What is GPS Art?
GPS art is drawing on a map with your GPS track: you plan a route in the shape of a picture, then run, walk or ride it while a device records where you went. This page explains the practice, and then shows how to make your own with GPSArtify, the world's first Strava art generator.
Trusted by 54,000+
The picture only exists where you actually went. Nothing is drawn by hand, so the map is proof that the route was real, and that is what makes a finished piece so satisfying to share.
Most people first see it as Strava art, because Strava is where the pictures get shared. However, the practice is older than the app: artists have been drawing with GPS receivers since the early 2000s, and any device that records a track can do it.
GPSArtify, the world's first Strava art generator, plans the route for you, so you can make your own.
*Note on Strava: While Strava is a popular platform for showcasing GPS Art, it's not the only option available. You can also create and share your GPS-based artworks using various devices and apps such as Komoot, Nike Run Club (NRC), Garmin, and more. After recording, you can then share your GPS Art on social media platforms such as Instagram to reach a broader audience.
How to do GPS Art?
1. Plan your route
First, plan your GPS art route with GPSArtify, so there are no more planning struggles.
2. Record Your Journey
Then navigate and record your journey with your preferred sports tracking or navigation app (Komoot, Strava, Garmin, ...), or with the GPSArtify tracker.
3. Share Your Artwork
Finally, share your masterpiece with the world: post it on social media or share it with friends!
Register to plan your route
Use hashtag: #GPSArtify
Plan GPS Art with AI
Planning might seem daunting, but you can help yourself out with AI.
Instead of fitting a shape to the streets by hand, you hand the planning to GPSArtify. This GPS art generator then overlays your design onto the map, simplifying the route creation process.
Based on your location and preferred shape, our AI finds potential routes for you, and in Smart mode it rates how well an area suits GPS art before you commit to it.
Urban or freestyle: two ways to make it
In a city, the drawing follows streets. You choose a neighbourhood and a distance, and then the route is fitted to real roads and paths, so every line is somewhere you can actually go. Grid-like districts give the cleanest corners, while winding old towns suit curves and letters.
In open ground, the drawing is free. Parks, beaches, fields and frozen lakes let you move in any direction, so you simply follow the line of the shape. Freestyle pieces are usually smaller and quicker, and therefore the easiest way to start.
How far do you have to go?
A running piece usually fits inside a neighbourhood, so a few kilometres to a half marathon is typical, while a cycling piece can span a whole city. Set the distance before you pick the shape, because the generator plans the drawing to the distance and area you choose.
Freestyle drawings in a park can be as short as a couple of kilometres, and therefore they are the quickest way to try it. Once the first one is on the map, bigger shapes get easier to judge.
What is Strava Art?
You are doing GPS art when you draw on a map using a GPS device. We say Strava art when the drawing is recorded during a physical activity and then shared on Strava.
Because the pictures spread on Strava, that name stuck, even though the method is the same everywhere.
GPS drawing, GPS art or Strava art?
They are the same thing seen from three angles. GPS drawing is the oldest name: an artist plans a path and records it with a GPS receiver so the track becomes a line drawing on the map. Meanwhile, GPS art is what the same practice is usually called today. Strava art, finally, is GPS art that gets recorded and shared on Strava, which is where most people first see it.
Whatever you call it, the work has two halves: planning a route whose shape reads as a picture, and then covering it on foot, by bike, or with any sport that records a GPS track.
Plan a GPS drawing with the GPS art generatorRead the step-by-step GPS drawing guide
Real Strava art planned with GPSArtify
These are not mock-ups. Instead, each picture is a route that was planned in the generator, exported, and then recorded by a real runner or rider.
Cartoon dog, Montreal · Planned with GPSArtify 
Reindeer, Lyon · Planned with GPSArtify 
Pi, Montreal · Planned with GPSArtify 
Freestyle hearts, Budapest · Planned with GPSArtify
Loved by 54,000+ GPS artists in 150+ countries
- Real routes, planned here and then recorded for real
- GPX export for Garmin, Komoot, Strava and Wahoo
- Runs in the browser, so there is nothing to install
Morgan L. “I found the Eiffel Tower on the roads of Paris with GPSArtify.”
Luis M. “Would never have found this route”
Priya S. “GPSArtify turned my jog into a fun park route.”
Jamie K. “The AI suggestions keep every new route feeling fresh.”
Thankful Ride “It's so fun to go on random streets/alleys that I wouldn't have travel down w/o this tool. Thanks”
What you get before you pay
Creating a GPSArtify account is free, and there is nothing to install: the generator runs in your browser. Generating routes, exporting GPX files and using the tracker are part of a paid subscription; the current plans are shown inside the app after you sign up.
So you can sign up, look around, and decide when you are ready to plan your first route.
GPS art FAQ
What is GPS art?
A picture made by moving. You plan a route in the shape of something, then run, walk or ride it while a GPS device records your track, and the map of the activity shows the drawing.
How do people do Strava art?
They plan the shape first, usually with a generator, then export the route as a GPX file, follow it with a watch or phone while recording, and finally upload the activity so the map shows the picture.
How do you make a GPS drawing?
Pick an area with enough streets or open ground for your shape, plan the route so every line is something you can actually travel, and then record it in one go. Pausing your tracker while you reposition keeps the lines clean.
Is there an interactive map I can draw on?
Yes: GPSArtify lets you draw a shape or upload a picture on the map, then fits it to real streets or lets you follow the line freely in open ground. The result downloads as a GPX file.
Is there an app where I can draw my route?
GPSArtify runs in the browser on your phone or computer, so there is nothing to install. Plan the shape there, then export the GPX file to Garmin, Komoot, Strava Routes or whatever app you record with.