Overview

PitStopper.net helps you discover Points of Interest (POIs) along your routes or around any location. Perfect for cyclists, hikers, runners, and travelers who want to find essential amenities, services, and attractions along their journey.

Getting Started

Welcome Screen

When you first visit PitStopper.net, you'll see three options to begin:

Interface Overview

Once your route is loaded, the interface consists of four main areas:

• Header - Application title (compacts when route is loaded)
• Sidebar (left) - Control panel for searches, categories, and settings (toggle with H key)
• Map View (center) - Interactive map showing your route and POIs
• Elevation Panel (bottom) - Elevation profile chart (toggle with P key)
• Footer Bar (bottom) - Statistics and quick action buttons

Operating Modes

Route Mode (GPX Upload)

The primary mode for planning trips along a specific route.

• Load GPX file containing a track or route
• POIs are searched within a specified distance from the route path
• View elevation profile with gradient-colored climbs and descents
• Add distance markers at regular intervals
• Export enhanced GPX with POI waypoints
• Reverse route direction if needed

Location Mode

Ideal for exploring POIs around a specific location.

• Use current GPS location or click map to set center point
• Define search radius (circular area)
• Find POIs within the specified radius
• No elevation profile available in this mode
• Useful for finding services in a new city or area

Live Location Tracking

Track your real-time GPS position on the map while viewing routes or exploring locations.

Show My Location (Route Mode)

While viewing a loaded GPX route, you can see your current position overlaid on the map.

• Open the Tools menu in the footer
• Click Show My Location
• Your browser will request location permission (allow it)
• The map zooms to your position with a pulsing blue marker
• A checkmark appears next to the menu option when tracking is active
• Click Show My Location again to stop tracking

This is useful for following along your planned route in real-time, checking how far you've come, or identifying which POI you're approaching.

Live Tracking (Location Mode)

When entering Location Mode via "Use My Location" on the landing page, you can enable continuous tracking.

• Check the Enable live tracking checkbox before clicking "Use My Current Location"
• Your position will update automatically as you move
• The search radius circle follows your position
• A small battery warning reminds you that GPS tracking uses additional power

Tracking Features

• Pulsing Marker - A blue pulsing dot shows your current position
• Breadcrumb Trail - A blue line traces your movement path (points added every 10+ meters)
• Accuracy Circle - When GPS accuracy is low (>20m), a faint circle shows the uncertainty range

Footer Tracking Controls

When tracking is active, controls appear in the footer:

• Toggle Tracking - Start/stop location tracking
• Auto-Follow - When enabled (default), the map automatically pans to keep your position centered. Disable to manually explore while tracking continues.
• Clear Trail - Remove the breadcrumb trail from the map

Battery Considerations

Live tracking uses your device's GPS, which consumes battery. To minimize impact:

• PitStopper uses battery-friendly GPS settings (not high-accuracy mode)
• Position is cached for 5 seconds to reduce GPS polling
• Stop tracking when not needed by clicking the toggle button or menu option

Multi-Route Support

PitStopper supports loading multiple GPX routes simultaneously, perfect for planning multi-day trips, comparing route options, or organizing event stages.

Adding Routes

After loading your first route, you can add more routes in several ways:

• Routes Panel - Click the button in the Routes box in the sidebar
• Drag & Drop - Drag additional GPX files onto the map
• File Menu - Use File > Add Route

When adding a new route, you'll be asked whether to Add it alongside existing routes or Replace all current routes.

Each route is automatically assigned a unique color for easy identification on the map.

Managing Routes

The Routes panel in the sidebar provides controls for managing multiple routes:

More on the blog: Multi-Route Support for Multi-Day Trip Planning.

Route Cards

Each route appears as a card showing:

• Color indicator - The route's color on the map
• Name - Click to make this the active route
• Distance & elevation - Quick stats for the route

Multi-Route Controls

When multiple routes are loaded, additional controls appear:

• Drag Handle - Drag routes to reorder them. Routes at the top appear on top on the map.
• POI Visibility - Show/hide POIs for individual routes
• Route Visibility - Show/hide routes on the map
• Checkbox - Select which routes to include in POI searches and the POI list
• Settings - Rename, change color, or delete the route

Route Selection

The colored line below the Routes panel indicates which routes are currently selected for POI operations. Use the checkboxes to control:

• Which routes are searched when finding POIs
• Which routes' POIs appear in the sidebar list
• Which routes are dimmed on the map (unselected routes appear faded)

Active Route

Click on a route card to make it the active route. The active route determines:

• Which route's elevation profile is shown in the chart
• Which route's stats appear in the footer
• The default route for new manually-added POIs

Splitting Routes

You can split any route into two separate segments at any point along the route.

More on the blog: Split Route - Divide Long Routes into Daily Stages.

Why Split a Route?

Splitting is particularly useful for multi-day events and long tours. Start with your complete route, then split it at logical stopping points to create daily stages. This allows you to:

• Plan overnight stops and identify accommodation at each split point
• View distance and elevation statistics for each day separately
• Search for POIs specific to each stage
• Export individual daily GPX files for your GPS device

How to Split a Route

1. Select the route - Click on the route card in the Routes panel to make it the active route (highlighted)
2. Right-click on the map - Right-click at the point where you want to split the route
3. Choose "Split Route Here" - Select Split Route Here from the context menu

What Happens When You Split

• The original route is removed
• Two new routes are created: "Route Name (Part 1)" and "Route Name (Part 2)"
• The first segment keeps the original route's color
• The second segment is assigned a new color automatically
• Both segments share the split point (it becomes the end of Part 1 and start of Part 2)
• Distance and elevation statistics are recalculated for each segment

Important Notes

• Route must be selected first - The split option only appears when right-clicking on the currently active route. This prevents accidentally splitting the wrong route when multiple routes overlap on the same road.
• Cannot split at endpoints - The "Split Route Here" option is hidden when clicking near the start or end of the route
• Split repeatedly - You can split the resulting segments again to create multiple sections

Comparing Routes

When you have 2 or more routes loaded, a comparison button appears next to the route count. Click it to open the Route Comparison modal:

• Elevation Chart - All routes overlaid on a single chart for easy visual comparison
• Statistics Table - Side-by-side comparison of distance, elevation gain/loss, and min/max elevation

Export Options

Multi-route support extends to exports:

• GPX Export - Export selected routes as combined or separate files
• Print Report - Generate reports with separate pages per route
• Projects - Save all routes and POIs together for later use

Editing the Track Beta

Track editing lets you make small adjustments to a route you've already loaded - nudge the line onto a road, past a specific POI, or tidy a stretch where the recording drifted - without leaving PitStopper. It's for minor tweaks, not planning a route from scratch, and it edits the currently active route.

Turning it on

• Open editing from the Route menu (Edit Track) or the pencil button on the map toolbar.
• Zoom in to street level - editing needs a close view so you can place points accurately. A prompt reminds you if you're zoomed too far out.
• Click Done (or the pencil again) when you've finished.

Making an edit

• Tap the track to grab a handle at the nearest point, then drag it to where you want the route to go.
• On release, the stretch either side of your grab is re-routed through the new position. The affected span widens with how far you pull, so a bigger diversion bends smoothly instead of making a sharp spur.
• Grab the very start or finish point to move that end of the route - useful for extending or trimming a recording that began late or ran on past your finish.

