Are you ready for the roads? Strava just released a major hiking update

Strava supports a wide range of activities, from running to yoga and more. One of the categories that is growing in popularity is hiking, as the number of hiking clubs has increased 5.8 times in the company’s “Year in Sport” report. To accommodate this growth, Strava is introducing many new features to improve your next ride.

There’s Strava announced This brings a new update for hiking enthusiasts. The update is designed to touch every part of the experience, including discovery and route planning, real-time tracking and navigation, and social sharing.

Here’s a list of what’s in the update:

Discovery and route planning

• Map style improvements: Athletes will be able to view richer trail surface information along with clearer points of interest such as trailheads, picnic areas, and campsites, making dense trail networks legible at a glance.
• Route discovery: Show popular routes in any area based on Strava’s heatmaps so athletes can find trails wherever they go (subscribers only).
• Route builder: plan custom rides with live distance, elevation and surface feedback as you shoot, including trail-specific map styles (subscribers only).
• Saves the route: Save routes from a number of in-product surfaces (Activity Details Page, Route Details Page, Route Builder, Edit Route) and access them directly within Strava (subscribers only).

Tracking and navigation

• Off-route warnings: Notifies athletes when they deviate from their planned route so they can correct course before they get lost (subscribers only).
• The following route on Apple Watch: Navigate right on your wrist, no phone required.
• Smartwatch route sync: Routes built in Strava sync directly with compatible Garmin, Apple Watch and Coros devices for seamless navigation.
• Offline routes: Download routes for use in areas with low or no connectivity, so cell dead zones don’t mean dead ends for navigation (subscribers only).
• Mobile record map: A full-screen map, accessible with one touch while typing, provides athletes with a clearer, more detailed view of their route in real-time.
• Live Height: View elevation profile data on the go, help athletes pace themselves on climbs, and plan efforts throughout the route.

Sharing

• 3D action map: View your ride on the feed as a 3D landscape with topography and elevation detail.
• Activity repetitions: Set your ride to auto-animate in your feed, replay your route end-to-end for your friends (subscribers only).
• Sticker stats: Share your walk’s distance, altitude, and time with your friends as a social-ready overlay.
• Clubs: Clubs focused on walking with shared routes, group challenges and leaderboards.
• Flyover: A cinematic 3D aerial animation of your completed route displayed from real elevation data (subscribers only).

According to Strava, these features will be available to all members at no additional cost. However, some tools will be exclusive to subscribers. Most of the features are available now, with Map style enhancements expected to roll out this summer.