MTB Project Reviews

by Jonah Dinger

I was super stoked when I first heard about this mapping app for mountain bike trails, so I made an account and began submitting all my favorite trails in my local riding area. For some reason, when you go to submit a trail, MTB Project wants you to add a bunch of information about the trail, including a super detailed description. This is kinda ridiculous if your are submitting a trail that you don’t the full details, like if dogs are allowed or not. Also, when I went to submit some of my trails, MTB Project rejected them because they “weren’t legal”, or “not visible on an official map”, or “is on private property”. This is SOOO maddening after filling in a bunch of info (as well as plotting GPS points on a map) and have someone dump your work in the trash! I believe there should be more freedom in choosing your trails to ride instead of heavily depending on “official maps”. If you want a trail map site that lets you plot trails anywhere, regardless of what type of land it’s on, I HIGHLY recommend switching Trailforks!

by Airnon

Been using MTBProject for years and it’s gone from a great tool to a not-so-useful and unreliable frustrating tool. The old UI was much more intuitive, simple, clean, and more than anything reliable. At this point with every update it’s a new set of issues. Either direction links don’t work, map manipulation doesn’t work, buttons to toggle screens don’t work, trail selection doesn’t work, search doesn’t work, etc. I understand the desire to feature bloat MTBProject with all sorts of nifty things and having to rebuild MTBProject in a way to allow that to happen is no easy feat...but it’s really feeling like there was a lack of QA testing or something. I mean some of the most common basic workflows such as “open app, search for trail, click on trail” do not work reliably. As the months have passed with this new version it’s becoming more and more of a thing where I end up force quitting and restarting over and over and trying to figure out how to get into the screen I want to see by some back door way and it’s super frustrating. Appreciate the work put in and for years of a super useful app/tool but it seems most of my fellow riders, even ones who never used the old version, feel MTBProject is struggling. In an effort to add features 1% of users will even use at all the majority of the user base is frustrated and scratching their heads. The feedback is pretty clear. Hopefully the bugs can get hammered out so this thing can be enjoyed like it was previously.

by Monopod513

Great information, great concept. I just wish MTBProject was more functional/intuitive...needs some UX/UI help. Finding trails is pretty easy, the detail and information on them is clear and well structured. But within the map interface, knowing when you’re looking at a trail vs a trail system is confusing. Same with which views allow you to see the “trail list” button, which is key for seeing all trails within a particular map view. Sometimes that appears and sometimes it doesn’t. (I wish I could tell you when it does and doesn’t). Overall I like MTBProject . I just find myself wondering FAR too often, “how do I find X” or “what view am I in? How do I get back to what I was looking at before?” With some UI love it would be 5 stars for sure.

by Jravish

My ride never saves in record mode. It always loses connection no matter what trail I’m on. As far as I know, my cell connection isn’t dropping because I can see where I’m at at any given moment. On that note, the trails are really well marked on MTBProject and almost always accurate! That’s a great feature when you’re out on a new trail and you’re not sure which way to go.

A helpful update would be to allow users to add photos and exact location when submitting trail conditions. Having a photo and pinned location would make feedback and response way more efficient.

Other than that, I haven’t found a more expansive app for mtb trails!

by Ianfact

Please go back and fix all of the things that your new update has changed/deleted. As many other users have complained about, the pin option is now gone and it is impossible to track your ride while riding especially through the elevation section. The swiping at the bottom has become problematic and it is not easy to find your trail segments, and the overall aesthetic is too Busy with the windows of the trails at the bottom of the map. Please go back to the earlier version and rethink your design and usability strategies.

For years, since the beginning of MTBProject , this has been my favorite, go to for trail riding., I am disappointed to say the least at the recent changes.

by Camwylde

MTB Project is an awesome resource for ride planning, whether in a new area or one I’m already familiar with. There are a couple quirks that I have learned to live with, but I would love to see improved.

First, elevation change always seems to be at least 10% less than what my Garmin or Strava on my iPhone indicates. I’ve had rides with more than a 20% discrepancy between MTB Project, my Garmin, and Strava.

Second, I wish I could leave a comment or add a trail photo without doing so through my computer. Often I would like to make a helpful comment after riding a trail, but it’s too much effort to go login through a computer later—so I just don’t bother. Ditto for uploading photos. I almost always take a few photos when I ride and upload to Strava, but it’s way too much effort to get those photos from my phone, to my computer, and into MTB Project. Sure, maybe I’m lazy. But that’s why I use MTB Project to make sure I hit the best downhills in the right direction!

by Vvarlock

It lets you record a ride but it’s buggy.

Sometimes it will stop recording and you have the start it a second time then it seems to work so long as you don’t switch apps.

The sample rate need to be improved. Winding trails can’t be captured well and will show a shorter distance than reality.

You can’t change the view on the map while it’s recording.

If you’re recoding while riding an existing trail it doesn’t help with forks or directions and again you can zoom to check on the map your self.

MTBProject needs a way to take pictures while recording a ride and the ability to add a note and a way to submit that photo and note as a trail issue or a correction to a trail or route.