Snapping to roads

With Snap to roads switched on (the default), each edit follows real roads and paths using the BRouter routing engine, and the new section picks up real elevation automatically.

More on the blog: Nudge Your Route Onto the Coffee Stop: Track Editing (Beta).

• Route type - choose Touring, Road bike, Road (low traffic), Gravel, Mountain bike or Walking so the snapped path suits your ride.
• Snap off - nudge the line freehand as a straight segment (handy off-road, or when you want an exact line).
• Live-snap - the line follows the roads continuously as you drag, rather than only snapping when you let go.

Seeing what changed

• The toolbar shows the running change in length and climb since you started editing (for example +0.14 km, +4 m), in your chosen units.
• The original path of the sections you've changed stays on the map as a dotted line.
• Compare flashes up the whole original track (in amber, with the current one dimmed) so you can eyeball the before and after.

Undo & revert

Every edit is undoable one step at a time ( or Ctrl/Cmd+Z), and Undo all reverts everything you've changed in the current editing session in one go.

Map & Navigation

Map Interface

Map Controls (Top Right)

• Zoom +/- - Zoom in and out of map
• Layer Selector - Choose from 8 map types:
  • Streets (OpenStreetMap)
  • Satellite (ESRI)
  • Topographic (OpenTopoMap)
  • Terrain (MapTiler)
  • Hillshade (ESRI)
  • Cycling (CyclOSM)
  • Outdoors (Thunderforest)
  • Dark (CARTO)

  Note: Streets, Topographic, and Cycling tiles are served via our caching server for improved performance. If the cache is unavailable, the app automatically falls back to public tile servers.

  More on the blog: Map Layer Improvements.

Custom Map Controls (Right Side)

• Center on Route - Zoom map to fit entire route
• Toggle Route Visibility - Show/hide route line
• Go to Current Location - Center map on your GPS position
• Query POIs - Click any map location to search for nearby points of interest (zoom level 5+ required)
• POI Clustering - Toggle POI clustering on/off. When enabled, nearby markers are grouped into clusters with count badges. Preference is saved to browser storage.
• POI Navigation - Step through POIs in route order. The currently navigated POI displays with an orange pulsing glow. Maintains zoom level while panning.
• Distance Markers Toggle - Show/hide distance markers along your route. Uses graduated visibility based on zoom level (shows ~25% at zoom 12, scaling to 100% at zoom 15+).
• Settings - Access application settings

Zoom Level Indicator

The current zoom level (e.g., "Zoom: 12") is displayed next to the scale control at the bottom-left of the map for better navigation awareness.

Map Interactions

• Click POI markers to open popups with details
• Click map to add manual POIs (when enabled)
• Zoom with mouse wheel or pinch gesture
• Pan by dragging

3D View, Flyover & Animation

Beyond the flat map, PitStopper can show your route in several ways - open these from the footer Export menu (the download icon):

More on the blog: Visualize Your GPX Route in 3D Terrain and Take Flight Over Your Route.

• View in 3D - an interactive 3D terrain view. Tilt and rotate to see the hills, adjust the vertical exaggeration, switch map styles (outdoor, satellite, topo…) and toggle POIs on or off. Needs a browser with WebGL.
• Route Flyover - an animated 3D "flight" along the route from start to finish, with playback controls, a fullscreen mode and optional POI/elevation overlays. Great for previewing a ride or sharing a clip.
• Route Animation - a 2D animated playback that draws the route with a draggable scrubber, synced to the elevation chart, with POIs appearing as the line reaches them.
• Historical Weather - once you've set a trip date (Clock Time), see typical weather for that date over recent years - temperature, precipitation and wind at the start, midpoint and end of your route (powered by Open-Meteo).

POI Discovery

POI Search (Route Mode)

Search Radius

Control how far from your route to search for POIs.

• Adjust slider from 5m to 5km (logarithmic scale for fine control at small radii)
• Use arrow buttons for fine adjustments
• Display automatically converts to miles if using imperial units
• Larger radius finds more POIs but may be less relevant
• The search covers a corridor extending the radius on each side of your route
• Changing the radius never re-fetches by itself - reducing it narrows the results instantly from cache, while increasing it beyond what's already been fetched shows a hint so the next Search fetches only what's missing

Quick Presets

Eight pre-configured category combinations for common use cases:

POI Categories

Choose from 70+ POI types organized into 11 groups:

Category Management

• Search Filter - Quickly find POI categories with fuzzy matching across all supported languages.
• Click group header to expand/collapse categories
• Click "All" button to toggle all categories in a group
• Check/uncheck individual categories
• Live count shows checked/total per group
• Use "Select All" or "Deselect All" buttons for quick changes

Predicted Counts (≈N)

When a route is loaded, unticked categories show a dimmed estimate (e.g. "≈47") of how many POIs that category would find along your route at the current search radius - worked out by a single fast count query before you select anything. 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 (hover for a tooltip); a blank means no estimate is available (for example, if you've switched to classic Overpass-only searching in Settings → Preferences). Estimates follow the main radius slider - per-category custom distances aren't factored in, though the real search does honour them.

Background POI Loading

After you load a GPX route or open a saved project (and the PostGIS backend is active), the app quietly prefetches all ~70 built-in POI categories along your route in the background - at a fixed 1000m radius, written into the per-category cache. This invisible work takes 2-3 seconds for typical day-ride routes and completes while you're taking in the elevation profile.

• Instant category ticks - Once prefetch settles, selecting any category shows results immediately with zero network cost
• Instant radius adjustments - Moving the radius slider anywhere up to 1000m is pure local filtering (no network requests)
• Never interferes - The prefetch runs only against PitStopper's own POI server; it cancels instantly if you start your own search, and if the server is unavailable there is simply no prefetch (your searches are unaffected and use the normal fallbacks)
• Warm projects - When you save a route as a project, the prefetched data is baked in; shared or re-opened projects are fully cached from the start
• Data-saver skip - Prefetch is skipped entirely on devices with data-saver mode enabled
• Optional - Turn it off under Settings → Preferences ("Preload POIs on route load") if you prefer fetch-on-demand
• Custom categories on demand - User-defined POI tags (your own OSM tag queries) always search on demand and cache like everything else - they aren't prefetched

Custom Search Distances

Set a specific search radius for individual categories:

• Click the pencil icon next to any category
• Enter custom search distance (meters, kilometers, or miles)
• Useful for finding rare POIs further from route
• Blue "Reset Distances" button clears all custom distances

Custom Tags

Create your own POI categories using OpenStreetMap tags. This lets you search for any type of map feature, not just the 70+ built-in categories.

More on the blog: Custom Tags - Search Any OpenStreetMap Feature.

Adding a Custom Tag

1. Expand the Custom Tags section in the sidebar (green border)
2. Click the + button or "Add custom tag..."
3. Search for your desired tag (e.g., "windmill", "lighthouse")
4. Select a tag from the search results
5. Enter a display name (e.g., "Windmills")
6. Choose an icon for the category
7. Click Add Tag

Using Custom Tags

• Custom tags appear in the Custom Tags section with a green border
• Select them like any other category, then click Search
• Custom tags support individual distance settings (click pencil icon)
• Custom tags are saved in your browser and persist across sessions
• Custom tags are included when you save/load presets
• Delete a custom tag by clicking the trash icon

POI Count Limiting

Control the number of POIs displayed per category to keep your map clean and focused.

