# Trailforks Maps into Garmin Edge 820



## gregrva (Oct 9, 2007)

I downloaded trail maps for my area from Trailforks and can't seem to load them into my Edge 820. They are in an .img file format. Ideally, I am trying to get them to overlay on the base map. Any ideas??

Thanks!


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

gregrva said:


> I downloaded trail maps for my area from Trailforks and can't seem to load them into my Edge 820. They are in an .img file format. Ideally, I am trying to get them to overlay on the base map. Any ideas??
> 
> Thanks!


What method EXACTLY have you tried? Or have you tried anything yet?

On my Edge 520, the map files go into the device's /garmin folder. The 520 is a little different in that I have to rename the file and actually replace the factory basemap. On the Edge 820, there should be a menu on the device where you can choose which map files to display. Probably a map settings option of sorts. It is worth pointing this out because it's entirely possible that you won't be able to see a particular map "through" another if the top layer is not transparent.

I do not bother with Trailforks' maps. I tend to do a lot more customizing of things. I have to, since I have an extremely limited amount of space to work with.

I use data that I obtain from gpsfiledepot.com. I prepare the areas and maps I want within Garmin Mapsource or Basecamp software, which then gets sent to my Edge (for the 520, it's a bit of a roundabout method). Using that method, I can layer trails over topo map data which contains roads and whatnot. The final map that gets produced with that method is actually not transparent, however. So if I load that onto a device (like my Oregon 450) that has other map data on it (like a routable street map, for example), the routable street map data won't be visible. It's still there and routable, but I cannot see it because it's hidden by a nontransparent map. I can view active map layers on the device and select/deselect what I want.


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## canadaka (Jun 25, 2010)

On the 820 you have to enable custom maps in the Garmin Activity Profile map settings.
https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/edge820/EN-US/GUID-2ADCD0D5-D5CB-4C29-9ACB-EE8BA1FDCC64.html

The default Trailforks Garmin map replaces the Garmin map. But we also offer an alternative download of JUST the trails in a transparent map. So you can leave the default Garmin map on and have the Trailforks trails over top.

As the page says "If your device has limited storage, you can download a "trails only" option which is much smaller by clicking the trail total in (brackets)."
https://www.trailforks.com/tools/garminmaps/
The trails only is very small size, 1-2 MB


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

canadaka said:


> On the 820 you have to enable custom maps in the Garmin Activity Profile map settings.
> https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/edge820/EN-US/GUID-2ADCD0D5-D5CB-4C29-9ACB-EE8BA1FDCC64.html
> 
> The default Trailforks Garmin map replaces the Garmin map. But we also offer an alternative download of JUST the trails in a transparent map. So you can leave the default Garmin map on and have the Trailforks trails over top.
> ...


Yay, a new option in the device settings.

I actually want the extra info in the terrain maps. At least, when I bother to load anything. That's probably more valuable to me than trail data. So to accomplish that with limited memory, I restrict geographic extent of the maps I load. It means I have to swap maps more frequently, or that sometimes I ride places without digital maps. But for me, maps on my Garmin are a much lower priority than other reasons I use an Edge 520.


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## gregrva (Oct 9, 2007)

I loaded them and saved them to the Garmin directory, but couldn't pull them up. I will try what you guys suggested above and hopefully it will worl. Thanks guys!!!


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## gregrva (Oct 9, 2007)

Canadaka- This is the site I used to download the maps from Trailforks. I downloaded the ones for NJ.

https://www.trailforks.com/tools/garminmaps/


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## slacker607 (May 25, 2005)

Any chance we can get a Chinese android phone manufacturer to create an android based GPS/Ant+/wifi cycling computer? The hassle with garmin is just not worth my time. I carry my phone for maps and have a garmin mounted for tracking and hrm. It would be great to have one device that is android based and can download apps (trailfork, mtbproject, strava, 3rd party Ant+).


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## matt.s67 (Nov 4, 2016)

slacker607 said:


> Any chance we can get a Chinese android phone manufacturer to create an android based GPS/Ant+/wifi cycling computer? The hassle with garmin is just not worth my time. I carry my phone for maps and have a garmin mounted for tracking and hrm. It would be great to have one device that is android based and can download apps (trailfork, mtbproject, strava, 3rd party Ant+).


Hammerhead Karoo?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

slacker607 said:


> Any chance we can get a Chinese android phone manufacturer to create an android based GPS/Ant+/wifi cycling computer? The hassle with garmin is just not worth my time. I carry my phone for maps and have a garmin mounted for tracking and hrm. It would be great to have one device that is android based and can download apps (trailfork, mtbproject, strava, 3rd party Ant+).


Strap an old phone onto your bars or buy a smartwatch with a GPS. I don't know what else to tell you. Pretty much sounds like you want a smartwatch that's not a watch. The smartwatch market is pretty small as it is, so asking for one that's not a watch is really going to make it tough for a company to decide it's worth the effort to build one.

