Looking for Scenic navigation tips (routing, rerouting, and usability)
Quote from ABest on 26.04.2026, 08:59Hello all,
I’m looking to gather 5–10 best-practice tips from experienced Scenic users to improve my overall touring experience.
I can clearly see the app’s potential—I’ve discovered some excellent roads in Central Pennsylvania that I likely wouldn’t have found otherwise. That said, I’m still struggling with the navigation experience compared to apps like Google Maps or Waze.
Main challenges:
- Staying on route:
With most navigation apps, I interpret directions correctly ~95% of the time. With Scenic, it feels closer to 50–60%.- Route clarity:
The map alone has been difficult to follow at times. I recently enabled voice directions, which has helped.- Routing behavior:
I’ve experimented with settings but haven’t found a reliable “sweet spot.”
- I don’t want unnecessary loops or forced backtracking to hit arbitrary waypoints
- But I also don’t want to miss key scenic segments
- Rerouting:
Going off-route seems somewhat inevitable, so rerouting behavior matters a lot
- Ideally: fewer reroutes overall
- When rerouting does happen: I’d prefer it to stay aligned with the spirit of the route
- Real-world issue:
On a recent ride, I was enjoying the route (voice prompts helped), but I hit a road closure and couldn’t recover cleanly within Scenic. I switched to Waze (avoiding highways) and got home without issue. Also beautiful roads. I believe they are plentiful in central PA.What I’ve tried so far:
- Enabled voice prompts
- Adjusted map colors for better visibility
- Tweaked routing settings (still unsure of best configuration)
- Continued general use to improve familiarity
What I’m looking for:
- Recommended routing settings (what actually works in practice)
- Strategies for minimizing unnecessary reroutes
- Tips for handling closures or going off-route
- Best practices for waypoint usage
- Any general workflow tips that improve reliability while riding
I suspect part of this is simply a learning curve, but I’d appreciate any guidance from more experienced users.
Thanks in advance.
Hello all,
I’m looking to gather 5–10 best-practice tips from experienced Scenic users to improve my overall touring experience.
I can clearly see the app’s potential—I’ve discovered some excellent roads in Central Pennsylvania that I likely wouldn’t have found otherwise. That said, I’m still struggling with the navigation experience compared to apps like Google Maps or Waze.
Main challenges:
- Staying on route:
With most navigation apps, I interpret directions correctly ~95% of the time. With Scenic, it feels closer to 50–60%. - Route clarity:
The map alone has been difficult to follow at times. I recently enabled voice directions, which has helped. - Routing behavior:
I’ve experimented with settings but haven’t found a reliable “sweet spot.”- I don’t want unnecessary loops or forced backtracking to hit arbitrary waypoints
- But I also don’t want to miss key scenic segments
- Rerouting:
Going off-route seems somewhat inevitable, so rerouting behavior matters a lot- Ideally: fewer reroutes overall
- When rerouting does happen: I’d prefer it to stay aligned with the spirit of the route
- Real-world issue:
On a recent ride, I was enjoying the route (voice prompts helped), but I hit a road closure and couldn’t recover cleanly within Scenic. I switched to Waze (avoiding highways) and got home without issue. Also beautiful roads. I believe they are plentiful in central PA.
What I’ve tried so far:
- Enabled voice prompts
- Adjusted map colors for better visibility
- Tweaked routing settings (still unsure of best configuration)
- Continued general use to improve familiarity
What I’m looking for:
- Recommended routing settings (what actually works in practice)
- Strategies for minimizing unnecessary reroutes
- Tips for handling closures or going off-route
- Best practices for waypoint usage
- Any general workflow tips that improve reliability while riding
I suspect part of this is simply a learning curve, but I’d appreciate any guidance from more experienced users.
Thanks in advance.
Quote from johansw on 26.04.2026, 11:26My goodness- quite a wish-list 😅
Anyway - here is my map setup. Easy to plan and navigation. I normally prefer blue and green roads - red if I have to 🙂
8E636E94-20A9-4727-BAF9-1CE5E412B917_51B91D2B-2B07-429A-BDDB-8ECE7DBBDC04
Cheers, Johan
My goodness- quite a wish-list 😅
Anyway - here is my map setup. Easy to plan and navigation. I normally prefer blue and green roads - red if I have to 🙂
8E636E94-20A9-4727-BAF9-1CE5E412B917_51B91D2B-2B07-429A-BDDB-8ECE7DBBDC04
Cheers, Johan
Quote from Guido on 27.04.2026, 11:59Hi @abest. Guido here, the developer of Scenic.