Global Count Limit

• Enable with checkbox in sidebar search panel
• Adjust slider from 1-25 POIs per category
• When enabled, shows only the N closest POIs for each category
• Slider is greyed out when disabled, turns green when enabled
• Use arrow buttons for fine adjustments
• Default state: unchecked (unlimited POIs)

Per-Category Count Overrides

• Click the three-dot edit icon next to any category
• Set a custom limit for that specific category
• Overrides the global limit when enabled
• Blue label shows "(Top N)" when custom limit is active
• Clear button removes the custom limit

Count Badges

Category badges show count information:

• Single number (e.g., "12") - Showing all POIs found
• X/Y format (e.g., "10/127") - Showing 10 out of 127 total POIs (limiting active)
• Hover over badge for detailed tooltip

How Limiting Works

• POIs are sorted by distance from your route (closest first)
• Only the N closest POIs are displayed on map and in sidebar
• Exported GPX files include only the limited POIs shown
• Settings are saved with your projects

Multi-Pass POIs (Out-and-Back Routes)

When your route passes the same POI more than once - an out-and-back ride, or a route that crosses itself - PitStopper shows each pass with its own distance, so you know the café at 20 km out is also there at 80 km on the way home.

• List badge - a twice-passed POI shows a badge like Outbound 1/2; routes with three or more passes show Pass 2/3 etc.
• List each pass separately - by default the list shows one entry per POI (its first pass). Tick this checkbox (it appears above the list when relevant) to list every pass as its own entry with its own distance
• Popup summary - the POI popup lists every pass: You pass here: Out 2.00km · Ret 17.98km
• Map - one marker per place (the passes are the same physical location); the elevation profile marks each pass at its own distance
• Exports - GPX files contain one waypoint per POI with the full pass summary in its comment; FIT course points and the printed report include one entry per pass, so your device cues you each time

Toggle the feature in Settings → Preferences → Detect multiple passes (on by default). Turning it off collapses each POI back to a single entry.

Search Results

POI List (Sidebar)

Search results appear in the sidebar with detailed information:

• Search/Filter - Filter the list of found POIs by name using the search icon next to the sort button.
• POI Name - Editable by clicking
• Category - Type with emoji icon
• Distance from route - How far off the path
• Side - Left (L) or Right (R) of travel direction
• Compass bearing - Direction from route
• Elevation - Height above sea level
• Opening hours - If available from OpenStreetMap

Filter Options

Narrow down results by distance from route:

• All POIs - Show everything found
• Within 100m - POIs within 100 meters of route
• Within 500m - POIs within 500 meters of route
• Show return pass POIs - Toggle visibility of POIs encountered on out-and-back routes

Map Markers

• Color-coded by category for easy identification
• Emoji icons represent POI types
• Click marker to open popup with actions:
  • Navigation Buttons - Move between POIs in route order directly from the popup.
  • OSM Tags - View useful amenity icons like toilets, WiFi, ATM, and more directly in the popup.
  • Edit POI name
  • View full details
  • Delete POI
  • Center map on POI
  • View on OpenStreetMap website
• Right-click on any marker or POI list item for quick actions:
  • Zoom to POI - Center the map on the POI
  • Mark/Remove Favorite - Add or remove from favorites
  • Flag/Remove Flag - Flag or unflag the POI
  • Edit POI - Open the edit popup
  • Add Note - Attach a custom note to the POI
  • Move POI - Drag the marker to reposition it
  • Change Icon - Select a custom emoji icon for the POI
  • Copy Coordinates - Copy name and lat/lon to clipboard
  • Open in Google Maps - View the POI location in Google Maps
  • Delete POI - Remove from the list

Map Context Menu

Right-click anywhere on the map (not on a POI) for additional options:

• Location Info:
  • Coordinates - Shows lat/lon of clicked point
  • Copy Coordinates - Copy to clipboard
  • Get Elevation - Auto-fetches elevation data
• POI Actions:
  • Add POI Here - Create a manual POI at this location
  • Query POIs at Location - Search for all POIs within 100m
  • Query Closest POI - Find and display the single nearest POI
• Route Info (when a route is loaded):
  • Distance from Start - Distance along route to nearest point
  • Distance to End - Remaining distance to the end of route
  • Elevation at Point - Elevation at the nearest route point
  • Time from Start - Elapsed time to this point (clock time shown if start time is set)
• Map Controls: (icon buttons)
  • Centre on Route - Zoom to fit the entire route
  • Zoom In/Out - Adjust zoom at clicked location
• External Links:
  • Open in Google Maps - View location in Google Maps
  • Open in OpenStreetMap - View in OSM at same zoom
• Export GPX - Quick access to export your route

Press ESC to close any context menu.

Changing Custom POI Type

For manually-added POIs (Info, Alert, Danger, Event Sticker), you can change the type directly from the popup:

• Click the type badge (the colored pill showing "Info", "Alert", etc.)
• Select a new type from the dropdown
• The marker color and icon will update to match the new type

Multi-Pass POI Detection

For out-and-back routes, the system automatically detects when you'll pass the same POI multiple times:

• Badge indicator shows pass count (2x, 3x, etc.)
• Distance calculated to closest pass
• Toggle "Show return pass POIs" to hide duplicates
• Useful for loops and out-and-back routes

Fuel Prices & Station Information

When you search for petrol stations (fuel) along your route, PitStopper automatically fetches live fuel prices, opening hours, and station amenities for stations in the UK, France, and Germany. This data appears directly in the POI popup when you click on a fuel station marker.

More on the blog: Fuel Prices & Opening Times Across Europe.

What You'll See

• Live fuel prices - Current prices for all available fuel types at the station
• Opening hours - Full weekly schedule with open/closed status for right now
• Station amenities - Facilities like toilets, car wash, water, EV charging, and more
• Station badges - Motorway/Autoroute and Supermarket indicators where applicable

Supported Regions

How It Works

• Search for Petrol Stations as a POI category (in the Transport group)
• Fuel data is fetched in the background after your POI search completes - no extra steps needed
• The system detects which country each station is in based on its coordinates
• Results are cached for 30 minutes in your browser to avoid repeated API calls
• A loading spinner appears briefly on popups while data is being fetched

Query POIs - Location-Based Search

The Query POIs feature works like OpenStreetMap's "Query Features" tool, allowing you to click any location on the map and discover ALL nearby points of interest within a 100-meter radius. This search is completely independent of your sidebar category selections.

