While our site occasionally offers hiking suggestions and regions to explore, there are many resources online for finding hiking route ideas. Numerous sites have pooled topographic data and GPS tracks that you can download, along with route descriptions. But the sheer volume of options makes it hard to know where to start. Here's an overview and our recommendations for choosing your hiking site and finding the right route idea for next weekend or your upcoming holiday!
The great thing about the internet is that you can find almost anything, for free. The downside is that quality is often inconsistent, and you risk wasting your time on fruitless searches. You might also put your trust in certain recommendations that, once you're out in the field, turn out to be unreliable or uninspiring. That's why we wanted to recommend only the hiking sites and websites where you can find interesting, reliable, well-documented hiking route ideas that have been tested by other users. We've focused primarily on hiking in France, although some of these sites also offer international options.
A hiking site for finding route ideas
Most of the sites we recommend are collaborative platforms — meaning anyone can upload a hiking route and share it with the wider community. In most cases, users can leave comments or reviews. Over time, you can see which hikes are well received (a sign of quality) and which ones to avoid. Most of these sites also offer filter options to help you refine your searches, and of course allow you to download GPS tracks or a map for personal use.
Specialist sites
FFRP: the website of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre lets you search for waymarked hiking routes across France. You'll find all waymarked trails with information on the location and the relevant topo-guide. You can also search for hikes using various criteria (length, region, type of terrain). This tool is more suited to selecting a hiking idea than to getting precise details of the route itself. You'll only find links to the topo-guide for purchase — not the exact route — but you'll at least know the starting point to join the hiking itinerary.
TraceGPS.com: the interface feels a little dated, but this site is highly practical and fully functional, with a massive hiking database. You can search for a hiking route idea using multiple criteria — via the map, or by distance, elevation gain, duration, required level, and more.
You can then view the route on a map, explore it in 3D on Google Earth, or of course download the GPS track. It's one of the most comprehensive sites out there, and the quality of the hikes on offer is genuinely very good. Many are original and off the beaten track, and some won't be found anywhere else.
Visorando: a really impressive hiking site with a great library of hiking route ideas covering all of France, with a strong focus on the south-east. You can search by duration, difficulty and type of hike (on foot, on horseback, etc.). You can also do a simple map-based search by region. Each route description is fairly detailed and packed with useful additional information. For every route, you can download and print the map, or use a GPS track if one has been uploaded.
Also worth noting: this site includes a tool to find the corresponding IGN maps for any given location, as well as a built-in tool for plotting your own hiking routes directly on the site.
Randozone: another very comprehensive site covering hiking and trekking routes across France and around the world. You can search for a hike using various criteria, such as location, town or map reference. The site also features a 'Major Reports' and 'Gear Tests' section to help you plan your next outdoor outing. You'll also find IGN maps of the best hikes, plus a Services section with mountain hut listings and practical information.
RandoGPS : this hiking site also boasts a large database of hiking route ideas — you're sure to find what you're looking for. Route presentations on the map are very clear: if you have an IGN pack, you can activate it and view your hiking route on an IGN map background. But even without it, the base map is really very good and produces quality prints for navigation. GPS tracks are also available, of course. On the downside, route descriptions are often brief (depending on the contributor) and the information provided can sometimes be confusing.
Pyrandonnées: as the name suggests, this hiking site offers routes exclusively in the Pyrenees. That said, you'll find a considerable number of them, with genuinely high-quality information. You can tell that these routes have been put together or reviewed by truly experienced hikers. The site also includes a forum and plenty of other information about the Pyrenean massif. An essential resource if you're planning to spend time walking in the Pyrenees.
Altituderando: a modern hiking site offering over 5,300 hiking route ideas. You can search for a route using the map or by applying other filters. Notably, you can search by a specific summit or mountain range — very useful features for those accustomed to mountain hiking. The comments and advice provided for each hiking route are generally very thorough and detailed. You can tell they've been written by genuine enthusiasts, with a strong emphasis on safety and mountain awareness. Many summit ascents are described in great detail, packed with sound tips and advice.
Sentiers en France: a truly exceptional site! Fairly under the radar online, yet home to over 16,000 hikes across France. For each route, you get access to a well-crafted PDF sheet with an introductory text, a route description and a map. The site is free and/or paid, but the work that has gone into it is quite phenomenal. Worth noting that this is a go-to site for those who love rural France and the French countryside, as it champions accessible, gentle hikes — though it's less focused on long-distance hiking or mountain routes, even if plenty of massif trails are covered.