First, I recommend starting with the Walkthrough Video: https://youtu.be/em2oAJKWH40
That will give you an overview of all the screens and all possibilities of Scenic.Now, to answer your specific points:
Staying on route:With most navigation apps, I interpret directions correctly ~95% of the time. With Scenic, it feels closer to 50–60%.
Routing behavior:I’ve experimented with settings but haven’t found a reliable “sweet spot.”
- I don’t want unnecessary loops or forced backtracking to hit arbitrary waypoints
- But I also don’t want to miss key scenic segments
Rerouting:Going off-route seems somewhat inevitable, so rerouting behavior matters a lot
Ideally: fewer reroutes overall
When rerouting does happen: I’d prefer it to stay aligned with the spirit of the route
Have a look here for an explanation of the several Detour Behaviour options: https://scenic.app/help/detour-behaviour-scenic/
If you read this article you'll see that via points and stops (where you place them and how many) are important in the rerouting. The more waypoints you have, the more you'll stay close to the "spirit" of the route. On some stretches you might not care too much about staying close to that "spirit" (for example, the first stretch to get to the nice part of the route)... so on those stretches, use less or no waypoints at all. On the stretches where it matters, use more, but don't overdo it either. It will take some experience and some rides to get a feel for this I guess.
The map alone has been difficult to follow at times. I recently enabled voice directions, which has helped.
You can create your own custom map style like Johan mentioned above, or import styles that other users created. Have a look here for how to: https://scenic.app/forum/topic/scenic-4-custom-map-styles/#postid-12240
On top of that you can customize route color in Settings > Appearance and Colors
And you can change your zoom mode (that might help in zooming in closer on junctions): https://scenic.app/help/zoom-modes/
Hope this helps/explains. If not, please let me know if you have other questions. Happy to help.
Best regards and ride safe,
Guido
Hi @abest. Guido here, the developer of Scenic.
First, I recommend starting with the Walkthrough Video: https://youtu.be/em2oAJKWH40
That will give you an overview of all the screens and all possibilities of Scenic.
Now, to answer your specific points:
-
Staying on route:With most navigation apps, I interpret directions correctly ~95% of the time. With Scenic, it feels closer to 50–60%.
-
Routing behavior:I’ve experimented with settings but haven’t found a reliable “sweet spot.”
- I don’t want unnecessary loops or forced backtracking to hit arbitrary waypoints
- But I also don’t want to miss key scenic segments
-
Rerouting:Going off-route seems somewhat inevitable, so rerouting behavior matters a lot
-
Ideally: fewer reroutes overall
-
When rerouting does happen: I’d prefer it to stay aligned with the spirit of the route
-
Have a look here for an explanation of the several Detour Behaviour options: https://scenic.app/help/detour-behaviour-scenic/
If you read this article you'll see that via points and stops (where you place them and how many) are important in the rerouting. The more waypoints you have, the more you'll stay close to the "spirit" of the route. On some stretches you might not care too much about staying close to that "spirit" (for example, the first stretch to get to the nice part of the route)... so on those stretches, use less or no waypoints at all. On the stretches where it matters, use more, but don't overdo it either. It will take some experience and some rides to get a feel for this I guess.
The map alone has been difficult to follow at times. I recently enabled voice directions, which has helped.
You can create your own custom map style like Johan mentioned above, or import styles that other users created. Have a look here for how to: https://scenic.app/forum/topic/scenic-4-custom-map-styles/#postid-12240
On top of that you can customize route color in Settings > Appearance and Colors
And you can change your zoom mode (that might help in zooming in closer on junctions): https://scenic.app/help/zoom-modes/
Hope this helps/explains. If not, please let me know if you have other questions. Happy to help.
Best regards and ride safe,
Guido
Quote from ABest on 27.04.2026, 17:46Thank you. Your dedication to assist users is excellent. I was able to save Johan's map settings and will give that a try. I also incorporated some other adjustments like tweaking zoom. I am optomistic about voice prompts as well. I was originally trying to follow the map alone. I will also rewatch the overview video and take some more practice trips. I think a lot of my problems stem from a lack of use and leveraging carplay. My ignorance is 10x when I am on the roadside or at a road closure as I feel pressure and I'm not in the mindset to learn/navigate a new to me app via my 2024 Goldwing touchless apple carplay screen. I just want it to work. But I have to do my part to make that happen.
