GPX Distance Calculator
A free tool to measure distances between any two points along a GPX route.
The GPX Distance Calculator measures the distance between any two points along a GPX route — along the track, not in a straight line. It is free, requires no account, and runs entirely in your browser.
What it is for
- Splitting a long route into realistic daily stages
- Measuring distance from a campsite to the next water source
- Checking whether a section is achievable in a single day
- Analysing a specific trail segment before committing to it
Step 1 — Choose your measurement system
Before uploading, select your preferred unit system from the Measurement System card:
| Option | Distance | Elevation |
|---|---|---|
| Metric | km | m |
| Imperial | mi | ft |
| Mixed | mi | m (UK convention — miles for distance, metres for elevation) |
Step 2 — Upload your GPX file
Drag a .gpx file onto the upload zone, or click Browse files to select one. The tool accepts any standard .gpx file up to 10 MB.
After upload, your route appears on the map as a blue line, and a distance profile rail is drawn at the bottom of the map. If the GPX includes elevation, the rail shows the elevation profile; if not, it shows a flat dashed line labelled No elevation data — you can still click the rail to set points A and B.
Step 3 — Select two points
Click on the map (near the trail) or the elevation profile at the bottom of the map to place your points. Clicks snap to the nearest point on the route.
- First click — places Point A
- Second click — places Point B and calculates the distance immediately
- Third click — resets and starts a new measurement from a new Point A
Hover over the elevation profile to preview a point on the map before you click.
Clicking very close to the start or end of the chart snaps to the exact start or end of the route, making it easy to measure the full route length.
Reading the result
The result panel shows:
- Distance in your primary unit (large), and the equivalent in the alternate unit (smaller)
- Elevation gain — total metres (or feet) climbed along the segment between A and B, if the GPX file contains elevation data
- Net elevation (along route) — how much higher or lower the later point is than the earlier point along the trail (not click order — if you set A downstream of B, this still follows the route direction)
Copying the result
- Click any individual value to copy just that number to your clipboard
- Click Copy all to copy a formatted string — e.g.
"22.4 km (13.9 mi) with ↗ 450m gain"
A checkmark briefly appears after copying to confirm.
Clearing and resetting
- Clear — removes the current A/B measurement but keeps the GPX loaded, so you can measure another segment immediately
- Clear & upload new — removes everything and returns to the upload screen
No account required
The calculator works without a Trailkeep account. All processing happens in your browser — your GPX file is never uploaded to a server.
The tool does not save state between sessions. Closing or refreshing the page clears everything — the uploaded file, measurements, and unit preference. Save any results you need before closing.
Using it alongside the Trip Planner
The calculator complements the Trip Planner well. Use it first to work out how to split your route into daily stages, then switch to the Trip Planner to build the full day-by-day itinerary with waypoints, gear, and safety contacts.
The distance calculator is accessible from the footer, from the user menu in the dashboard (opens in a new tab), and from the docs sidebar.