How to Use Query POIs

1. Zoom In - Zoom to level 5 or higher (the Query POIs button is disabled at lower zoom levels for precision)
2. Click the Query Button - Click the question mark icon (bi-patch-question) in the right-side map controls
3. Click the Map - Your cursor changes to a question mark; click any location you want to explore
4. View Results - An orange pulsing marker appears with an expanding circle animation, and results display in a new "Query Results" section at the top of the sidebar

Query Results Section

Results appear in a distinctive orange-bordered panel with the following features:

• Location coordinates - Exact lat/lng of your query point
• Search radius - Shows 100m search distance
• Results count - Total POIs found
• Organized by category - POIs grouped by type (restaurants, shops, parks, etc.)
• Distance from query point - Each POI shows its distance from where you clicked
• Orange markers - Query results display with distinctive orange markers on the map

Adding Query Results to Your Project

• Individual POIs - Click "Add to Project" button next to any POI in the results list
• Add All - Click the "Add All to Project" button to add all query results at once
• Clear Results - Click "Clear Results" to remove the query results section and orange markers

Key Differences from Standard POI Search

Best Use Cases

• Exploring unfamiliar areas - "What's at this location?"
• Finding specific services - Click near a town center to see all available amenities
• Discovering hidden POIs - May find interesting places not in your selected categories
• Quick local search - Faster than selecting multiple categories for a small area
• Urban exploration - Dense city areas typically return 50-500 POIs

Search Area - Draw a Shape

Search Area lets you draw a shape on the map and find every point of interest inside it. Unlike a POI search along your whole route, this searches a bounded area you draw, with a category selection you choose just for that search - independent of your sidebar filters. It's a third way to search, alongside the route corridor and the location-based Query POIs.

Drawing a Rectangle

1. Open the Tools menu and choose Search Area (or click the shape button in the right-side map controls)
2. Drag a box on the map around the area you want to search
3. A category picker opens - tick the categories you're interested in (it starts with whatever you already have selected) and click Search this area

Drawing a Polygon

For an area that isn't a neat rectangle, use the shape button () in the right-side map controls to draw a freeform polygon:

• Click on the map to drop points - three or more make a shape
• Drag any point to move it, or drag one of the mid-point handles to add a new point on that edge
• Double-click, press Enter, or click the first point again to finish and open the category picker

Results

Matching POIs appear on the map and in your POI list, and the drawn shape stays on the map with a label showing how many were found. They behave like any other POI - you can star them, add notes, and include them in exports. To remove them, use POI → Clear Area Search, which clears both the shape and its results.

• Own category set - Pick categories for this search only; your sidebar filters are untouched
• The shape is the boundary - There's no radius; POIs are found strictly inside what you drew
• Rectangle or polygon - A quick box, or a freeform shape for awkward areas
• One area at a time - Drawing a new shape replaces the previous one
Pro Tip: Search Area shines when you'll stop in a town a little way off your route - draw a box around it and see every café, shop and pub at once, without cluttering the rest of your map.

Location Explorer

The Location Explorer lets you dive deep into any location along your route, providing street-level photography and Wikipedia articles to help you understand what you'll encounter on your journey.

How to Access

• Right-click anywhere on your route
• Select "View Photos & Wikipedia" from the context menu
• The Location Explorer sidebar will open with both photo and article tabs

Street Photos Tab

Discover street-level photography around your selected location using Mapillary's global database.

More on the blog: Location Explorer - Photos & Wikipedia.

Features

• Direction Matching - Photos are automatically filtered to match your route direction, showing what you'll see while traveling
• Global Coverage - Access photos from Mapillary's worldwide database of street-level imagery
• Map Markers - Blue "P" markers show photo locations on the map
• Quick Preview - Thumbnail images let you preview locations before arriving

Wikipedia Articles Tab

Learn about nearby landmarks, history, and points of interest through Wikipedia's geosearch.

Features

• Local Knowledge - Discover historical information, landmark details, and cultural significance
• Compact Display - Articles shown in a clean, scannable format with brief descriptions
• Map Markers - Blue "W" markers indicate Wikipedia article locations
• Direct Links - Links to full Wikipedia articles for deeper exploration

Controls & Options

Choose New Location

• Click the crosshair button in the sidebar header
• Click any new location on the map to explore that area
• Exit location picker mode by pressing ESC or clicking the button again

Wider Area Search

If few results are found, both tabs offer a "Search Wider Area" option to extend the search radius to 500 meters.

Simultaneous Display

Both photo markers (P) and Wikipedia markers (W) can be displayed on the map simultaneously, making it easy to plan stops and detours.

Collapsible Sidebar

Click the left arrow to collapse the sidebar to a small tab. When collapsed, all markers and search circles are temporarily hidden to keep your map clean.

Elevation & Terrain

Elevation Profile Chart

Chart Features

• Gradient coloring shows terrain difficulty:
  • Green - Flat (0-3% grade)
  • Yellow - Moderate climb (3-8%)
  • Orange/Red - Steep climb (8%+)
  • Blue shades - Descents
• Hover crosshair - Shows distance, elevation, and estimated clock time (if configured) at any point.
• POI markers - Click to view POI details
• Click anywhere - Center map at that location

Elevation Statistics

Detailed terrain analysis displayed above chart:

• Total distance
• Elevation gain (total climbing)
• Elevation loss (total descending)
• Maximum elevation
• Minimum elevation
• Average grade
• Steepest section grade

Panel Controls

• Click expand/collapse button to toggle full panel
• Use P key to toggle panel
• Map Sync Button - Toggle to sync the elevation chart zoom to match the visible route section on the map. When enabled, the chart automatically updates as you pan or zoom the map. State persists across page reloads.
• Mini widget - When collapsed, shows thumbnail in bottom-right corner
  • Click thumbnail to expand
  • Quick visual reference

Interactive POI Highlighting

POIs on the map and elevation chart are linked with bidirectional hover highlighting:

• Map → Chart: Hover over a POI marker on the map to highlight and enlarge the corresponding annotation on the elevation chart
• Chart → Map: Hover over a POI annotation on the elevation chart to highlight the map marker with an orange pulsing glow
• Custom POIs (Alert, Danger, Event Sticker) and Start/End flags also appear on the chart with color-coded icons

Progressive Detail on Zoom

The elevation chart uses a 2-level detail system for optimal performance:

• Full route view: Shows optimized 1,000 points for smooth rendering
• Zoomed in (<40% of route): Automatically switches to full resolution (up to 10,000 points) for detailed terrain analysis

Wind & Weather Beta

Turn on View → Wind & Weather to see the wind and weather for the day and time of your ride, both on the map and along the elevation profile. It needs a ride date - if you have not set one, PitStopper opens Clock Time first so you can pick the day (and optionally a start time).

What you see

• Animated wind field - moving particles over a dimmed map show wind direction and strength for your ride's date and hour.
• Rain radar - flick on the Rain toggle to overlay coloured cells (pale blue → deep violet by intensity) showing where and how hard it is forecast to rain for the selected hour. It scrubs with the slider and chart hover just like the wind, and toggles off again so it does not fight the wind particles.
• Head / cross / tail band on the elevation profile - a coloured strip along the top of the chart shows what you will be riding into at each point: red headwind, amber crosswind, green tailwind, brighter for stronger wind. A small key sits in the corner.
• Weather badges pinned along the route - a condition icon and temperature for the hour you will actually be at each spot.
• Summary - a pill at the top of the map sums up whether it is mostly a head, cross or tailwind day, with the distance in each.

On-map controls

• Time slider - drag it to replay the wind field across the whole ride window, hour by hour.
• Run the cursor along the elevation chart - the field and slider jump to the wind for that point in your ride, so you can trace the route and watch the wind change.
• Wind / Rain toggles - turn the wind particles and the rain radar on or off independently, so you can see either on its own or both together.
• Typical weather - opens the Historical Weather panel: typical conditions for this date over recent years.
• Close weather view - the button next to the slider (or the menu item again) turns it off.