Even if you can get a clean trail recorded even then there is no way to export the ride in MTBProject or make it in to a trail or anything. If you try and add a trail it just dumps to a website that can’t pull any info from MTBProject . Even if you try and use the website it doesn’t use the same map layers / sat view as MTBProject so it will not line up right or may show in one and not the other. Disappointing.

At this time It’s better to not use the recording feature at all.

MTBProject should be fixed so trail makers can upload an in progress trail system and update as it expands. This is a primary suggested use of MTBProject based in the name in the first place after all and should be a focus for further development.

by Poofrocksmysox45

I love MTBProject! It’s easy to use. The stats are always accurate. Driving directions are accurate. And love how I can rate and leave comments. And I also read others comments too! My favorite feature is the top rides in your area. Gives great ideas for rides. I even found some rides in my area I didn’t know about. Love it!

One thing I’d like to change is the check in feature. Most of the time right after a ride or the day of ride I don’t leave a rating and review. I like to come back and do that. Can the check in feature have a select a date feature and not just be for that day?

by A Soul

I don’t bike unfamiliar areas without MTP. I mount my iPhone on the handlebars of my mountain bike when I’m on new trails. I go to the maps section of MBP and get a real time GPS tracking of where I am on the trail. This helps when when I come to forks. I zoom out and figure which way to go. Plus when your miles back in the mountains, you can figure out your way back. When I come upon unexpected side trails, I stop to figure out where they go and if it’s worth the adventure to explore.

Love this feature.

by Londonez

When looking at what MTBProject offers, I believe it has the ability to grow and become very popular!

Since it focuses on the community and not the money, I can tell you a lot of people should switch to this if you love to mountain bike. Apps that focus on helping the community are the ones that can lead to become very successful!

The more people that join MTBProject, the better it will be!

by Utterly Flabbergasted

Very helpful, but I wish it were easier to add comments, pictures, etc. to trails. The descriptions are nice, and helpful, but comments from riders can add a lot of perspective and be more up-to-date on latest developments. Once or twice I’ve seen maps that aren’t accurate (trails have been added, for example), and can’t find a way to give that feedback.

As far as apps go though, very convenient and helpful in finding trails.

by Lazy Hazy Crazy Fan

Overall MTBProject is well done. I am able to find trails and routes that I've never been on before. A big portion of the features are user driven. Everything from pictures, trail conditions, ratings, and descriptions are user driven. MTBProject helps me navigate well and discover new routes. The more people who use MTBProject the better it will become. Suggestion for improvement would be better ride tracking capabilities, and the ability to meet up with local riders and network.

by TrekIt89

I used MTBProject last year to find great trails, see reviews, and even recent conditions of trails. However, now when I use MTBProject there are no trails to be found. I pick my state, zoom into areas of known trails, and nothing appears. I can’t even see a list of any trails in the state. I hope this gets fixed soon because this used to be my go to for finding new trails.

UPDATE: Thank you for reaching out to me. I deleted and reinstalled MTBProject . Everything seems to be working great now. I’m happy I can use this great app again!

by Idive20

I drive cross country in a semi and try to find trails to bike along the way. Before finding MTBProject I could never find trails to ride. Now it is like I know some that has the inside scoop on every trail in the US. They also ride every trail with me to keep me on the right trail. With the number of trails and how little some are marked without the gps and map I do not know if I would have gotten home a couple of times. Only thing that would be nice is bike routes in cities. I know that it is not a trail so am not going to knock them for that.

by TheMayor68

I travel for work and MTBProject has made that so much better! Easy to find trails near where you are or where you are going. When on the road this is the first app I look too. It is easy to see what trails are nearby and gives great information about them, often with great info from locals.
And you download trails so that whether you have cell service or not, you always know where you are on the trail. That is priceless when way out on the trails! It has not only saved me many times, but given me confidence to ride new trails and know I will get back.

by Really Needed A Log!

Whenever I explore new trails I hit the thumbtack at the bottom of the screen to pin the trail. There are so many great features with MTBProject, but maybe my favorite is how user friendly it is. I also like how it doesn’t drain my battery. As I ride, when I get to a new intersection, I open MTBProject on my phone and my location is always on the map regardless of cellular reception. It even shows which way I’m facing!!!! If I’m looking at a multi-intersection, I point the phone toward each path, until the triangle is pointing toward the marked path... it’s super easy to NOT get lost with MTBProject! 5 Stars!!!

by Cjoyner1100

MTBProject has saved my bacon a number of times. I have come to rely on this thing for all of my out of town rides.. the description is very detailed and and right on the money! The GPS sync is a life saver! Used it on a ride in Durango 3.7 miles away from civilization. Brought me right back home. Just finished a ride in Sun Valley ID and once again it served me well. Recommended MTBProject to my brother in law who has just started getting into Mountain Biking. He just took it on a trip to. We Mexico and Colorado and also raves about the details. Thanks for such a great app!

by Neelys Mom

This has been one of the best apps I’ve found for MTB trail locations that other apps trying to map “everything” seem to miss. My one complaint, and NOT with MTBProject , is there should absolutely be 2 different ratings for any trails (MTB, hiking, etc) cause as a 40something YOF trying to get back to riding and in shape, that 20something year old’s rating is WAY too much for me 😀😅.

