Setting up a Garmin Nuvi 2597
with special routes
The ability for me to tell my GPS EXACTLY what route I want to take is important. My GPS is happy to calculate what it thinks is the best route to take. For example, to get from North Olmsted, Ohio to Avon, NC it will take me through two NIGHTMARE roads. The first is around D.C. and the second is between Richmond, Virginia and Norfolk on I-64. NO, NO, NO … I do NOT want to go that way.
My Garmin GPS has a way to design a map in Google Maps and then, through a series of steps that can only be described as black magic, transfer that route into the GPS. The problem is that it takes two days of pulling your hair out to understand the steps that are required. And then there is a secret sauce that no one tells you about.
So I allocate and suffer the three days of pissed off mean and angry and get it set up. A year later someone says, you should try this route. Another three days because there is no way to remember the secrets you previously learned. Rinse. Repeat.
The purpose of this article is to provide me with a way to remember how to do this so I don’t have to keep remembering!
1. Create the new, improved, time saving, best since sliced bread route in Google Maps.
2. Copy the URL of the map to https://mapstogpx.com/ and hit convert.
3. Save the resulting GPX file to your computer.
4. Start the program Basecamp by Garmin.
5. Import the GPX file to Basecamp.
6. Select the direction file (little footprint icons) that resulted from the GPX file you put in the program and right click to “Create Route”.
7. Rename the route to what you want.
8. Send the route to the Garmin.
9. Hit the road.