France rando: this hiking site is also aimed at those who want to hike across all departments of France. The advantage is being able to pick up route ideas with maps and elevation profiles (though without GPS tracks), and to find a selection of gîtes and things to see and do in the surrounding area. More clearly geared towards leisure hiking than sport hiking, this site nonetheless offers an appealing and user-friendly interface, with over 88,000 kilometres of hiking routes listed.
More general or multi-activity sites
Camptocamp: a hiking site that goes well beyond hiking. You'll find thousands of pieces of information and activity ideas of all kinds for mountain adventures worldwide. Walking and hiking isn't the dominant discipline, but there's still plenty of it. Worth noting that for climbing enthusiasts, this site is an absolute treasure, with a huge number of routes described in detail.
Finally, this hiking site has a very rich documentary base in its topoguide section, where you'll find a wealth of information. If you search for "calanques", for example, you'll find a very comprehensive page on the Calanques de Marseille site, packed with useful and interesting details. A true encyclopaedia, complete with maps, photos and plenty of practical advice.
I-trekkings: this site is not strictly a hiking route site — it's more of a collection of trekking trip reports from various regions around the world. The international dimension is fairly strong, but you'll still find over a hundred reports covering routes in France.
Tracerando: another comprehensive site with a dedicated category for walking hiking routes (you'll also find snowshoe hiking and mountain biking). The selection isn't enormous and the interface may feel a little dated, but everything works well. You'll find a good variety of hikes, with a decent proportion of culturally themed routes that are less sport-focused.
Openrunner: this is more of a multi-purpose GPS track sharing platform than a hiking site. That said, it's quite easy to find hiking route ideas on it. Easy to use and popular among outdoor enthusiasts who share their discoveries, it does also attract a broad range of contributors who post all sorts of content — so the density of genuinely interesting, high-quality hiking routes is lower, and routes tend to come with less supplementary information.
Routeyou : a popular general-purpose GPS track sharing site that also features a wide range of hiking routes. Presentations are well put together and rich in content, with plenty of photos and tourist information. The Routeyou community is quite active, and the comments are genuinely useful for getting a clear picture of the quality of any given hike.
Other resources for finding hiking route ideas online
Beyond these more general sharing platforms, you'll also find more specialist sites. Some are the work of tourism boards, local councils or private individuals — such as the site Nous randonnons, launched in 2019 by enthusiasts of hiking, treks and outdoor adventures (the original idea being simply to inspire people to hit the road, walk anywhere in France, and compare hiking gear to deliver the best advice).
Another example is the blog Trace Ta Route, run by three outdoor and travel enthusiasts — Edouard, Julie and Tristan — since 2013! Other bloggers have since joined the adventure alongside them. Their strength? Each contributor brings their own character and vision, taking readers to explore the world through different perspectives, with subjective words and images. To find them (listing them all here would take far too long), try a Google search using the name of your chosen region followed by "hiking route" — you should come across plenty of interesting sites. Not all of them are particularly rich or comprehensive, but there are often some real gems.
Official and institutional sites often have a wealth of information to share. For instance, if you're planning to visit a national park, you can often find a great selection of hikes on the park's own website. In the case of the Mercantour, for example, you'll find a dedicated official site listing hikes in a very high-quality format. Richly detailed and well written, each hike is described with plenty of information to help you plan your outing thoroughly.
Finally, you can also find a wealth of information and route suggestions on specialist forums. Many hiking sites have forum sections where users share and exchange information. Contributors often post thorough trip reports of their hikes, complete with GPS tracks, maps and other details. This can be a real goldmine for finding original, off-the-beaten-track hiking route ideas.
You'll also find plenty of information and route suggestions on travel websites, where forums allow users to share hiking routes. This is particularly true of sites focused on international travel destinations, where some hikers gather local information, translate it, and share routes and advice in country- or theme-specific forum sections.
Either way, the internet offers an almost limitless supply of hiking route ideas and hiking sites. That said, it's important to stay cautious and verify sources, or cross-reference information. Other users' comments are a good indicator of route quality — don't jump on the first hike you come across without doing a little research yourself. Finally, whatever information you find or GPS tracks you download, it's always advisable to hike with a paper map. It's a genuine support tool and a real mine of information — but it's also a safety net, since electronics can fail too! And it's the best way to get to grips with map reading and sharpen your navigation skills!
Photo credits: Delphine Daniélou
