Strava Routes: Free Creation, Advanced Features, and How to Use Them

Do you have to pay to make routes on Strava?

No, basic route creation on Strava is free for all users, allowing you to design and save your own paths. However, certain advanced route discovery and planning features, which leverage sophisticated data analysis and algorithms, are exclusive to a paid Strava subscription.

The Fundamentals of Strava Route Creation

Strava, a leading platform for athletes, offers robust tools for planning and tracking activities. At its core, route creation involves mapping out a course for various disciplines like cycling, running, or hiking, helping users explore new areas, prepare for specific distances, or follow a pre-planned training session. This fundamental ability to design and save a route has long been a key feature of the platform.

Free Access: Designing Your Own Routes

Strava provides a comprehensive "Route Builder" that is freely accessible to all users through both its web interface and the mobile application. This means you do not need a paid subscription to:

• Draw a Custom Route: Manually plot a course by clicking points on a map, and Strava will automatically snap to roads or trails.
• Set Waypoints: Add specific points of interest or turn-by-turn directions to your route.
• Save and Name Routes: Store your designed routes in your personal library for future use or sharing.
• Generate Routes from Activities: Convert a previously recorded activity into a savable route.
• View Basic Route Metrics: See general distance and elevation gain for the routes you create.

This free functionality is designed to empower every athlete to plan their adventures, ensuring that essential navigation tools are universally available.

Subscription-Only Features: Enhancing Your Route Experience

While the act of creating a route is free, Strava's paid subscription (formerly known as Strava Summit) unlocks a suite of advanced features that significantly enhance route discovery, optimization, and personalization. These premium features leverage Strava's extensive data and analytical capabilities to provide a more sophisticated planning experience:

• Suggested Routes: This highly valued feature generates personalized route recommendations based on your current location, preferred distance, and chosen activity type. These suggestions are dynamically created using Strava's vast database of user activities and popular segments, offering curated options you might not discover manually.
• Global Heatmaps: Subscribers gain access to high-resolution global heatmaps, which visually represent the most popular running and cycling routes worldwide. This allows athletes to identify well-trafficked and safe paths, even in unfamiliar areas.
• Personal Heatmaps: A premium feature that visualizes all your past activities on a map, allowing you to see where you've explored and identify new areas to discover. While not directly a route creation tool, it's invaluable for planning new routes based on your historical patterns.
• Advanced Route Builder Metrics: The subscription may provide more granular details or predictive analytics within the route builder, such as more precise predicted moving times based on your fitness level, or advanced gradient analysis for climbs.
• Premium Map Layers: Access to additional map layers or more detailed terrain information that can aid in planning more challenging or specific types of routes.

These subscription-based features are designed for athletes seeking deeper insights, convenience, and personalized recommendations to optimize their training and exploration.

Why a Tiered Approach? The Value Proposition

Strava's decision to offer a tiered service model reflects a common strategy in the digital platform economy. Providing basic route creation for free ensures accessibility and encourages a wide user base, fostering a vibrant community. The advanced features, however, require significant investment in data infrastructure, sophisticated algorithms, and ongoing development. By placing these premium tools behind a paywall, Strava can fund innovation, maintain its high-quality service, and deliver a more tailored and powerful experience for its most dedicated users. The value proposition for the paid subscription lies in the time saved, the quality of personalized recommendations, and the depth of analytical data available for route planning.

How to Utilize Strava's Route Tools

To create a route on Strava, whether on the free or paid tier:

1. On the Web: Navigate to your Dashboard, then select "My Routes" from the left-hand menu, and click "Create New Route." Here, you can draw your path, add waypoints, and save your creation.
2. On the Mobile App: Go to the "Maps" tab, then select "Routes." You'll find options to create a new route manually or use the "Suggested Routes" feature if you are a subscriber.

Start by exploring the robust free tools to see if they meet your planning needs. If you find yourself frequently seeking new, optimized, or highly personalized routes, the Strava subscription may be a worthwhile investment to enhance your training and adventure planning.

Making the Most of Your Strava Journey

In conclusion, the fundamental ability to create and save routes on Strava is a core, free feature accessible to everyone. This ensures that all athletes can plan their activities effectively. For those seeking enhanced discovery, personalized recommendations, and deeper analytical insights into their planned routes, Strava's premium subscription offers a valuable upgrade. Your choice depends on your specific needs, frequency of route planning, and desire for advanced, data-driven assistance in your athletic pursuits.