Display & Interface Route

A route is a planned navigation path on your chartplotter created by connecting two or more waypoints in sequence. Routes allow you to plan a course from your current position to a destination, navigate between multiple fishing spots in a predetermined order, and follow proven paths that avoid shallow water, navigational hazards, or no-wake zones.

Creating a route involves selecting existing waypoints or tapping points on the chart to define your path. The chartplotter then calculates the total distance, estimated travel time at your current speed, and compass bearing to each leg of the route. Most units display a guidance line on the map and show course-to-steer information, distance to the next waypoint, and estimated time of arrival.

Routes are particularly useful in large bodies of water, coastal navigation, and unfamiliar territory. Tournament anglers often build routes between their planned fishing spots the night before competition day, ensuring they can move between locations efficiently without wasting time navigating manually. Offshore anglers create routes to navigate between reef sites, wrecks, and other structure that require precise GPS positioning to locate.

Premium chartplotters include auto-routing or auto-guidance features that calculate safe routes based on charted depths, avoiding shallow water and obstacles automatically. Garmin's Auto Guidance feature and similar tools from other brands can plot a course through complex waterways, though you should always verify the suggested route visually before following it blindly, as chart data is not always perfectly current.