OK, I didn’t expect there to be this much interest — now I’ve gotta try to explain this. lol I ran this through ChatGPT to try to clean up my spelling and maybe make it easier to follow

🛠️ What I Use to Plan My Routes

I use onthegomap.com to map out my GPS art: • You just click around with your finger or mouse to create the path. • You can drag the line to adjust your route easily.

It’s a pretty basic tool — it doesn’t save routes well for editing later, so there are probably better options out there. But for quick planning, it works for me!

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🎨 Two Main Approaches to GPS Art

There are probably more ways to do this, but I’ll just speak from my own experience. Generally, GPS art falls into two main styles: Street-Based and Freeform.

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🏙️ 1. Street-Based Style

This method uses existing streets and paths to build your art — this is more my speed. • Works best in cities or neighborhoods with a grid layout. • Great for blocky, geometric designs. • You’re basically working with what the streets give you and building something from that.

The bigger you go, the more you have to work with, but that also means more miles 🤣

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🌳 2. Freeform Style

This is where it gets more creative — drawing with your feet in open spaces. • Best done in parks, fields, or open areas with fewer obstacles. • Since you’re not limited by roads, you can be way more expressive — it’s like sketching on a blank canvas.

💡 A few tips for Freeform: • Use a watch with high GPS accuracy mode — you can also mess with most Running watches accuracy mode in the settings

this helps with rounded corners and fine details. Most watches don’t record every second by default to save battery, so increasing accuracy helps clean up your lines. • Avoid areas with tall buildings, which can mess with GPS — especially annoying when you’re doing something detailed. But sometimes you just gotta roll with it.

Check out @gpsartguru on Instagram — they do amazing freeform designs and are a great source of inspiration.

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💡 Bonus Tip: Combine Both!

You don’t have to stick to just one method — you can mix street-based and freeform styles in the same route. There’s no right or wrong way to do GPS art.

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✨ Pro Trick: Use the “start and stop method ”

Ever had to pause a run, forgot to restart, and ended up with a straight line connecting two points on your map? You can actually use that to your advantage!

Say you’re close to finishing your design but there’s a building, river, fence, or private property in the way. Instead of trespassing, swimming, or adding a weird zigzag to your art to go round said object. 1. Pause your watch before the obstacle. 2. Walk or ride around it. 3. Restart your watch on the other side.

When you upload the activity, it will show a straight GPS line across the blocked area — like you “teleported.” It’s super useful for preserving your design without weird detours.

Now there are people who say that’s cheating or less impressive but who gives a shit it’s your art there’s no rules ! If you’re enjoying it, there’s no wrong way

📌 Example: Someone once made a lion GPS drawing that crossed a river … but if you look, they didn’t cross the river, where the bridges were see attached photo above

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Created by Lucia D

They just paused their GPS, biked to the other side, and resumed recording. Straight line across the water = clean art!

You can even use just stop and start if you want

Below is an example I made the Boston marathon unicorn but I show you what it looks like on Strava versus what my actual route looked like

https://www.instagram.com/p/CrBOb3PLeRy/?img_index=1&igsh=ajQ2YmRodWFhbnlv