use it for cycling and walking, not just running?

Yes. It builds routes for running, cycling and walking, with a surface preference for paved roads only, mixed, or trails.

How accurate is the distance?

The generator iterates until the route is within a few percent of your target; the exact length is limited by the local street network. You can drag the route to lengthen or shorten it and the distance updates.

Which areas does LoopMaker cover?

Anywhere OpenStreetMap has roads and paths — effectively worldwide.

What if routing is slow or unavailable?

Routing normally uses OpenRouteService. If it's briefly overloaded, LoopMaker automatically falls back to a second engine (Valhalla) so a route still comes back; the map tiles fall back from CARTO to OpenStreetMap the same way. You can also pick an engine or tile source yourself under Routing engine and Map style in ⚙ Settings & help.

Can I sync my saved routes across devices?

Optionally, yes, in a privacy-friendly way. Tap Create a sync code in your library; your routes are end-to-end encrypted on your device with that secret code before upload, so the server only stores an unreadable blob under an anonymous id and cannot read them or identify you. Enter the same code on another device to merge your routes. There's no email, no password and no cookies — just the code, which can't be recovered if lost.

Can I see several routes at once (a heatmap)?

Yes. Open your saved routes and tap the ▦ button at the top: pick two or more routes and hit Show heatmap. They're drawn over each other on the map — stretches you run often glow brighter. Share the result as a dark, Strava-style image (🖼) or as a link (🔗) that opens the same overlay for anyone.

Can other people see my routes?

No — not unless you explicitly publish one. Saved routes live only in your browser (encrypted, if you use sync). If you tap 🌍 on a route in your library, that one route appears on the public Explore page for everyone, including its starting point; you can unpublish it there-and-back from the same list. Nothing is ever published automatically.

Does LoopMaker track me or use cookies?

No. It sets no cookies and has no accounts. Your settings and saved routes are stored only in your own browser.