onX Adds Trail Difficulty, Terrain Selection, And More to Mapping App
onX Offroad is one of the best off-road navigation tools available today, and the company recently announced upgrades and additions to its platform that will improve it even further. Among these features are the Guided Trails Rating System, terrain classifications, hotspots, and points of interest icons.
There is seemingly no such thing as too much detail when it comes to off-road mapping and navigation applications, tools, and services. For those looking to maximize their time enjoying the outdoors, onX Offroad has brought out additions and revisions to improve the experience. The first among these changes is the new Guided Trails Rating System. This addition gives trails colorized mappings, which correlate to the difficulty of the trail itself. Green represents easy, Blue is moderate, Black is difficult, and Red is extreme. This aligns with how many private off-road parks are mapped, and we appreciate that consistency.
Another feature comes by way of filtering terrain to your chosen type. Let's say you want to do a rocky ride, but want to avoid the mud: The new terrain classification tool can help with that. onX has created eight new types of terrain, which are Slick Rock, Forest, Alpine, Prairie, Rock Crawl, Desert, Sand Dunes, and Mud. onX says this will help enthusiasts know what pressure to set their tires at ahead of time, but it also helps with planning how much mileage can be covered in a given time.
Last but not least, onX has revised and refined the Points of Interest icons. The company says they are now "easier to read at a quick glance," which is a good thing when trying to make quick decisions on the fly.
Ross hosts The Off the Road Again Podcast. He has been in the off-road world since he was a kid riding in the back of his dad’s YJ Wrangler. He works in marketing by day and in his free time contributes to Hooniverse, AutoGuide, and ATV.com, and in the past has contributed to UTV Driver, ATV Rider, and Everyday Driver. Ross drives a 2018 Lexus GX460 that is an ongoing build project featured on multiple websites and the podcast and spends his free time working on and riding ATVs.
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