PitStopper is a free route planning tool that helps you discover points of interest (POIs) along any GPX route. Upload a route from Komoot, Strava, Garmin, or any other source, and find water sources, cafes, bike shops, camping sites, and 60+ other categories of useful stops along your journey.

It's designed for cyclists, hikers, bikepackers, and anyone planning outdoor adventures who needs to know where to find essential services along their route.

No. PitStopper is completely free with no registration required. Just upload your GPX file and start exploring. There are no accounts, no subscriptions, and no hidden fees.

By design. A modern PC, laptop or phone is usually far more powerful than the modest hosted servers most web services run on - so PitStopper puts your own machine to work. Your browser already has to draw the map and every POI on it; having it also make the data searches directly, instead of relaying everything through a hosted server, cuts out a middleman on every request.

In practice that makes the app faster (no extra round trip, and heavy work like route processing and filtering happens instantly on your machine) and more reliable (there is no central application server to go down or get overloaded - the browser talks straight to the data services, with several fallbacks if one is busy). We do run a small POI server that accelerates some lookups, but PitStopper keeps working even when it is unavailable.

It is also better for privacy: your routes and plans are processed and stored in your browser, not uploaded to us.

PitStopper works in any modern web browser on desktop, tablet, or mobile. We recommend Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge for the best experience.

We recommend using a desktop or laptop computer rather than a phone. The larger screen makes it significantly easier to explore the map, manage POI lists, and work with the elevation profile.

There are several ways to start:

• Upload a GPX or FIT file: Drag and drop or click to upload a route file
• Search by location: Enter an address or use your current location to explore POIs in an area
• Reopen a saved project: Projects saved to your browser appear on the front page for one-click loading

Once your route is loaded, select POI categories from the sidebar and click "Search POIs" to discover what's along your route.

Most route planning apps let you export routes as GPX files, and Garmin devices use the FIT format. Popular options include:

• Komoot - Export the GPX from the tour page
• Strava - Export from route builder or activity pages
• RideWithGPS - Download GPX from any route
• Garmin Connect - Export courses as GPX or download .fit files directly
• Garmin Devices - Copy .fit activity or course files from your device
• AllTrails - Download GPX from trail pages
• Mapy.cz - Export planned routes
• Google Earth / Google My Maps - Export as KML or KMZ, both load directly

PitStopper accepts GPX, FIT and KML/KMZ files. Each line in a KML becomes its own route, and its placemarks are imported as POIs.

Both work perfectly. You can upload a planned route (GPX or FIT course) to find POIs before your trip, or upload a recorded activity (GPX or FIT activity) to see what you passed along the way.

Recorded activities often include timestamps, which enables PitStopper's time-based features like estimated arrival times at POIs.

PitStopper can fetch elevation data automatically using our dedicated elevation server. After uploading, if elevation data is missing or looks incorrect, you'll see an option to fetch accurate elevation from our high-resolution terrain database.

Our elevation data uses Copernicus GLO-30 (30m accuracy) for Europe and SRTM 90m globally.

Yes. The upload limit is 10 MB, and we routinely test with a 4.4 MB, 44,500-point GPX covering a 4,914 km crossing of Europe - it opens straight from the front page, renders end to end, and POI data for the whole corridor preloads quietly in the background (in 250 km chunks) so category ticks are instant.

The elevation chart uses intelligent decimation for performance while preserving full accuracy for export.

FIT (Flexible and Interoperable Data Transfer) is Garmin's binary format used by cycling computers, GPS watches, and other fitness devices. Unlike GPX (which is XML text), FIT files are compact binary files that store routes, activities, and course points.

PitStopper supports both formats fully. When you import a .fit file and export it again, all original data is preserved - PitStopper simply adds your discovered POIs as course points that will appear on your Garmin device.

PitStopper includes around 70 POI categories organised into 12 groups:

Water
Drinking Water, Water Point, Water Tap, Spring, Fountain, Watering Place, Non-Potable Water, Bottle Refill

Food
Restaurants, Cafes, Bars, Pubs, Fast Food, Bakeries, Gas Stations

Accommodation
Hotels, Motels, Hostels, Campgrounds, Guest Houses

Transport
Train Stations, Bus Stops, Bus Stations, Parking, EV Charging, Tunnels

Cycling
Repair Stations, Bike Shops, Compressed Air, Bicycle Rental, Bicycle Parking

Services
Hospitals, Clinics, Pharmacies, ATMs, Banks, Post Offices, Police, Tourist Information

Shopping
Supermarkets, Convenience Stores, Grocery Stores, Outdoor Shops, Sports Shops

Amenities
Toilets, Showers, Shelters, Benches

Recreation
Viewpoints, Picnic Sites, Parks, Playgrounds, Beaches, Swimming Pools, Sports Centres

Historical
Castles, Monuments, Memorials, Ruins, Archaeological Sites, Forts

Emergency
Hospitals, Clinics, Pharmacies, Police, Fire Stations, Defibrillators

Weather Shelter
Bus Stops, Train Stations, Covered Shelters, Shopping Centres, Libraries, Community Centres

All POI data comes from OpenStreetMap, a collaborative map maintained by millions of contributors worldwide.

