GPX Viewer PRO offers a range of map styles for different situations. The map choice depends on what you are doing, where you are, and what information you need from the map. Here is a practical guide to help you pick the right style for the right moment.
You are planning a hike and want to understand the terrain
Before heading out, you want to know how steep the climbs are, where the ridges are, and what the landscape actually looks like. Contour lines are the key to reading elevation: the closer they are together, the steeper the terrain. Topo is the strongest choice here, it shows contour lines with elevation numbers and clear hillshading, giving you a detailed picture of the terrain. Outdoors works well for the same purpose with a softer, more muted look, and also marks trails and points of interest. Walkabout is another option worth considering, it combines contour lines and hillshading with a good range of outdoor POIs, all on a light green background that makes forested and elevated areas easy to distinguish at a glance.
For a completely different perspective, online Google Maps Satellite lets you see the actual ground — vegetation, rocky sections, open terrain — which can be useful when you want to visually assess a route before you commit to it.
Going on a hiking or cycling trip
You want to see roads clearly and know where hiking and cycling paths and trails are. Street is a practical choice, it shows roads in detail, and marks cycling and hiking trails. Outdoors and Walkabout also mark trails and are good options if you want terrain context alongside the road network.
Exploring a new city
You want to spot cafés, museums, transit stops, and other points of interest quickly. Walkabout and Outdoors also show a good range of urban POIs. Online Google Maps is another good choice for city navigation with its familiar look and detailed street data.
Adapt your map to the light conditions
Screen readability changes a lot depending on whether you are in direct sunlight or navigating in the evening. Refill is the most flexible style for this, it offers multiple color themes so you can switch depending on conditions. For example, the sepia color theme has a very light, almost white background that is easy to read in bright daylight without the screen glare that darker maps can produce. The gray-gold color theme is dark, which reduces eye strain in low light and makes your loaded GPX tracks and marked trails stand out clearly against the background. Refill map has more themes for you to explore.
You want your GPX track to stand out on the map
Sometimes the map is just the background and your loaded GPX track is what matters. In that case, a busy or colorful map style can make it harder to read your route at a glance. Street, Cinnabar and Bubble Wrap are a good choice here — clean and minimal, with soft colors, clear road hierarchy, and very little visual noise, so your track stands out clearly on top of them. Refill in any of its lighter themes works well for the same reason. If you prefer a dark background, the gray-gold Refill theme makes colored tracks pop very effectively against the dark map.
Switching map styles in GPX Viewer PRO takes just a few taps, so it is worth experimenting to find what works best for your activity and the area you are in. The same route can look very different depending on the style, and sometimes a different map reveals details you would otherwise miss, whether that is a hiking trail marked through a forest or a viewpoint you had not noticed before.
