Elevation Planning.

[traveldawg]

Recently I got a PM from a member who had seen a post about The Mountain Directory and thanked me since he saw it in one of my posts. And lately I've been planning my 2021 trip figuring my 2020 trip was probably not going to go as planned.

When planning the 2021 trip I thought I try out RV Trip Wizard (RVTW) rather than my traditional planning site. Hey, why not, we get if for free for some time period for being a member of this forum.

One of the tools I use to use for elevation and gradient information was Google Earth. But now RVTW has it too (or maybe it was there all the time and I just never tried it).

Thinking that others might want some information I thought I'd write up a comparison...

RVTW allows easy access to Elevation and Gradient (slope)...

• First set your start and stop points;
• The click on "Elevation" (window will open on the bottom of the map) - it's one of the red arrows in the screen shot;
• Then click on "Gradient" - it's another red arrow in the screen shot;
• From there you can move your cursor along the Elevation/Gradient display; a small circle will show up on the graph and on the route - the blue arrows.

That's all there is to it. Here is a screen shot...


With Google Earth it is easy to get Elevation and Gradient information too:

• Once you have set your start and stop points right click on the route line;
• An "Elevation" pop-up will appear;
• Click the "Elevation" bar pop-up and a graph will open on the bottom of the screen;
• You can move your cursor along it and the elevation and gradient will be displayed and a red arrow will show where you are on your route.

Here is a screen shot of Google Earth...


Both Google Earth and RVTW have their advantages:

• Google Earth provides a wealth of information and views. I use it often by printing out a screen shot of my route and marking the grades and miles to the grade from a set point; that way on my drive-day for that segment I know wheat to expect as well as when to expect grade changes or other things I marek.
• One nice 'trick' with RVTW is that you can set a "Custom Stop" indicating on the map the information you want. Just right click on your route and enter the information in the opt-up window that appears. Then just 'insert' into you list of stops in the order it comes up on your route.

here is a screen shot of that...


kalaka

[John612]

Thanks Larry, that's great info.

[offtohavasu]

Can you export the route from RVTW to Google Maps? I have a head unit in the truck that uses Android Auto, which uses Google Maps as the navigation software.

[traveldawg]

Can you export the route from RVTW to Google Maps? I have a head unit in the truck that uses Android Auto, which uses Google Maps as the navigation software.

I haven't figured out how to do that - yet. Maybe I'll look again tonight.

[RoJoSo]

Can you export the route from RVTW to Google Maps? I have a head unit in the truck that uses Android Auto, which uses Google Maps as the navigation software.

Yes, you are able to forward the route from RVTW to your GPS / Google Maps.
On the left side where you plan your trip, the top right of the box is a "wrench", click on that icon. Then click on send to GPS and instructions will pop up. I posted a part of the instructions so you can see what it looks like.

The GPS file exports above are in two file formats. The GPX export can be loaded into Google Maps and many standalone GPS units. The GPX export will export the stops, waypoints, and route selected in RV Trip Wizard. For step by step instructions to import the GPX file to Google Maps see:
http://docs.rvtripwizard.com/importing-to-google-maps

[sande005]

Just be aware that it imports all the stops, not the actual routes. So the path you follow from campground A to campground B may be very different if your dashboard unit has a different routing algorithm. Build in some specific waypoints if you want to ensure a specific route will be taken. And, at least with Garmin, it gets pretty funky trying to pre-load a long many day trip. I ended up pretty much just entering the address of the campground each day, rather than deal with Garmins attempts to show the trip I had transferred from RV Trip Wizard.

[traveldawg]

Just be aware that it imports all the stops, not the actual routes. So the path you follow from campground A to campground B may be very different if your dashboard unit has a different routing algorithm. Build in some specific waypoints if you want to ensure a specific route will be taken. And, at least with Garmin, it gets pretty funky trying to pre-load a long many day trip. I ended up pretty much just entering the address of the campground each day, rather than deal with Garmins attempts to show the trip I had transferred from RV Trip Wizard.

This is correct.... it seems each device will plot it's own route; the RVTW route is not exported.

Mostly I just use RVTW for planning. I like that I can find campgrounds easily while plotting a trip. I like that I can make notes at each stop about things to do or sites to see. I like that I can see the dates that I would be at places along the way. But I always resort to mapping my route day-to-day once underway.

[alabloum]

Recently I got a PM from a member who had seen a post about The Mountain Directory and thanked me since he saw it in one of my posts. And lately I've been planning my 2021 trip figuring my 2020 trip was probably not going to go as planned.

When planning the 2021 trip I thought I try out RV Trip Wizard (RVTW) rather than my traditional planning site. Hey, why not, we get if for free for some time period for being a member of this forum.

One of the tools I use to use for elevation and gradient information was Google Earth. But now RVTW has it too (or maybe it was there all the time and I just never tried it).

Thinking that others might want some information I thought I'd write up a comparison...

RVTW allows easy access to Elevation and Gradient (slope)...

• First set your start and stop points;
• The click on "Elevation" (window will open on the bottom of the map) - it's one of the red arrows in the screen shot;
• Then click on "Gradient" - it's another red arrow in the screen shot;
• From there you can move your cursor along the Elevation/Gradient display; a small circle will show up on the graph and on the route - the blue arrows.

That's all there is to it. Here is a screen shot...


With Google Earth it is easy to get Elevation and Gradient information too:

• Once you have set your start and stop points right click on the route line;
• An "Elevation" pop-up will appear;
• Click the "Elevation" bar pop-up and a graph will open on the bottom of the screen;
• You can move your cursor along it and the elevation and gradient will be displayed and a red arrow will show where you are on your route.

Here is a screen shot of Google Earth...


Both Google Earth and RVTW have their advantages:

• Google Earth provides a wealth of information and views. I use it often by printing out a screen shot of my route and marking the grades and miles to the grade from a set point; that way on my drive-day for that segment I know wheat to expect as well as when to expect grade changes or other things I marek.
• One nice 'trick' with RVTW is that you can set a "Custom Stop" indicating on the map the information you want. Just right click on your route and enter the information in the opt-up window that appears. Then just 'insert' into you list of stops in the order it comes up on your route.

here is a screen shot of that...


kalaka

Hi, new at this stuff how do I get the RVTW for free?

[traveldawg]

Hi, new at this stuff how do I get the RVTW for free?

@Janet H

Janet, you there? Can you get alabloum set up? Is RVTW still being offered to members?

[orbiker]

Thanks for sharing all this info everyone.
At one time I used Garmin Mapsource. You could build and transfer the route to a Garmin GPS and the route would be there like you made it. That's a thing of the past for some reason. I traveled all over the great country on a Harley with a GPS mounted on the handlebar. Not haveing to pull out the paper map on the side of the road is a good thing. Being able to go off track and then get back on track was awesome. All my trip were routed OFF the interstate whenever possible.

Using the Gradient plotting on Trip Wizard, I see I have 3 5% grades and 1 6% grades on our late Sept trip.
Thanks, KEN