Searches are answered by PitStopper's own POI server - a PostGIS database of OpenStreetMap data - with automatic fallback to a public instance and to the Overpass API if anything fails. PitStopper runs its own dedicated Overpass server for that final fallback, so you won't be left waiting on an overloaded public server.

Searches now run on PitStopper's own POI server - a PostGIS database of OpenStreetMap data that answers a whole search with one indexed query covering the route corridor, instead of the dozens of Overpass queries the app used to send. Typical searches finish in a second or two, and even a 4,900 km route completes in seconds. On top of that, every category along your route is preloaded in the background after the route opens, so ticking a category is usually instant - and the preloaded data survives a page reload.

If anything fails, the search automatically falls back to a public instance and then to the classic Overpass path, so a single backend failing never stops a search. There's more detail in our blog post about the new search engine.

They're predicted counts, shown before you search. When your route loads, PitStopper runs one fast count query and shows a dimmed estimate (e.g. ≈47) on each unticked category - how many POIs it would find along the route at the current search radius. The estimates update when the radius slider settles or the route selection changes.

A dimmed "none" means no POIs of that type are expected within the current radius, and a blank means no estimate is available (for example, if you've switched to classic Overpass-only searching in Settings → Preferences). Estimates use the global radius - per-category custom distances aren't included, though the actual search does honour them.

POI coverage depends on OpenStreetMap data quality, which varies by region. Urban areas in Europe and North America typically have excellent coverage, while remote or less-mapped regions may have fewer POIs recorded.

If you know of missing POIs, you can contribute them to OpenStreetMap at openstreetmap.org - your additions will eventually appear in PitStopper searches.

This is how far the POI is from the nearest point on your route, measured in a straight line. A POI showing "150m" means you'd need to travel approximately 150 metres off your route to reach it.

You can filter POIs by this distance - for example, showing only POIs within 100m of your route for minimal detours.

Yes. Use the Location Search feature on the landing page to find POIs around any address, place name, coordinates, or your current location. Set a search radius and discover what's available in any area.

This is useful for trip planning before you've created a route, or for exploring amenities in a specific town or area.

Yes - up to 8 routes at once. Load extra files and choose "Add" instead of "Replace", and each route gets its own colour, its own stats (distance, climbing, efficiency), a visibility eye, and a search checkbox so you control which routes POI searches cover. The footer shows combined totals.

You can also split one long route into legs (right-click the line and choose "Split Route Here") or trim it - handy for turning a single monster track into day stages. Exports can write one combined file or a separate file per route in a zip.

They work the same way - both let you mark POIs, filter the list to show only marked ones, and persist with your projects - but they are two completely independent marks, so you can use them for different purposes at the same time.

• Favourites - a general "this one matters" star. Favourites get an orange ring on the map marker and are clearly indicated when you export.
• Flagged - mainly for controlling exports. Flagged POIs get a purple ring on the map marker, and the GPX/FIT/KML export dialog has a Flagged only option to export just those (if nothing is flagged, everything is exported).

A common use: keep your favourites as the places you care about, and use flags to pick a smaller subset to send to your GPS device for a particular ride. A POI can be both a favourite and flagged - it will show both rings.

The elevation chart shows your route's altitude changes plotted against distance. POIs appear as coloured markers on the chart so you can see where stops are relative to climbs and descents.

Click any POI marker on the chart to highlight it on the map. Hover over the chart to see elevation and gradient at any point along your route.

Presets save your POI category selections and search settings. Create custom presets for different activities:

• A "Bikepacking" preset with water, camping, and bike shops
• A "Day Ride" preset with cafes and pubs
• A "Long Distance" preset with accommodation and supermarkets

Presets can be saved to your browser or exported as files to share or use on other devices.

Yes. Use the "Add Manual POI" feature (click the + button or right-click on the map) to add custom waypoints anywhere. Choose from different types:

• Info: General information points
• Alert: Warnings or important notices
• Danger: Hazards to be aware of
• Event Sticker: For creating printable frame stickers

Manual POIs are included when you export your route as GPX.

Event Stickers are printable labels designed to attach to your bike frame, showing upcoming POIs, distances, and elevation. Perfect for audax, brevets, and ultra-distance events where you need quick reference information without checking your phone or GPS.

You can customise the sticker content and print them on weatherproof label paper.

The 3D view renders your route on realistic terrain so you can visualise climbs, valleys, and the surrounding landscape. It's helpful for understanding what the terrain actually looks like before your trip.

You can rotate, zoom, and pan the 3D view to explore your route from any angle. POIs are shown as markers in the 3D scene.

Setting a start time in the Clock Time settings lets PitStopper calculate estimated arrival times at each POI. This helps answer questions like "Will this cafe be open when I arrive?"

The feature can also add sunrise and sunset markers to your route, showing exactly where on your journey daylight transitions will occur - invaluable for planning long days or overnight rides.

