gpx/kml files in google maps

I've been poking around for a way to improve the use of smartphone GPS for more backcountry day use without the custom apps.

So far this is preliminary and I'll try it out this weekend to confirm.

You'll need a Google account as you'll use the Drive and MyMaps apps and webpage.

https://www.techjunkie.com/gpx-google-maps/ describes using mymaps.google.com to load gps file data into a custom google map. You can load multiple gpx files to a custom map, but you probably don't want to cover too much area so the map remains a reasonable size for the phone to handle.

Now you need to use that custom map in Google's map app on your phone.

https://theunconventionalroute.com/google-maps-tricks/ This shows how to open the map and use it offline, but you can't close the app or you lose the cached data. It doesn't have to be the active app, just don't close it.

This should give you road and hike GPS navigation without more apps or cell signal. And without a separate GPS unit.

There are some things it would be nice to do without the cache concern but there may be workarounds to come.