How do I import a KML or GPX file into Gaia GPS?
Gaia GPS imports both GPX and KML, on iOS, on Android, and on gaiagps.com. Take the file to your phone however you like — email it to yourself, put it in your files, or import it on the website and let it sync — and open it with Gaia GPS. Once the waypoints are in your account they are yours to download for offline use, which is what makes Gaia a reasonable choice for the highlands.
Either works. Take the GPX if you also own a Garmin — a Garmin handheld reads GPX and neither of our other two formats, so one file covers both.
Waypoints live in your Gaia account and on the device. Downloading the map tiles for your route is a separate step in the app, and it is the step people forget before driving into the interior.
What to do
- Download the GPX (or the KML — Gaia takes both).
- Open the file on your phone and choose Gaia GPS, or import it at gaiagps.com and let it sync to the app.
- Before you leave signal, download the map tiles for the areas you plan to shoot. Importing waypoints does not download maps.
Gaia GPS maintains its own step-by-step, and it is the one that stays current when the menus move: Gaia GPS Help — Import GPX and KML files into the iOS app (opens in a new tab)
Formats Gaia GPS accepts
- GPX we sell this
- KML we sell this
Worth knowing
- Importing waypoints and downloading offline maps are two different jobs in Gaia. Doing the first and not the second gets you a screen of dots on a grey background in the middle of the F-roads.
- The formats above are what the phone apps take. The website accepts a wider set — Gaia documents GPX, KML, KMZ, GeoJSON and FIT for gaiagps.com — so if you would rather use our GeoJSON, import it there and let it sync down.
Questions about this file
What people ask before importing Gaia GPS.
- Gaia GPS imports both GPX and KML, on iOS, on Android, and on gaiagps.com. Take the file to your phone however you like — email it to yourself, put it in your files, or import it on the website and let it sync — and open it with Gaia GPS. Once the waypoints are in your account they are yours to download for offline use, which is what makes Gaia a reasonable choice for the highlands.
- Gaia GPS accepts GPX, KML. Every purchase here ships as KML, GPX and GeoJSON, so whichever one you need is already in the download.
- Waypoints live in your Gaia account and on the device. Downloading the map tiles for your route is a separate step in the app, and it is the step people forget before driving into the interior.
Other apps
Get the file
Try the free sample in Gaia GPS first — it imports the same way the paid file does, so you will know inside two minutes whether this works on your setup. Iceland Complete is 121 locations in KML, GPX and GeoJSON, one download, no account.
Get all 121 locations · $49