Google (or Other) Maps: Avoiding Dirt Roads

"Tim (Fractal Footwork)" (fractalfootwork)
11/03/2020 at 17:24 • Filed to: None

My neanderthal process of finding a good driving road goes like this:

Pull up Google Maps and pan around until I see a squiggly road.

Zoom in closer and discover that the road is dirt/gravel.

Get frustrated that I’m only finding dirt/gravel roads and give up.

It would be great if there was a way in Google Maps (or any other platform) to filter out dirt/gravel roads ?

DISCUSSION (28)

sony1492 > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 17:30

Alternatively, finding out the nearest driving road you arnt familiar with is 80 miles

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 17:30

I’m interested to see the responses on this. For me, I typically see if the road has Streetview as a base level of driving recon.

Have you tried Roads? Porsche’s new app for finding driving roads? Seems to be pretty slick.

https://roads.porsche.com/en/

For Sweden > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 17:31

They’re good roads

Kinja'd!!!

UserNotFound > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 17:31

How about some vinyl paint protection and some rally tires.

SiennaMan > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 17:32

I like this idea, but I'd want it to also filter for dirt/gravel roads..

Alfalfa > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 17:36

The opposite would also be nice, although there are other apps that will do that for you.

boredalways > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/03/2020 at 17:36

Booo! Only available for iPhone

HammerheadFistpunch > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 17:37

I have the opposite problem here. There is no shortage of curvy roads (point car at mountain) but they are all paved or private. Need dirt.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > boredalways
11/03/2020 at 17:39

“ GET OUT OF HERE POOR!!!” - Porsche

Yeah, I know. I’m a Pixel guy myself. I loaded it onto my work Iphone just to see how it looks/works.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 17:42

In my experience, dirt roads do not exist.

I’ve ever looked for them and I’ve managed to find one (1) besides a certain national park parking lot access road (which the county has paved right up to the point where their jurisdiction runs out).

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > HammerheadFistpunch
11/03/2020 at 17:42

Same. Dirt roads do not exist in the southeast US unfortunately.

CB > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 17:45

> laughs in Saskatchewan

PowderHound > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 17:49

I assume that you are talking about nearby roads.

1. Do you have local car clubs? See if they have drives they go on and you can steal their routes.

2. Do you have seasonal mountain pass roads? some of those may be paved and are usually nice and windy.

3. Find some people with decent cars and pester them to give you their secrets.

HammerheadFistpunch > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
11/03/2020 at 17:58

There’s plenty here , but they are all a drive

Tim (Fractal Footwork) > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/03/2020 at 18:06

Downloaded! I like the concept, but the app itself needs some work; very laggy when I go to the map

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 18:07

Really? I found it pretty smooth when I tried it. Not many routes in Vancouver, but I think I may try a couple out.

Thomas Donohue > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 18:11

What’s dirt? Is that the stuff between the cobble stones?

Kinja'd!!!

Tim (Fractal Footwork) > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/03/2020 at 18:15

Yeah. I have an iPhone X and it struggles hard when I try to pan around on the map. I did find a couple roads in western WA that I’m excited to try out though

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 18:17

Nice! Do share if there are any that are amazing. Once the border reopens (in 2030) I'll be heading down for a drive or two

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 18:34

Alls I can say is don’t trust Monique’s shortcut instincts in the southern Montana/northern Wyoming area.

ranwhenparked > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
11/03/2020 at 18:50

There’s a decent amount in rural Virginia - Franklin, Floyd, Carroll counties and the surrounding areas.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > ranwhenparked
11/03/2020 at 19:02

Central Georgia has like 2 dirt roads worth mentioning plus the occasional gravel alley. But even in rural areas dirt does not exist.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 19:21

I would like this superpower.

Caltopo marks dirt roads differently. Might give that a go.

boredalways > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
11/03/2020 at 19:24

3XL here. I just hate that car companies make the assumption that iPhone and iOS is the best and everyone that buys their cars have one.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 19:26

Waze has “don’t allow dirt roads”.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/03/2020 at 22:15

Google Maps in Oz is as reliable as a vintage Alfa Romeo when it comes to the road network around here. Google just used an algorithm or three to interpret cadastral maps and visual images to identify ‘roads’. So, as a result, every damn property track is identified as an accessible road...which it isn’t.

Open Maps is a little better but it goes too far the other way at times...

CaptDale - is secretly British > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/04/2020 at 01:20

I really wish Google would do what paper maps do and actually change how they look depending on the type of road surface.

Mercedes Streeter > Tim (Fractal Footwork)
11/04/2020 at 02:43

Last time I used Waze it had an option to avoid dirt roads. It won't filter the roads out, but if you start a route it won't take you down them.