Wind and weather come from Open-Meteo - the forecast for upcoming dates, and the historical archive for past ones. Distances and temperature follow your chosen units.

Find Peaks & Valleys

Click the Ascent or Descent figure in the footer statistics to highlight the route's top five peaks or lowest five valleys. Markers appear on both the map and the elevation chart, helping you spot the major climbs to pace and the high points worth a stop. Click again to clear them.

More on the blog: Find the Best Views with Peaks & Valleys.

Batch Elevation Fetching

Fetch elevation data for multiple POIs at once using the PitStopper Elevation Server.

How to Use

• Click the Fetch Elevations button in the POI list header
• Button shows count of POIs missing elevation data
• Progress indicator displays during fetching
• Elevations are saved with each POI automatically

Location Search

Powerful location search feature that helps you find and navigate to any place on the map using multiple search methods, with enhanced geocoding, intelligent filtering, and productivity features.

Accessing Location Search

• Click POI → Search Location from the footer menu
• Modal opens with three input methods via tabbed interface
• Press ESC to close the modal at any time

Search Methods

Search Results & Intelligent Filtering

Recent Searches History

• Automatically saves your last 10 searches
• Click search input to view recent searches dropdown
• One-click to re-execute previous searches
• Shows search type icon (📍 address, 🎯 coordinates)
• "Clear History" button to remove all saved searches
• Duplicate searches not saved consecutively
• History persists across browser sessions

Action Selection Modal

After selecting a location, choose what to do next:

Preview Markers

• All search results displayed on map with blue teardrop markers
• Different appearance from POI markers (easy to distinguish)
• Click marker to select that result (opens action modal)
• Hover over marker to highlight corresponding list item
• Markers automatically cleared when modal closes
• Markers removed when new search performed

In-Modal Search Radius Control

Adjust POI search radius without leaving the Search Location modal:

• Click "Search Radius" button to expand controls
• Slider adjusts from 50m to 5000m
• Current value displayed dynamically (e.g., "500m", "2.5km")
• Automatically converts to miles/feet if using imperial units
• Changes sync instantly to main sidebar radius slider
• Chevron icon indicates expanded/collapsed state

Keyboard Navigation & Shortcuts

Copy Coordinates Button

• Each result has a copy button (📋 icon)
• Click to copy decimal coordinates to clipboard
• Format: "latitude, longitude" (e.g., "51.5074, -0.1278")
• Visual feedback: button briefly shows "✓ Copied!"
• Also works via Ctrl+C keyboard shortcut
• Useful for sharing locations or external app integration

Usage Workflows

Adding & Editing

Manual POI Addition

Add custom points of interest by clicking the map.

Each manual POI is classified in one of two ways - a marker Type or a place Category. The two are mutually exclusive: a point is either a styled marker or a real place.

POI Type (marker style)

The Type sets how the marker looks on the map. Pick one:

• INFO (blue) - General information, points of interest
• Alert (orange) - Warnings, cautions
• Danger (red) - Hazards, dangerous sections
• Event Sticker (purple) - Event markers for printing on bike frames

Category (optional)

Instead of a plain marker, you can tell PitStopper what kind of place the point is - using the Category dropdown. Choosing a category:

• Gives the POI a proper map icon, matching the icons used for searched POIs (water, café, pharmacy, summit, shelter…)
• Exports it as the right GPX symbol (e.g. "Drinking Water") and the correct FIT course-point type (water, food, summit, first aid…), so a Garmin shows the right kind of point rather than a generic pin - see GPX Waypoints vs FIT Course Points
• Includes event-friendly types such as Aid Station, Energy Gel and Sports Drink for organisers

Adding Manual POIs

1. Enable "Add POI to map" mode from settings
2. Click anywhere on the map, or use coordinate input tabs
3. Choose a Type (marker) or pick a Category (place)
4. Enter name/description
5. Google Street View - Use the "View Street View" button to preview the location before adding.
6. Optionally fetch elevation data
7. For multi-pass routes, select which segment
8. POI is automatically attached to nearest route point

Coordinate Input Methods

The Add Manual POI modal offers multiple ways to specify the location:

• Map Click - Default mode. Click anywhere on the map to set POI location.
• Decimal - Enter decimal coordinates (e.g., 51.5074, -0.1278)
• DMS - Enter Degrees/Minutes/Seconds format (e.g., 51°30'26.5"N 0°07'39.5"W)
• Plus Code - Enter Google Plus Codes for precise locations:
  • Global codes: 8FVC9G8F+6X
  • Short codes with locality: 7M3X+RH Tadworth, UK

Elevation Fetching

Get the elevation of your manually added POI using the Get Elevation button in the modal:

• Click the button to fetch elevation from the Open-Elevation API
• Elevation displays in your preferred unit (meters or feet)
• Useful for understanding terrain at specific waypoints
• Elevation data is saved with the POI

Distance Markers

Visual markers showing distance along your route at regular intervals.

Adding Distance Markers

Access via Route → Distance Markers.

• Interval - Choose spacing between markers (e.g., every 5km, 10mi)
• Units - Select kilometres or miles
• Show ETA - Display estimated time of arrival at each marker

ETA on Distance Markers

When you have Clock Time settings configured, you can enable ETA display on distance markers:

• Check "Show estimated time of arrival (ETA)" in the dialog
• Markers will display as "10km [10:45]" showing distance and arrival time
• ETAs are calculated based on your average speed setting
• Useful for meeting targets along your route or coordinating with others
• If Clock Time is not set, the ETA option is disabled with a link to configure it

Exporting Distance Markers

Distance markers are included in GPX exports:

• Exported as waypoints with the full label (including ETA if enabled)
• Example: waypoint name "10km [10:45]" appears on your GPS device
• Useful for tracking progress during your ride

Visibility Controls

• Toggle visibility via the distance markers button in the footer
• Adaptive density based on zoom level (shows fewer markers when zoomed out)
• Remove all markers via the Distance Markers dialog

Clock Time Settings

Configure actual clock times for your trip to see when you'll arrive at each POI. Perfect for coordinating meeting times, planning meal stops, or ensuring you reach destinations before closing time.

More on the blog: Getting the Most from Clock Time Features.

Setting Up Clock Time

Access via Info → Timings in the app menu.

Quick Setup During GPX Import

When importing a GPX file containing timing data, the Import Summary modal includes optional clock time fields:

• Start date auto-fills with today's date
• Start time field for quick configuration
• Skip these fields to use the app without clock time
• Can always configure later via Clock Time Settings

Clock Time Display Throughout App

Daylight Tracking & Sunrise/Sunset

When you set a date in Clock Time Settings, the app uses the SunCalc library to calculate sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk times locally in your browser - no external API calls needed.

Multi-Day Trip Support

• Automatic overnight trip detection
• Day markers show when crossing midnight
• Time calculations account for day changes
• Useful for bikepacking, long-distance hiking, or ultra-endurance events

Project Integration

• Clock time settings saved with your project
• Automatically restored when loading saved projects
• Settings persist across browser sessions

Undo & Recent Changes

Changed your mind? PitStopper keeps a history of your last 50 destructive changes and can walk them back.

What Can Be Undone

• Deleting POIs - single, selected, or a whole category
• Adding a manual POI
• Starring / flagging a POI
• Reversing a route
• Applying a POI preset (restores your previous category selection)
• Changing a category's custom search distance, count limit, or colour - and the “reset all custom settings” action

Simple view changes (ticking a category, moving the radius slider) are not recorded - they're one click to redo by hand and would crowd the history.

