How to Use Garmin Offroad & Import 4×4 Trails

We all agree there’s no better way to spend your free time than discovering some new trail outside the popular ones or some hidden spot to camp or fish at. The challenge usually lies in getting to these spots in the first place. Sure these days we have multiple devices with GPS and other features that help us navigate but something’s always missing. Either the screen is too small, they require Wi-Fi when you know you won’t be anywhere with a cell phone signal, or they have low battery life. What’s an off-roader to do?

We at Dixie 4 Wheel Drive discovered Garmin Overlander Offroad GPS a while back when looking for a device to help us in our organized trail rides.

Why We Like Garmin Offroad

The Garmin Overlander Offroad device is an all-terrain, all-in-one GPS navigator that comes with both on- and off-road navigation to help people better explore the great outdoors.

Some of the features we like include:

• A large 7” color touchscreen makes it easy to glance at and find what you want when driving.

• The device is durable and built to last with thermal and shock resistance. It’s also designed to withstand dust and extreme temperature.

• It comes with a magnetic mount and a suction cup, allowing you to easily mount it anywhere you wish.

• It comes with topographical maps with 4X4 roads including public land boundaries.

• Routing, pitch, and roll gauges all based on your vehicle’s height, size, and weight.

• Turn-by-turn directions wherever you want to go.

• The ability to create routes and waypoints to plot trips and share these with friends.

• It comes preloaded with iOverlander points of interest, including ultimate public campgrounds so you can still find a route to a campsite of your choice even if you’re in an area without a cellphone signal.

• It has 64GB of storage so you can download additional maps and Quad sheets and sync this data between Garmin devices (Wi-Fi is required).

• In an emergency, you can connect to Garmin InReach mini satellite communicator which allows you to transmit interactive SOS and two-way messages.

Using Garmin Offroad

Adding your vehicle profile

Garmin Offroad allows you to set up your vehicle profile so you can receive routing info based on the height and weight of your vehicle, especially larger ones such as trailers or campers. You can set up a separate vehicle profile for each vehicle you’re going to use with your Garmin device.

1. From the home screen, select the vehicle icon.

2. Then select the plus sign then choose the vehicle which resembles your vehicle configuration.

3. From there follow the prompts to enter the vehicle characteristics

Importing Files

First, make sure you’ve created a Garmin Explore account. For convenience, sync the Garmin device with your desktop.

1. From your desktop, log in to your Explore account.

2. Navigate to the map tab at the top of the page.

3. Select the import data icon from the right-hand corner.

4. Then choose between importing your files as tracks or routes. Tracks may work better.

5. Name the file then drag and drop it to upload or import.

6. The data will now appear on your collections list.

7. If your Garmin device is synced with your desktop, your file and data will automatically upload to your device.

Exporting Files

You can track your trip, add interesting waypoints then decide to share this with friends. To do so, you can export files you’ve saved ad GPX files.

1. Ensure your desktop and device are synchronized.

2. Navigate to your Explore account.

3. Navigate to the map you want to share.

4. Click on the Export icon at the top right of the screen, next to the Import one, and select either KML or GPX.

5. The file automatically exports to your desktop so you can share it with others.

Synchronizing Garmin Explore Account Data

Synchronizing data between your desktop and the Explore app allows you to easily import and export maps. Thanks to the Garmin Explore account, you can synchronize and share data such as routes, waypoints, and other activities so you can keep this information on all your devices.

Remember to connect to a Wi-Fi network before synchronizing your account data.

1. Go to the Explore app and select Account.

2. Confirm that the Sync User Data option is selected.

3. Then select the sync app for synchronizing to start.

Downloading Maps with the Explore App on the Overlander

Another great feature of Garmin Overlander is that you can have detailed topographic maps of North or South America right at your fingertips and you can download and use maps of the rest of the world in the Explore app. A Wi-Fi connection is required for downloading the maps.

1. Open the Explore app and tap the Map icon at the bottom. You can also tap the Layers icon on the top left corner of the map.

2. Next tap Maps then Download Maps.

3. If the next screen brings up a few map download choices, tap Show More Map Types to list more.

4. Now you can select maps to download by tapping the download arrows on the right or by selecting the map name for an area list.

Creating a Waypoint

Garmin allows you to create and save waypoints and other points of interest using the Explore app then sync them to a compatible Garmin device or the Garmin Explore website. Alternatively, you can still create routes and waypoints offline then later sync them to a compatible device.

1. Open the Explore app and select the Map icon.

2. Select the plus sign in the top left.

3. To create a waypoint that’s at your current location choose Add Waypoint.

4. If you wish, you can edit the details of the waypoint e.g. naming it, giving it an icon, adding coordinates or notes about the location.

For more information on Satnav devices or Southern Utah trail maps resources, visit either of our auto shops in Moab or St. George. We’ll be happy to help.