May 29, 2026

You’ve got the hiking essentials. You’ve got your favorite Garmin GPS hiking smartwatch or handheld. Now all you need is the trail. With thousands of options, how do you choose?

Do you want a trail with waterfalls? Or one that’s dog friendly? No matter what type of hike you’re looking for, Garmin Trails can help you find the right one.

What is Garmin Trails?

Garmin Trails, a curated collection of trails accessible in the Garmin Connect™ and the Garmin Explore™ apps, helps you find and view routes for your next hike, backpacking trip or trail run. Coverage is available in select areas.

Choose from thousands of trails based on difficulty, distance and more. Before you head out, view trail ratings and reviews. After your hike, leave your own rating and review.

How do you use Garmin Trails?

In Garmin Connect, you’ll open the training and planning section to find Garmin Trails. The trails will then appear on the map. When you swipe across the map to see where the trails are, you’ll see a list at the bottom of the screen. Open that window to see more information on each of the trails in the area.

In the Garmin Explore app, select Map Details to access Garmin Trails. While the trails still appear on the map, you can also search for nearby trails or by name. Nearby trails can also appear in a list.

In both Garmin Connect and Garmin Explore, you’ll be able to filter by the length, ascent, rating, difficulty (easy, moderate and hard) and trail type (loop, out and back, or point to point).

Filter your search by specific features, including the following:

• Dog friendly
• Waterfalls
• Lakes
• Mountaineering
• Steep sections
• Flowers
• Kid friendly
• Permit required

Select a trail to see the full trail details, including difficulty, distance, total ascent, total descent, estimated time to complete, and community reviews with photos and descriptions.

What extra features can you access with a Garmin Connect+ or Outdoor Maps+ plan?

With an active Garmin Connect+ or Outdoor Maps+ plan, you can send a trail to your compatible device to navigate offline. You can even create a copy and save it to your courses to add points of interest or edit the path. Plus, in Garmin Connect with a Garmin Connect+ plan, access 3D topographic maps to see activity routes, courses and trails.

Garmin Trails makes it easier than ever to explore the outdoors, whatever type of journey you want to take.