Three Ways to Undo

• Keyboard - Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z to undo, Ctrl+Y (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+Z (Mac) to redo
• Edit menu - next to File in the menu bar; the Undo and Redo entries describe exactly what the next step would do
• Right-click menu - Undo/Redo at the bottom of the map's context menu

Recent Changes List

Edit → Recent Changes opens the full history: every recorded change with a description and how long ago it happened. Click any entry to undo it and everything above it (changes are undone in order, newest first - like a text editor). Entries you've undone appear dimmed below a divider and can be redone until you make a new change.

Import & Export

GPX File Upload

Upload your route file to begin searching for POIs along your path.

Uploading

• Drag and drop GPX file onto the drop zone
• Or click "Drop your GPX file here" to browse
• File is processed locally in your browser (not uploaded to server)
• Route appears on map with animated drawing (optional)

Route Animation

When a GPX is loaded, the route animates from start to finish, giving you a visual preview of your journey.

• Animation speed adapts to route length (1.5-4 seconds)
• Click "Skip Animation" to display route immediately
• Toggle animation on/off in settings for future uploads

Multiple Tracks & Routes

If your GPX (or FIT) file contains more than one track - a multi-stage event, say, or a file holding several rides - PitStopper offers to import each track as its own route rather than merging them into one. Each becomes a separate route with its own name, colour and statistics. See Multi-Route Support for what you can then do with them.

Import Summary

When a file finishes loading, an Import Summary shows the route's distance, elevation gain and how many waypoints/POIs it contained. If the file has timing data, you can set your trip's Clock Time right there.

Imported Navigation Data (Turn-by-Turn, Viapoints, Surface)

Some GPX tracks carry more than a line. Tracks exported for turn-by-turn navigation - typically built by BRouter and read by Cruiser and Locus Map - tuck the navigation itself inside the trackpoints: which way to turn, your named stops, even whether the surface is paved or not. Most tools throw all of that away on import. PitStopper keeps it.

When you load a track like this, PitStopper sets the flattened line aside for its own charts and distances but also holds on to the original track in full. On export it writes that track back unchanged, so a round-tripped file is still a working navigation track - every turn cue, viapoint and surface note in place. Extensions hung off the file itself, the metadata, or individual waypoints are kept and re-emitted too, right down to tags PitStopper doesn't recognise. (The exported file also validates cleanly against the GPX 1.1 schema.)

Three kinds of data travel inside these tracks:

• Turn cues - left, right, keep left and so on, read in order down the track like a route sheet.
• Viapoints - the named stops you set when planning ("Staf", "Den ijzeren man"), plus silent shaping points that only nudge the router along a chosen road.
• Surface and speed - whether a segment is paved or unpaved, and its maximum speed.

Seeing what you carry. When a track has this data, the Import Summary leads with a note saying what was found. The named stops appear as map pins you can click for their name, distance along the route and surface. And under View → Navigation data (or the button that appears on the map) a tabbed panel shows it all: Turn-by-turn reads out the whole route sheet, Viapoints lists just the named stops, and Surface breaks the route into paved and unpaved sections - with a switch to paint the route line by surface (blue for paved, orange for unpaved, grey where the file doesn't say). Anything PitStopper keeps but doesn't draw (maximum speed, custom colours) is named in the panel and still re-exported.

The one trade-off - editing. These cues are pinned to specific original points, so reshaping the track in PitStopper (dragging, splitting or reversing it) would leave them meaningless. If you start editing a track that still carries navigation data, PitStopper asks first: editing drops the embedded cues. Say no and the track is left untouched; say yes and it becomes an ordinary track from then on. Nothing vanishes without you choosing it.

None of this changes what PitStopper is for. A navigation track knows the way; PitStopper finds the water, food, fuel and shelter along it - so the two complement each other rather than compete. The turns get you round the corners, the POIs decide where you stop, and they leave in the same file together. For the full story, see The Navigation Hidden in Your GPX.

Replace Route File

Swap a route's underlying GPX/FIT file while keeping its name, colour and settings - handy when you've re-exported or tweaked the route elsewhere. Choose Replace Route File from the route's menu; POI distances recalculate automatically against the new track.

Tools Menu

Access tools and route management options via the wrench icon in the footer:

More on the blog: Hazards & Obstacles and Surface Info.

• Reverse Route - Flip direction of travel
  • Recalculates all distances
  • Updates POI side (L/R)
  • Re-animates route
  • Can be undone
• Toggle Distance Markers - Show/hide km/mi markers
• Clear All POIs - Remove all found POIs (route remains)
• Clear Route - Remove route and start over
• Check Elevation - Verify GPX elevation accuracy
  • Compares GPX elevation data against SRTM satellite terrain data
  • Samples 100 points along your route (option for 300 points)
  • Shows summary stats: average difference, max difference, data quality rating
  • Displays histogram of variance distribution
  • Lists significant variations (>50m difference)
  • Helps identify if GPS recorded accurate elevation or needs correction
• Hazards & Obstacles - Comprehensive detection of route hazards and obstacles
  • Tunnels - With length, lighting status, and time estimate (assumes 15mph cycling speed)
  • Bridges - Shows bridge type and layer information
  • Fords - Water crossings with depth information when available
  • Level Crossings - Railway crossings along your route
  • Other Hazards - Detects OSM hazard tags including:
    • Side winds, dangerous junctions, slippery surfaces
    • Washouts, road holes, contamination warnings
    • Barriers: cattle grids, toll booths, gates, cycle barriers, border control
  • Steep Sections - Analyzes route elevation to find >15% grade sections
    • Shows climb or descent direction with max gradient
    • Displays elevation change and section length

  Features:

  • Displays detected features as highlighted polylines on the map
  • Click any result to zoom to that location
  • Right-click obstacles on map for quick actions
  • Shows OSM descriptions when available
  • Add individual or all obstacles as Alert POI waypoints
  • Collapsible side panel stays accessible while exploring the map
• Famous Climbs - find legendary cycling climbs near your route with their stats; click one to locate it on the map. Detected climbs also appear as a badge in the GPX summary.
• Surface Info - a colour-coded overlay of the road surface (asphalt, gravel, unpaved…), cycling infrastructure (lanes, tracks) and lighting along your route, so you know what you'll be riding on.
• Bulk POI Editor - a table view of every POI for quick management: edit names and notes inline, locate or delete entries, and filter or search. Multi-route projects group POIs by route.

