I’ve just tried Strava Premium — and this is the feature I’d pay for twice

I’m not the best with directions. Honestly, trying to map out a good running, cycling, or hiking route based on distance or terrain has often been harder for me than the actual exercise. I’ve spent way too much time staring at maps trying to figure out a loop that works, whether that’s for a long marathon training run, a ride with friends, or a hike timed perfectly around daylight hours.

Enter Strava Premium’s Suggested Routes feature, which has completely changed the game for me and made my life so much easier. Strava is featured in our guide to the best running apps, and while many people reading this may be using the free version, Suggested Routes is a premium feature I can fully get behind paying for. Here’s how to use it and why I think you'll like it too.

How to use the suggested routes feature

Before you get started, remember this feature is only available to Strava Premium subscribers. Not a Premium subscriber yet? You can upgrade within the Strava app or on their website.

1. Open Strava and click on the Maps function at the bottom left of your screen
2. Choose your starting point. This can be your home, your current location, or by searching for an area you want to begin from.
3. Select your activity type via the little icon at the top left-hand corner of your screen.
4. Set your preferred distance, elevation, surface, and difficulty to match how you want to challenge yourself.
5. Pick your route source. You can choose from community-powered suggestions, popular segments, or explore heatmaps and points of interest yourself.
6. Review the generated routes and select one that suits you best.
7. Save the route to your account and download it to your phone if you want offline access.

Now we've covered how to use this feature let's get onto why I think this premium feature is a game changer.

The routes are tailored to exactly where you are

What I love most is that this feature suggests routes right from exactly where I am, whether that’s my front door or some random spot in the middle of nowhere. It doesn’t matter if I’m traveling or just exploring locally from my home, I know I can find a route instantly without any guesswork.

You can also tailor the search by sport modes including Run, Trail Run, Walk, Hike, Ride or Mountain Bike Ride. You can choose whether you want suggestions powered by community data, based on popular segments, or just a blank map to explore heatmaps and points of interest yourself.

Plus, you can filter for preferred length, elevation, surface, and difficulty so you get exactly what you’re in the mood for.

Running in new places is made easy

I love traveling, but running in a new city when you have no idea where to go can be intimidating. Suggested Routes helps you find suitable runs that start right where you are, make sure you can tailor it your preferred distance, and get you back to where you started from instead of somewhere halfway across town.

My only critique of this feature is that I have found the distance isn't always 100% accurate. So if you search for 5K routes, you may finish up a little short or gone a little over.

It takes a lot of brain power out of planning larger activities

I’ve trained for two marathons in London and unless you’re willing to run dozens of laps around your local park, planning long runs in a big built up city can be a headache. This feature finds suitable long routes I’d never have the brainpower to map myself, looping right back to my front door so I can jump straight into the shower when I’m done. It saves me so much time and mental energy.

Strava Premium is great for discovering good hiking routes

I recently moved near some hills and have been itching to explore more hikes. With Suggested Routes, I just search for the area I'd like to explore on the map and find new trails then tailor the route so it fits the time I have before sundown and matches how bold I'm feeling with elevation. It’s been a perfect way to get out more and try routes I wouldn’t have found on my own.

Is this feature worth upgrading to Strava Premium?

If you love getting outside but hate planning routes, then yes, in my humble opinion, Suggested Routes is absolutely worth upgrading for. While Strava Premium offers many helpful tools like training plans, detailed performance metrics, and safety features, I get most of those from one of the best running watches. Suggested Routes is the one feature I use consistently and rely on the most.

It takes the stress out of finding runs, rides, or hikes that fit your exact location, distance, and terrain preferences. Whether you’re exploring a new city, training for a race, or just discovering local trails, this feature makes it effortless to get out the door and enjoy your activity without overthinking your route.

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