Skip to content
SmartGPX
en fr

Device guide

Google Maps to Strava

Strava can build a route from a GPX file. Convert your Google Maps route first, then upload it and save it as a Strava route.

Convert your Google Maps route to GPX

Google Maps
SmartGPX
GPX
Strava route

How it works

  1. 1

    Copy your Google Maps route link

    Plan the ride with all your stops, then copy the link from the Share button or the address bar.

  2. 2

    Convert it with SmartGPX

    Paste the link above and download the GPX file built from the real, calculated route.

  3. 3

    Upload the GPX to Strava

    Import the file in Strava to create a route, then save it to your account.

Route or activity: pick the right upload

Strava accepts both, and this is the one thing not to mix up when importing.

A route is a planned line, meant to be followed later: that's what you want out of a ride you planned in Google Maps. An activity is a ride you actually did, so it lands in your feed, counts towards your totals and gets matched against segments.

So import the GPX from Strava's routes section rather than through the activity upload. The file becomes a route you save to your account, without adding anything to your totals.

Riding the route

Once the route is saved, follow it from the Strava app, or send it to the device you ride with. The same GPX can equally be loaded straight onto a Wahoo computer, a Garmin device or into Komoot, so it's up to you whether to go through Strava or take the shorter path.

Common issues

If the ride shows up in your feed as something you never did, the file went through the activity upload instead of the route import. Delete that activity and import the GPX again from the routes section: left in place, it keeps counting towards your totals and your segment standings.

Worth knowing too: a route planned for a car in Google Maps stays a road route once it's in Strava. The line is faithful, but it wasn't drawn with cycling in mind.

Need a route from Google Maps instead? Convert it to a GPX file in seconds: no subscription, and your credits never expire.

Convert a Google Maps route

Related resources

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a Strava route and an activity?

A route is a planned line meant to be followed later. An activity is a ride you actually did, and it counts towards your totals and segments. Importing a planned GPX should create a route, not an activity.

Why did my upload show up as a ride I never did?

That happens when the file goes through the activity upload rather than the route import. Delete the activity and import the GPX from the routes section instead.

Can I import a GPX file into Strava as a route?

Yes. You can upload a GPX file to Strava and use it to create a route, then save that route to your account.

How do I follow the route on a ride?

Use the saved Strava route from the Strava app, or send it to a device such as a Wahoo or Garmin computer. You can also load the same GPX onto that device directly.

I uploaded a planned route as an activity by mistake, what now?

Delete that activity in Strava. Left in place it keeps counting towards your totals and your segment standings.

Does SmartGPX post to Strava for me?

No. SmartGPX only produces a GPX file, and never publishes anything to a Strava account. There is no official integration or partnership with Strava.

SmartGPX is not affiliated with Garmin, Wahoo, OsmAnd, BMW, TomTom, Komoot, Strava, or Google; references to those names describe file format compatibility only.