Frankly, I don't want all of that on my bike computer. I want my bike computer to be just a bike computer. Simple. Physical buttons. No touch screen. Long battery life. Rugged. Waterproof. I find more hassles trying to make cell phone tech work WELL for a bike computer than with working with what Garmin offers.


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## slacker607 (May 25, 2005)

matt.s67 said:


> Hammerhead Karoo?


Thanks, I checked into it and I am seriously considering the hammerhead karoo as an option. It sounds like they will continue to rolll out software updates after its initial release. My only concerns are lack of actual hands on reviews using 3rd party maps and its potential for vaporware (sounds like they have still not shipped their first consumer release). Some of the comments in this prototype review are spot on 






> GA RY
> 6 months ago
> Finally someone figured out if you write a custom ROM for a $40 android phone and package it in an uglier case with a larger battery would wipe the floor with every Garmin.
> it'll probably still cost 5 to 10 times what it's actually worth because most cycle enthusiasts are complete mugs.
> #CyclistTAX﻿


Another option would be to purchase an ipod touch (around half the cost of a karoo) and then run a sensor app such as strava for performance data. It has a 4 inch screen and weighs 88grams with a claimed 8 hours video playback for a battery performance estimate. You could then easily cycle apps to trailfork or mtb project. I was looking into decent cases with a garmin mount epoxied to the back to secure it to the stem.


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## slacker607 (May 25, 2005)

Harold said:


> Strap an old phone onto your bars or buy a smartwatch with a GPS. I don't know what else to tell you. Pretty much sounds like you want a smartwatch that's not a watch. The smartwatch market is pretty small as it is, so asking for one that's not a watch is really going to make it tough for a company to decide it's worth the effort to build one.


haha, yeah that is kind of the route I am heading. I ride a lot of new trails and just got back from riding west sedona that turns into a maze of trail intersections and trailhead diversions. Pulling out the phone to double check a map app started to kill my flow. If the karoo can display a trailfork or mtb project map on the same screen as speed/time/heart rate data I will make the purchase.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

slacker607 said:


> haha, yeah that is kind of the route I am heading. I ride a lot of new trails and just got back from riding west sedona that turns into a maze of trail intersections and trailhead diversions. Pulling out the phone to double check a map app started to kill my flow. If the karoo can display a trailfork or mtb project map on the same screen as speed/time/heart rate data I will make the purchase.


I haven't found anything that is quite THAT good that you can ride a poorly marked/mapped and complicated trail network and not have to stop and wayfind if it's unfamiliar to you.

I have come to accept that riding new trails means stopping and wayfinding. I have lots of methods of wayfinding available to me at any given time, and the one that works best depends on where I am. To maximize riding time, I've gotta spend my time studying maps before I go out to at least develop a vague idea of where I want to go. I prefer a good physical map when I can get it, but such a thing doesn't always exist. I spent some time in Sedona last spring and made good use of the map printed on cloth from OTE. I did not spent much time on the West Sedona trails, though, and as I understand it, there's a big new project over there. Situations like that (lots of new trails that may not even be mapped properly yet) tend to mean that wayfinding becomes an even larger time expenditure unless you're following someone who knows the area and has a route in their head.


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## oheckler (Jan 26, 2008)

canadaka said:


> On the 820 you have to enable custom maps in the Garmin Activity Profile map settings.
> https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/edge820/EN-US/GUID-2ADCD0D5-D5CB-4C29-9ACB-EE8BA1FDCC64.html
> 
> The default Trailforks Garmin map replaces the Garmin map. But we also offer an alternative download of JUST the trails in a transparent map. So you can leave the default Garmin map on and have the Trailforks trails over top.
> ...


I replaced the original base maps on my Garmin 520 with Open Street Maps for my area. I have also downloaded the Trail Forks "Trails Only" transparent maps. Can I load these over the Open Street Maps? If so, how do I do this so I can use both maps at the same time?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

oheckler said:


> I replaced the original base maps on my Garmin 520 with Open Street Maps for my area. I have also downloaded the Trail Forks "Trails Only" transparent maps. Can I load these over the Open Street Maps? If so, how do I do this so I can use both maps at the same time?


It's a more complicated process that requires a software middle step.

You have to load your basemap AND your trails map into Garmin Basecamp or Mapsource first. Not sure if either the OSM or the TF maps can be used that way, since they're already prepped for direct loading. Give it a shot at least. If they cannot be used that way, then you'll need other sources, which are available. I'd recommend www.gpsfiledepot.com as a map layer source. Not sure if there's a high quality trails layer that covers your area. The one I use has spotty coverage in western states, but has very good coverage in the East.

Select the areas from both layers you want. Then you have to export the final map. The Edge 520 introduces a wrinkle, because it is not recognized as a potential destination for maps by Garmin's programs. I use a thumb drive, but pretty sure a memory card in a card reader will also work, and of course, so will a mapping Garmin if you have an older Edge or a handheld as well. Save the map to that destination. Then, use the same process of renaming the map that you used when you replaced the original base maps on your Edge 520 (renaming that output file gmapbmap.img).


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