RouteYou heatmap
Table of contents
- Video tutorials
- What is the RouteYou heatmap?
- For whom?
- How can I use the RouteYou heatmap?
- How is this heatmap built?
- How can I contribute to this heatmap?
Video tutorials
What is the RouteYou heatmap?
With the RouteYou heatmap, we expose the most popular stretches of roads and trails available to us worldwide. The more "heat" you see, the more routes pass through that particular stretch. We base this only on routes that are public. The regional relevance (a mix of recentness, popularity,...) of a route is also taken into account. This makes the heatmap a unique tool while exploring and planning routes in new regions.
We also have a separate heatmap for different route types. We created a heatmap for hikers and cyclists. For cyclists, there is a further breakdown into road cyclists, recreational cyclists and off-road cyclists (mtb & gravel).
If you have already planned routes yourself and have a RouteYou Plus account or higher, then you can also consult your personal heatmap.
For whom?
The RouteYou heatmap is available to users with a RouteYou Plus account or higher.
How can I use the RouteYou heatmap?
The RouteYou heatmaps are available as a map layer with each map. You can activate a heatmap by clicking the map layer icon 
at the top right of the map.
In the RouteFinder, they are useful when exploring others' routes. In the RoutePlanner they can be a guide while mapping new routes.
Please note that once you select a route type, only the relevant heatmap(s) will be shown. For example: if you create a road bike route, only the road bike heatmap will be available. If you choose to plot a more general bicycle route, then the different heatmaps for cyclists will be available. A combined view is not possible, we recommend to activate only one heatmap each time.
How is this heatmap built?
We select the most popular public routes worldwide to calculate the color intensity in the heatmap. The more intense a stretch of road or trail is visible in the heatmap, the more popular the stretch is in the routes on RouteYou.
At each scale we take into account the local distribution of popularity so that always the most popular areas stand out. On a smaller scale, we limit the map to the largest clusters of starting places so that you still get an overview of the most popular areas in the RouteYou routes.
Needless to say, popularity does not always equal beauty or quality. Our smart selection process of routes for the heatmap takes into account route types but accessibility is not always guaranteed as a result. Then again, the law of large numbers applies here. Because we include many routes in the heatmap, the influence of individual outliers with possible erroneous information is reduced. In addition, we detect the routes with incorrect information and take the necessary steps to remove them. If you notice incorrect information in the heatmap,, please do not hesitate to contact us at support[at-r.].
How can I contribute to this heatmap?
Put your most beautiful routes publicly available under your account. That way they can also be included in the heatmap and together we can discover new beautiful roads or trails.