Export Options

Export GPX

Save an enhanced GPX file containing your route plus all POI waypoints (with names, descriptions, opening hours, website/phone where available, and distance/elevation). The export dialog offers:

• Favourites only / Flagged only - export just your starred or flagged POIs
• Use full POI names - or leave unchecked for shorter names suited to bike computers
• Proper Garmin symbols - each POI exports with a matching icon (Drinking Water, Restaurant, Lodging, Summit, Pharmacy…) instead of a generic dot
• Garmin favourite & flagged colours - optionally colour favourite and flagged waypoints using Garmin's display-colour extension; many devices colour waypoints by their icon and may ignore it. (Shown when the route has marked POIs.)
• Include POI category colours - embeds each POI's map colour (including your custom colours) in the waypoint, so markers match what you see in PitStopper. Uses the xsi:gpx extension (see The xsi:gpx display extension below).
• Route line colour (Beta) - writes the route's colour and width into the track, so apps that read it draw your route in its own colour. Also xsi:gpx; details below.
• Preserve original creator - when your route came from another app, keep its "creator" tag instead of PitStopper's. Garmin trusts some sources and re-smooths data it thinks came from elsewhere, which can subtly alter your route - leave this on to avoid that. (Shown only when the imported file had a creator.)
• Multiple routes - with more than one route loaded, choose which to include and whether to export them as one combined file or as separate files in a zip archive

Distance markers are included as waypoints (with ETA labels if enabled). The file is compatible with GPS devices and navigation apps.

The xsi:gpx display extension

GPX describes where your route and points are, but the standard has no way to say what colour to draw them. To fill that gap, some outdoor apps read colour and style information from an optional <extensions><xsi:gpx> block - a convention established by Cruiser GPS and used across the Locus Map / GPX Viewer family. It's a de-facto convention, not part of the official GPX schema, and it needs no extra namespace declaration, so any app can open the file: apps that understand these elements use them, and apps that don't simply skip them. The file stays valid everywhere.

When you tick the matching options in the GPX export dialog (under Colours for other map apps), PitStopper writes:

• POI colours - each POI waypoint carries its PitStopper map colour (<color>), including any custom category or group colours you've set.
• Route line colour and width (Beta) - the track carries the route's colour and a line width (<color> and <width>). With several routes loaded, each track keeps its own colour.

Which apps use it: Locus Map, Cruiser and GPX Viewer read the route-line colour; Cruiser, OsmAnd and Organic Maps read the POI colours. Garmin devices, Strava and Komoot ignore the block entirely and open the file as a normal route - so turning these options on never breaks compatibility. Both options are off by default, keeping the standard export clean.

Export FIT (Garmin Course)

Export a Garmin FIT course - the format modern bike computers use for richer, better-timed navigation. Unlike plain GPX waypoints, FIT course points are tied to your distance along the route, so your device can announce "Water ahead" or "Summit ahead" at the right moment and handle a spot you pass more than once. See GPX Waypoints vs FIT Course Points for the full picture.

More on the blog: Garmin FIT File Support - Import, Plan & Export.

• Typed course points - each POI maps to the correct FIT type (water, food, store, shelter, first aid, summit, overlook, toilet, rest area, service…). Added hazards export as their real type - tunnel, bridge, steep incline, crossing.
• Correctly placed & ordered - every course point is projected onto the nearest point of the route and ordered by distance, so points don't drift or silently vanish on the device.
• Activity - choose Cycling, Walking or Hiking; this sets the course's sport so your device picks the right data screens and climb features (when building a course from a GPX).
• Add distance markers as course points - optionally include your distance markers for on-device pacing (offered when the source course doesn't already have them).
• Round-trip safe - re-exporting a FIT you imported preserves the original course data (turns, mile markers and the like); PitStopper only adds your POIs.

Export KML (Google Earth & Friends)

Export your route and POIs as a KML file - the format Google Earth, Google My Maps, Organic Maps and OsmAnd open natively. Where GPX needs extensions for styling, KML supports it first-class, so this is the best-looking way to share your plan with someone who isn't on a bike computer (a support crew, an event organiser, family following along).

• Your colours come through - every POI is styled with its PitStopper map colour, including any custom category or group colours you've set. No options needed; it's standard KML.
• Organised in folders - POIs are grouped into folders by category group (Water, Food & Drink, ...), so viewers can toggle whole groups on and off. Distance markers get their own folder.
• Rich descriptions - opening hours, website, phone, your notes and an OpenStreetMap link appear in each placemark's balloon.
• Same filters as GPX - favourites/flagged only, full or short names, and multi-route selection with combined or separate (zip) output.

Find it under Export → Export as KML. Note: KML is for viewing and sharing - bike computers want the GPX or FIT export instead.

Export POIs Only (GPX or Mapsforge .poi)

Sometimes you want just the stops, not the route - a file of points of interest you can load as a layer in a map app. Export → Export POIs only saves your POIs on their own (no track), with a choice of two formats:

• GPX (waypoints) - a plain GPX containing only waypoints, no track. It opens almost everywhere, including Cruiser, Locus Map, Garmin, Komoot and Google Earth. Best for maximum compatibility.
• Mapsforge .poi - a native Mapsforge POI database (format version 3). Cruiser and Locus Map read this as a proper, searchable POI layer, grouped into the same categories you use in PitStopper (Water, Food & Drink, Accommodation, and so on). In those apps you get a Points of interest panel listing your categories - tick one on or off to show or hide its markers, or use the search box to find a POI by name. It is more compact and far better organised than GPX inside those apps, but understood only by tools built on Mapsforge.

Which one? If you use Cruiser or Locus Map, pick .poi for the named categories, filtering and search. Anywhere else - or if you are not sure - pick GPX; it opens in everything, just without the category niceties.

Both use each POI's full name (unlike the route export, which trims names to survive Garmin's short-waypoint limit), and both honour the Favourites only and Flagged only filters, so you can export just your shortlist. Every found POI is included, whichever route it belongs to. The .poi option builds the little database in your browser - nothing is uploaded - and the first time you use it a small support file is fetched, so give it a moment. Prefer a table or a printout instead? The same menu also offers Export POIs as CSV and a printable POI report.

For a walk-through with screenshots of a PitStopper .poi in Cruiser, see the blog post Take Your Stops With You.

Garmin Proximity Check (Off-Track Waypoints)

Garmin Connect (and similar tools) silently discard route waypoints that sit more than about 40 m from the track - so a café or water stop you placed just off the line can vanish when you copy the file to your bike computer. Before a GPX or FIT export, PitStopper checks the POIs you're about to export and, if any are further than roughly 35 m from their route, shows a warning that lists them with their distances.

You choose what happens:

• Move them onto the track (default) - snaps each waypoint to the nearest point on the route so your device keeps them. Optionally adds a "^" prefix to the moved names so you can spot which ones were adjusted.
• Leave them where they are - keeps the original positions (accepting that some may be dropped by Garmin).

The adjustment is applied only to the exported file - the POIs on your map are never moved. Location-mode exports (no route) skip this check. For the background, see Why Garmin Connect Deletes Your Waypoints.

Print Report

Generate a comprehensive print-friendly report perfect for offline reference during your trip.

Accessing Print Report

• Click Export → Print Report from the footer menu
• Customize report sections and columns
• Preview before printing or saving as PDF

Report Customization

• Custom report title
• Select sections to include:
  • Summary with route statistics
  • Daylight information (when clock time with date is set)
  • Elevation chart image
  • Original GPX waypoints
  • Looked-up POIs
  • Custom alerts/dangers
  • Event markers
  • Distance markers
• Choose table columns:
  • POI number, name, category
  • Distance from start
  • Elevation
  • Distance from route
  • Side (L/R)
  • Compass bearing
  • Opening hours
  • Notes/description

Daylight Information in Reports

When clock time settings include a date, print reports automatically include comprehensive daylight information:

• Sunrise Time - When the sun rises at route end location
• Sunset Time - When the sun sets at route end location
• Gets Dark Time - Civil twilight end (30-40 min after sunset)
• Day Length - Total hours of daylight available

CSV Export

Export your POIs as a CSV file for use in spreadsheets, databases, or other applications. Access via Export → Export POIs as CSV from the footer menu.

