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Best Apps to Create a Custom Walking Route (City or Trail)

What app can I use to create a walking route?

If you want to build a custom walking route (rather than just follow directions from A to B), the best app depends on whether you’re planning a city stroll, a park loop, or a longer hike-style walk. Our team recommends starting with an app that lets you draw or adjust a route, shows walking paths clearly, and supports offline access if you’ll be exploring unfamiliar neighborhoods.

Best apps for creating walking routes (by use case)

For everyday city walking: Google Maps is a dependable default for pedestrian directions, quick edits, and saving places. Citymapper can be great in dense cities when you want walking mixed with transit options.

For planning a “loop” or custom path: Footpath (iOS) is popular for drawing your own route with your finger and snapping to trails/roads. Komoot is strong for planned routes with surface details and turn-by-turn navigation.

For scenic walks and trails: AllTrails is a go-to for established routes with distance/elevation info. Strava and MapMyWalk are solid if you want tracking plus route building and performance stats.

For travel itinerary-style planning: Wanderlog helps when your “route” is really a sequence of stops you want to visit efficiently.

How to create a route that feels good on foot

Pick your must-see stops first (coffee, viewpoints, museums), then choose an app that lets you reorder them until the route flows naturally. Look for features like “avoid busy roads,” path or sidewalk visibility, and estimated walking time. If you’re walking in a new city, prioritize routes with clear wayfinding and the ability to download offline maps.

Small setup choices that prevent big headaches

Turn on location permissions, download the area for offline use when possible, and carry a portable charger on longer walks. If you’re walking after dark, plan a route that stays on well-lit, main pedestrian corridors and avoid shortcuts through isolated areas.

For a step-by-step approach to building a personalized city walking tour (including using AI to tailor stops to your interests), use our guide here: https://rosavena.com/guide-personalized-city-walking-tour-with-ai/.

FAQ

How do I share a walking route with friends?

Most route apps let you share a link or export a file from the route screen. Send the share link so your friends can open it on their phones and follow the same path with turn-by-turn directions.