How To Show Gradients On A Route Map

If you want to highlight the hills on a route that's been saved on plotaroute.com, there is a quick and easy way to do this. Follow these instructions:

1. Select and view the route.
   
   
2. Click the DISPLAY menu above the map and toggle the HILLINESS option to turn it on.
   
   
   
   
3. This will change the colour of different sections of the route to show where the hills are. Red sections are uphill, green is downhill. Darker shades indicate steeper gradients. Flat sections, where the gradient is less than 2%, are shown in the default colour (you can change the default colour of your route and its transparency on your My Settings page).
   
   
   
   
4. Once the Hilliness option has been turned on, you can see the gradient at different points along the route by moving your mouse over the route line.
   
   
   
   
5. It can also be useful to look at the elevation profile itself while you have the hilliness option turned on by selecting HILLS from the menu above the map.
   
   

For even more detailed analysis of the hills on a route, including the option to zoom in to examine sections in close up, click on the Route Profile Tool link on the elevation profile chart (as shown above).