Thank you. Your dedication to assist users is excellent. I was able to save Johan's map settings and will give that a try. I also incorporated some other adjustments like tweaking zoom. I am optomistic about voice prompts as well. I was originally trying to follow the map alone. I will also rewatch the overview video and take some more practice trips. I think a lot of my problems stem from a lack of use and leveraging carplay. My ignorance is 10x when I am on the roadside or at a road closure as I feel pressure and I'm not in the mindset to learn/navigate a new to me app via my 2024 Goldwing touchless apple carplay screen. I just want it to work. But I have to do my part to make that happen.
Quote from R1200CL on 10.05.2026, 12:18Never trust GPX import. The results is different between iPad and iPhone. (Well the import is the same, but the surprise will come when you start ride, and you have done all planning in the iPad, and the iPhone is your GPS).
You most likely have to recalculate any import you do with your preferred Transportation Mode. Even if it looks OK. It will or can change the moment you press ride. This is a fact, and something you must be aware of. Test by pressing ride before you actually shall ride.You will experience that imports that looks OK in iPad can be a total disaster in iPhone, unless you recalculate with your preferred transportation mode settings. The default setting is always as car, NOT your preferred routing settings in Transportation Mode. This behavior can’t be changed and Guido has no plans to change this. Nor put a warning, or anything else.
Also make sure you have chosen which of the two guidance available that have been chosen before the ride, as this option cannot be set as a default.
You must always go quick through the route to check abnormal conditions, and dead ends. The red dot for placing or editing waypoints sometimes won’t work as expected, so you must sometimes place the dot outside the route in order to get the desired effect.
The importance of editing waypoints move some, and delete those not needed is more relevant to do on the recommended detour setting than the one I suggest to use below.My suggestion is to never use the recommended detour setting. Several times Scenic don’t understand when you passed a waypoint. So unless you’re able to delete waypoints on the fly while riding, I suggest you try the do not recalculate option + guide me back button on map option enabled.
Be aware of that if you select avoid unpaved, this may in some rare occasions not happen. In this case it’s NOT Scenic fault, but the map. Unpaved roads has a special presentation in Scenic. Have you found it, and have you fond a setting to change color of unpaved roads ?
Even if Scenic do the routing (not import), you can experience abnormalities, like dead end a not logical behavior during a ride. My limited experience suggests these are caused by your detour settings. (So not a bug) .
In general I’m very happy with Scenic, as it guide me to great roads for MC I wouldn’t find by Google map
It’s my understanding that there is no plan or willingness to change the things I’m addressing here, so users have to be aware of this behavior.
Maybe we need a video with the most common mistakes newbies do or experience.
Also a roadmap or known bugs would probably help. To my knowledge none of this exists public
Never trust GPX import. The results is different between iPad and iPhone. (Well the import is the same, but the surprise will come when you start ride, and you have done all planning in the iPad, and the iPhone is your GPS).
You most likely have to recalculate any import you do with your preferred Transportation Mode. Even if it looks OK. It will or can change the moment you press ride. This is a fact, and something you must be aware of. Test by pressing ride before you actually shall ride.
You will experience that imports that looks OK in iPad can be a total disaster in iPhone, unless you recalculate with your preferred transportation mode settings. The default setting is always as car, NOT your preferred routing settings in Transportation Mode. This behavior can’t be changed and Guido has no plans to change this. Nor put a warning, or anything else.
Also make sure you have chosen which of the two guidance available that have been chosen before the ride, as this option cannot be set as a default.
You must always go quick through the route to check abnormal conditions, and dead ends. The red dot for placing or editing waypoints sometimes won’t work as expected, so you must sometimes place the dot outside the route in order to get the desired effect.
The importance of editing waypoints move some, and delete those not needed is more relevant to do on the recommended detour setting than the one I suggest to use below.
My suggestion is to never use the recommended detour setting. Several times Scenic don’t understand when you passed a waypoint. So unless you’re able to delete waypoints on the fly while riding, I suggest you try the do not recalculate option + guide me back button on map option enabled.
Be aware of that if you select avoid unpaved, this may in some rare occasions not happen. In this case it’s NOT Scenic fault, but the map. Unpaved roads has a special presentation in Scenic. Have you found it, and have you fond a setting to change color of unpaved roads ?
Even if Scenic do the routing (not import), you can experience abnormalities, like dead end a not logical behavior during a ride. My limited experience suggests these are caused by your detour settings. (So not a bug) .
In general I’m very happy with Scenic, as it guide me to great roads for MC I wouldn’t find by Google map
It’s my understanding that there is no plan or willingness to change the things I’m addressing here, so users have to be aware of this behavior.
Maybe we need a video with the most common mistakes newbies do or experience.
Also a roadmap or known bugs would probably help. To my knowledge none of this exists public
