Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

Using Our Maps

  2. Home
  3. /
  4. Docs
  5. /
  6. Using Our Maps
  7. /
  8. Live Map (Default View)
  9. /
  10. Map Layers

Map Layers

Map layers change the base map under the participants and routes, for example from a street map to satellite imagery.

Changing the map layer

  1. Click or tap DETAILS on the right-hand edge of the Live map.
  2. If the tools are hidden, click the ACTION CONTROLS bar to open it.
  3. Under MAP LAYERS:, click a layer. The map switches straight away. Participants, routes and checkpoints stay on top.
The open Action Controls section with the Map Layers buttons Default, Dark, Satellite, OSM and OpenTopoMap circled in purple.
The Map Layers buttons in Action Controls on Badlands 2026.

The layers

  • DEFAULT: a detailed MapTiler map with roads, place names and hill shading. This is what most maps open on.
  • DARK: a dark version of the default map. It’s easier on the eyes at night and makes bright dots and routes stand out.
  • SATELLITE: aerial imagery, with place names and borders on top. Good for seeing terrain, forest and towns.
  • OSM: the standard OpenStreetMap map. It shows lots of detail, such as paths, shops and campsites.
  • OPENTOPOMAP: a topographic map with contour lines, based on OpenStreetMap. Useful in hills and mountains.
The map in Satellite view, showing aerial imagery of mountains in southern Spain with the route marked by white dashes, direction arrows and distance markers.
The Satellite layer on Badlands 2026.

Extra layers on a few events

A few events add an extra layer of their own. This is rare, and almost always a New Zealand event using NZ Topo, the official New Zealand topographic map. Extra layers show up as more buttons under MAP LAYERS:.

When it might not appear

  • Some maps open on a different layer chosen by the organiser. You can still switch.
  • ACTION CONTROLS can start closed, and always does on a phone or small screen. Click or tap it to open.
  • Minimal Mode always uses the plain OpenStreetMap map, and you can’t change the layer there.

Last reviewed: October 2026

On this page

  • Changing the map layer
  • The layers
  • Extra layers on a few events
  • When it might not appear
  • Related articles