For Garmin devices, export FIT. It is Garmin's native format and the one Garmin Connect prefers - your POIs become proper course points anchored to the distance along the route, which makes on-device alerts fire reliably. If you originally imported a FIT file, the export preserves all the original data and simply adds your POIs.

For Wahoo and most other devices, export GPX. Your POIs are included as waypoints with full details, and most devices will alert you when approaching one so you know when stops are coming up.

Tip: if a search finds far more POIs than you want on your device, star the ones you like as favourites or mark them flagged - the export dialog has "Favourites only" and "Flagged only" options, so just those POIs are written to the file. Fewer, hand-picked course points also means fewer alerts on the ride.

• GPX: Standard format for GPS devices, includes waypoints with full POI details
• FIT: Garmin course file - distance-anchored course points for better on-device alerts
• KML: Google Earth / My Maps format with your POI colours and category folders - ideal for sharing with a support crew
• CSV: Spreadsheet format with all POI information for further analysis
• Print Report: Formatted document with maps, POI lists, and route summary
• Event Stickers: Printable labels for your bike frame

Yes. Use "Save Project" to save your route, discovered POIs, manual waypoints, and all settings. You have two options:

• Save to browser: Quick access from the landing page next time you visit
• Save as file: Download a compact .psp project file you can load on any device (older .json project files still open too)

Projects preserve everything - your route, POI search results, favourites, manual waypoints, and settings.

Yes. Your GPX and FIT files are processed entirely in your browser. Route data is never uploaded to PitStopper servers.

When searching for POIs, your browser queries our own POI server directly, with a public instance and our dedicated Overpass server as automatic fallbacks. We don't log or store the routes you search.

No. We don't store, track, or have access to your routes. All GPX processing happens in your browser. The only data that leaves your browser goes to:

• Our POI server (PostGIS) for POI searches, with our Overpass server as fallback - search queries only, never logged or stored
• Our elevation server for altitude data
• Map tile providers for displaying the map

See our Privacy Policy for full details.

The app requires an internet connection to fetch POI data and map tiles. However, once POIs are loaded, you can continue working with them - filtering, selecting favourites, and exporting.

Saved projects stored in your browser work offline until you need to perform a new POI search.

• Maximum file size: 10 MB (GPX, FIT or PitStopper project file)
• Supported formats: GPX, FIT, and PitStopper projects (.psp / .json)
• Routes loaded at once: up to 8
• Route length: no hard limit - we've tested with a 4,914 km crossing of Europe
• Track points: no hard limit. Elevation charts are thinned above ~2,000 points for drawing speed, but the full data is always kept for exports

• Search radius: 5 m to 5,000 m around your route (default 500 m)
• Minimum distance to route: none - searching starts at 0 m from the line
• Per-category custom distance: may exceed the global radius; that category is fetched out to the larger value
• Per-category POI count cap: optional, 1-25 per category
• Results per server query: 8,000 POIs per query on the PitStopper POI server (category counts stay exact)
• Drawn-area search: up to 3,000 km² - roughly a 55 × 55 km box
• Count estimates: whole-route category estimates are skipped beyond 1,500 km; the dimmed hints then come from the preloaded data instead

Everything is stored locally in your browser - there is no account and no server-side storage of your routes.

• POI search results: 5 days
• Food hygiene ratings (FHRS): 7 days
• Wikipedia & historical weather: 24 hours
• Mapillary imagery: 4 hours
• UK fuel prices: 30 minutes
• Saved projects & settings: never expire

Check the following:

• Categories selected: Make sure you've ticked POI categories in the sidebar
• Search clicked: Click the "Search POIs" button after selecting categories
• Search radius: A small radius (say 100m) might miss POIs - try increasing it
• Multiple routes: in a multi-route project, check the route's search checkbox and visibility eye in the Routes panel - an unticked or hidden route's POIs are excluded on purpose
• Area coverage: Some remote areas have limited OpenStreetMap data

This usually happens when the GPX file has inaccurate elevation data - common with phone-recorded activities or basic GPS devices.

Use the "Fetch Elevation" option in the GPX Summary to replace it with accurate data from our elevation server. Our data uses high-resolution terrain models (30m in Europe, 90m globally) for reliable elevation profiles.

Not all POIs in OpenStreetMap have names recorded. Infrastructure like drinking fountains, benches, or bike repair stations typically don't have names, while businesses usually do.

The POI type, location, and other details are still accurate - you just might see "Drinking Water" or "Bicycle Repair Station" instead of a specific name.

Long routes themselves are not the problem - PitStopper is tested with a 4,914 km route and searches stay fast because the POI data preloads in the background. If things do feel sluggish, the usual causes are:

• Thousands of markers at once: keep marker clustering on (it is by default), or use per-category count caps and the radius slider to thin the display
• 3D view and flyover: these are the heaviest features and depend on your graphics hardware - the 2D map is always the fast path
• Browser memory: lots of other open tabs can starve the app - close a few or restart the browser
• Older phones: everything works on mobile, but a desktop machine will feel snappier with very POI-dense routes

PitStopper runs its own servers, so POI searches themselves should always be fast. If a search is slow or failing, it is worth checking status.pitstopper.net.