Event Sticker Generator

Create a printable, frame-mounted route guide - a tall sticker showing the route's elevation profile with your key POIs marked along it in order of distance. Open it from Export → Print Event Sticker (or the app menu); it opens in a new tab ready to print.

In the options dialog you can:

• Set the event name (and pick which route in multi-route projects)
• Choose exactly which POIs to include, each shown with a live count:
  • Event Sticker POIs - POIs you marked with the Event Sticker type
  • Alert, Danger, Warning and Info POIs
  • Favourites (★) and Flagged (⚑) POIs
• Optionally capitalise all POI text

You don't need any Event Sticker POIs to make a sticker - you can build one from just your favourite and/or flagged POIs. When a project has no Event Sticker POIs, Favourites and Flagged are pre-selected for you. A POI that matches more than one option (for example an Alert you've also starred) is only listed once.

Settings & Preferences

Distance Units

Toggle between metric and imperial units:

• Click KM/MI button in footer
• Switches between:
  • Metric - Kilometers, meters
  • Imperial - Miles, feet
• Affects all distance displays, search radius, and elevation
• Preference saved in browser

Dark Mode

Reduce eye strain with dark theme:

• Toggle in settings menu
• Automatic detection of system dark mode preference
• Affects entire interface including map controls
• Preference saved in browser

Display Options

• Route animation - Toggle animated route drawing on/off
• Show return pass POIs - For multi-pass routes
• Route visibility - Show/hide route line
• POI visibility - Show/hide POI markers

Browser Storage

Everything PitStopper saves stays in your browser - nothing is uploaded to a server. Open Browser Storage from the app menu (System menu) to see what's stored and free up space:

• Saved projects are kept in your browser's IndexedDB database, which has plenty of room for many large projects. Older projects are migrated there automatically the first time you load this version.
• Preferences and caches - settings, plus the POI, elevation, photo and other lookup caches - live in localStorage, which is limited to about 5 MB.
• The panel shows a usage breakdown and your total database size, and lets you clear individual caches if storage gets full. Your saved projects and settings are never removed by clearing a cache.

Saving Your Work

Saved Presets

Save your favorite POI category selections, search radius, and custom distances as named presets for quick access. Perfect for recurring trip types like bikepacking, hiking, or road trips.

Creating a Preset

1. Select the POI categories you want
2. Set your search radius (and custom distances if needed)
3. Click the Save Preset button
4. Enter a descriptive name (e.g., "Bikepacking Setup", "Hiking Essentials")
5. Click Save

Loading a Preset

1. Click the Load Preset button
2. Select from your saved presets
3. The preset will apply immediately and automatically search if a route is loaded

Managing Your Presets

Below is a list of all your saved presets. You can view details, load, or delete presets from this page.

Features

• Active Preset Indicator - Shows which preset is currently active
• Auto-clear on manual changes - Indicator clears when you manually change categories, radius, or distances
• Overwrite protection - Warns before overwriting existing presets
• Browser storage - Presets saved locally in your browser (no account needed)
• Timestamp tracking - See when presets were created and last used

Project Save/Load

Save your entire work session - including route, POIs, settings, and map view - as a named project. Return later and pick up exactly where you left off!

What is a Project?

A project is a complete snapshot of your current work, including:

• Route Data: Complete GPX route with all points and elevation
• POI Data: All discovered POIs with their categories and custom distances
• Search Settings: Selected categories, search radius, custom distances
• Map View: Current map position, zoom level, and layer selection
• Application Settings: Distance units, dark mode preference
• Statistics: Route distance, elevation gain/loss

Saving a Project

1. Load a GPX route and search for POIs
2. Configure your settings (categories, radius, custom distances)
3. Click File → Save Project
4. Enter a descriptive project name (e.g., "Wales Day 2 Planning")
5. Optionally add notes/description
6. Click Save

Loading a Project

From Landing Page (Quick Access):

• When you visit PitStopper.net, saved projects appear as cards
• See the 3 most recently used projects
• Click Load on any project card to restore it instantly
• Click View All Projects to see your complete list

From Tools Menu (Full Management):

• Click File → Load Project
• Browse all saved projects with details
• Click Load to restore a project
• Click Delete to remove unwanted projects

Downloading & Sharing Projects

You can download projects as files to back them up, transfer to another device, or share with others.

Downloading a Project:

1. Click Download → Save Project
2. Enter a project name and optional description
3. Click Download as File
4. A .psp file will be saved to your downloads folder

About .psp Files:

• PSP stands for PitStopper Project
• Files are compressed (gzip) to reduce size by 70-85%
• A 1MB project typically compresses to around 200KB
• Can be uploaded on the landing page or via Tools → Load Project

Loading a .psp File:

• Drag and drop the .psp file onto the landing page, or
• Click Upload GPX or Project File and select the file, or
• Use File → Load Project → Load from File

Managing Your Projects

Below is a list of all your saved projects. You can view details and delete projects from this page.

Important Notes

Use Cases

• Multi-day trip planning: Save each day as a separate project
• Alternative routes: Compare different route options by saving each as a project
• Work in progress: Save your current work and come back later
• Shared computer: Keep multiple users' projects organized

Auto-Save Draft

PitStopper automatically saves a draft of your work every 60 seconds to prevent data loss:

• Automatic: No action needed - drafts are saved in the background
• Recovery: If you close the browser accidentally, you'll see a recovery prompt when you return
• Draft vs Project: Auto-saved drafts are temporary. Use Save Project for permanent saves
• Cleared on Save: The draft is automatically cleared when you save a project

Keyboard Shortcuts

Speed up your workflow with these keyboard shortcuts:

Navigation & Interface

• H - Toggle sidebar visibility
• P - Toggle elevation panel
• ESC - Close modals and dialogs
• ? - Open help documentation in new tab

Undo/Redo

• Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z - Undo last action
• Ctrl+Shift+Z / Cmd+Shift+Z - Redo (Mac)
• Ctrl+Y - Redo (Windows/Linux)

Mobile Experience

Mobile Optimizations

• Hamburger menu - Sidebar accessed via menu button (top-left)
• Touch-optimized controls - Larger tap targets for buttons
• Full-width sidebar - Slides in from left on mobile
• Simplified footer - Shows essential stats only
• Responsive elevation chart - Adapts to screen size
• Gesture support - Pinch to zoom, swipe to pan

Mobile Tips

• Use landscape orientation for better map view
• Collapse sidebar when viewing map for maximum space
• Tap mini elevation chart to expand
• Use Quick Presets instead of scrolling through categories

Tips & Best Practices

Planning Trips

Performance Tips

• Large routes (2000+ points) are automatically optimized for chart rendering
• If map is slow with many POIs, use filters to reduce visible markers
• Close unused POI category groups for a cleaner sidebar
• Wider search radius isn't always better - be selective

Common Workflows

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Browser Support

• Modern browsers required (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• JavaScript must be enabled
• Geolocation permission needed for current location feature
• Cookies/local storage needed for saving preferences

Glossary

Common terms, abbreviations, and acronyms used throughout PitStopper.