So MTB, here is your chance to reach those of us working at getting back to 20something (ok...maybe 30something!) shape and start the next big trend! (But you can’t make the trail rating markers chubby women in spandex...cause I know someone there was thinking it 🤣)

Oh and thanks for the great app too!

by Thexprofessor

Recently used this app when heading up to ride some new trails in Indiana. Brown County has a ton of different trails to ride so it's pretty intimidating going there for the first time without anyone to guide you around. Using this app I managed to navigate the trail system and do a super incredible loop put together using the maps and elevation plots on MTBProject . Coolest feature I found was when riding up hill, you can pull up the elevation chart on MTBProject and a little black dot pops up on the hill you're climbing and shows how much further up hill you have. MTBProject also tracks exactly where you are on the trail so you know when to look out for connecting trails and such. Unbelievably helpful and was super impressed. Not sure how any mountain biker can get by without it.

by Terrasharkus

Used MTBProject on a long ride that I was doing for the first time that was out of cell service range. MTBProject keep the map even without service. I had flagged the ride as "to do"; so maybe that helped keep the map stored. Since the ride was multiple hours, I didn't keep my phone out. But just consulted it half a dozen times to check my progress and verify that I had taken the correct turns/branches on the trail. Reentering MTBProject , MTBProject didn't automatically update my location. I had to reselect the map each time from my "to do" list. But once doing so my position updated immediately. Really invaluable tool. I also had the trail map but you often you have no idea when on the map you are. Gave great peace of mind to reduce energy needed for orienteering.

by Rizzamtb

I used to love MTBProject and now I find myself using MTBProject to find a good loop, but Trailforks while I’m riding. Please bring back the feature of MTBProject showing where you are in your ride based on the blue circle in the elevation graph. It’s nice to know how much climbing is left, or if a steep downhill is coming. Also, I’ve had to click on a ride then view in map so many times (it wouldn’t let me just stay in that view). The horizontal scrolling while with gloves on instead of the easy-to-read list is so frustrating. It’s a clunky update and I hope you guys work on it.

by Jejsjdkdiof

They changed the interface in the map and now it is much more difficult to pinpoint a single trail in a network and read about it. You have to horizontal scroll (yuck) through a bunch of trails to find the one you want in your viewport.

I am really not a fan of this design. I think they should revert it back. MTBProject is much less useful now.

The information is great, and the old interface worked well. I don’t know why they felt the need to mess it up. I hope they bring back the old interface because it is now almost impossible to disaggregate a network or trails and read about a particular one.

by Kennardy

I use these apps (Hiking and MTB) for both hiking and biking. They have helped me find great trails, kept me safe and on track. Sadly, we cannot turn off the scrolling trail boxes at the bottom of the page. When you are in a slow internet area, where most good trails exist, these tiles slow MTBProject to a crawl. I desperately wish I could toggle the off!!

Also, you can “heart” (Favorite) trails AND “Gems” (sights) but only the trails show up in your favorites area!! Let me reiterate that, you can fav the gems but not find them later.

In closing, I’m a huge REI fan, and a co-op member, but MTBProject needs some tweaking to be as useful as it was in an earlier version.

by Ajrunion

Before the recent updates with the trail cards, MTBProject was excellent. The new cards change if you move the map slightly. I find that a different trail will be listed on the cards than the trail I selected from the map. The elevation profile button is too small to be practical. I can’t actually select it with a glove on anymore. I would love to see a map layer for wilderness areas as well. Hopefully they update the cards to be more useful but for now, I feel like they are counter productive and make navigating MTBProject difficult. I’ll use Trailforks in the meantime.

by Zalibanish

MTBProject performance changed with the last update like a month ago. Today for some reason all my areas were empty and I had to download the areas again. I only discovered this while on the trail trying to open a map. Not nice at all.
Beside, with the last update it is slower and each time I go into MTBProject (even if it was left open) the access is not like before, it is slower, it needs to load some data which makes the screen go black for a second... really a change and I don’t see why it does it now.

by Justaskace

I have used this on several trips to new riding areas. Guided us around even when I lost cell service for most of the day. Including driving between trailheads.

I also like how it shows your position on the trail map as well as the elevation graph. Helpful to know how you are doing on new climbs when you are trying to pace your self for a long day.

Thanks REI for giving us a great tool to get out and ride.

by Peteostro

Great app with great info on MTB trails. Also you can help out by recording your rides and sharing out the trails for everyone to see. Give back and record trails you ride so newbies (& experts) can see what to ride. Used this on vacation in the Adirondacks and it took me to some awesome trails. Thanks to the sharers! Love the MTB community

Please add Apple Watch support so I can start and stop recording, add workouts and see the map on my watch so I can leave my phone @ home

by Smilindogphotog

MTBProject is excellent. It is easy to use, includes a massive amount of trails, elevations, ratings, descriptions, photos...everything is easy to find and use! Nothing is overlooked. It opens up trails for all levels and makes riding and exploring so much more fun. No glitches or ads and no digging through distracting features. Just easy to select maps and easy to pin favorite trails.