The free running route planner that snaps to real roads
Planning a run shouldn't need an account, a subscription, or a desktop GIS degree. Click anywhere on the map above to drop a start point, keep clicking to extend your route, and watch it snap to sidewalks, paths, and trails using OpenStreetMap data and the Valhalla routing engine — the same routing that powers the Runplanner app for iPhone and Android. Distance, estimated time at your pace, an elevation profile and a surface breakdown update live as you plan. Short on ideas? Generate a loop or an A-to-B route of the distance you want.
When you're happy with the route, save it in your browser, download it as a GPX file for your Garmin, Coros, Suunto, or Apple Watch, share a short link or QR code with a training partner, or open it in the free Runplanner app on iPhone or Android for voice turn-by-turn navigation while you run.
How to plan a running route in 30 seconds
- Find your start. Search a place, use the locate button or pan to your neighbourhood.
- Click to route. Each click adds a waypoint; the path between waypoints follows real runnable roads and trails automatically.
- Adjust freely. Drag any marker to move it, drag the small circles mid-route to add a detour, or click a marker and press Remove. Undo and redo cover any mistake.
- Close the loop. Press out & back to return the way you came, or click back near your start to make a loop.
- Take it with you. Save it under My routes, download the GPX, share a short link, or scan the QR code to open it in the app.
Generate a loop or an A-to-B route
Press Generate, pick a start and a distance, and the planner draws a loop that comes back to where you began. Choose a direction if you want the loop to head north, towards the river or away from town. Pick A to B to run from one place to another with a detour that makes up the distance, for example a run to work. Not your style? Try another draws a different one. The generator is the same one the Runplanner app uses, and the result is a normal route you can still edit. Just want a loop? The running loop generator opens with it ready to go.
How far did I run? Measure a run you already did
Ran without a watch, or want to check a loop from memory? Map the run afterwards and the planner tells you the distance.
- Click where you started. Search the map or use the locate button if you are still there.
- Click along the streets you ran. Add a point at each turn. The line snaps to the road or path, so you don't need many points.
- Read the distance. It updates with every click, in kilometres or miles. Enter your time as a pace to see how long the run should take.
Ran across a field, a beach or a track? Turn off Snap to roads for that part and the line goes straight between your clicks.
Why runners use Runplanner instead of generic map tools
Generic direction tools optimise for cars. This planner uses a pedestrian profile that prefers dedicated footpaths, park trails, and quiet streets, and avoids motorways entirely. The elevation profile shows you exactly where the climbs land in your route, with total climb and descent, so a "flat 10k" is actually flat, and the surface breakdown tells you how much is paved, gravel or trail.
Everything here is free and stays free: unlimited waypoints, loop generation, saved routes, GPX import and export, and share links. No account, no paywall, no ads. The planner is funded by the optional Runplanner app for iPhone and Android, which adds voice turn-by-turn navigation, run scheduling and offline routes.
Frequently asked questions
How do I measure how far I ran?
Click where you started, then click along the streets and paths you ran. The route snaps to them and the distance updates with every click. Switch between km and miles at the top of the panel.
Can I map a run on my phone?
Yes. This planner works in your phone's browser, and the free Runplanner app for iPhone and Android adds turn-by-turn navigation while you run.
Is this route planner really free?
Yes. Planning, sharing, and GPX export are free with no account and no limits on waypoints or distance.
How do I plan a running route on a map?
Click anywhere on the map to drop your start point, then keep clicking to extend the route. It snaps to roads, paths, and trails automatically, and the distance updates live.
Can it make a loop for me?
Yes. Press Generate, choose a start and a distance between 1 and 50 km, and optionally a direction. The planner draws a loop that starts and ends in the same place. Choose A to B for a route between two places of about the distance you pick. The loop generator opens with this ready to go.
Where are my saved routes kept?
In this browser only. Name a route and press Save to find it later under My routes. Nothing is uploaded and there is no account. To move a route to your phone or another computer, use Share or download the GPX.
Can I import a GPX file?
Yes. Press Import GPX or drop the file on the map. The planner keeps the exact line from the file and puts editable points along it, so you can change part of the route and see its distance, elevation and surfaces. Only want to look at a file? Open it in the GPX viewer.
Can I export my route as a GPX file?
Yes — one click downloads a GPX 1.1 file with elevation data that imports into Garmin Connect, Strava, Coros, Suunto, and Apple Watch apps. See our GPX guide for import steps per platform.
Does the route follow real roads and trails?
Yes. Routing runs on the Valhalla engine with OpenStreetMap data using a pedestrian profile, so routes prefer sidewalks, paths, and trails over car roads. Toggle snapping off for track or beach segments.
How do I make an out-and-back route?
Plan the outbound half and press the out-and-back button — the return path along the same roads is added automatically, and the distance doubles.
Can I use my planned route for turn-by-turn navigation?
Export the GPX to a watch, or open the route in the free Runplanner app for iPhone and Android for voice navigation with off-route alerts.
Keep reading
- How to map a run — step by step, with loops, out-and-backs and why snapping changes the distance.
- How to plan a running route — safety, scenery, and distance tips.
- What is a GPX file? — a runner's guide to route files.
- Pace Calculator — distance, time, and pace from any two.
- Best running route planners in 2026 — how Runplanner compares with Strava, Komoot and others.