Gaia GPS understands a saved place as a waypoint. Google Maps calls the same idea a saved place, a star, or an item in a custom list. Moving between them is mostly a matter of putting the points into a file both sides understand.
The straightforward workflow is:
Google Maps saved list → GPX waypoints → Gaia GPS folder
Gaia GPS also imports KML, KMZ, GeoJSON, and FIT. GPX is the best default here because it makes the intended data type explicit: these are waypoints, not a route or recorded track.
What the GPX contains
ExportMyMap writes one waypoint for each selected place with usable coordinates. A waypoint contains:
- latitude and longitude;
- the place name;
- its address in the description;
- your personal note, when notes are included;
- a Google Maps link when available.
It contains no GPX route or track. Gaia GPS can store those too, but inventing a route between unrelated saved pins would make the file less useful.
If you want to inspect the format before importing it, the GPX guide explains the waypoint structure and the GPX validator checks the finished file.
Step 1: Export from Google Maps
On a computer:
- Install the ExportMyMap Chrome Extension.
- Open Google Maps, choose Saved, and open the list.
- Start ExportMyMap and wait until the scan completes.
- Review the selected places.
- Choose GPX and decide whether to include notes.
- Download the file.
If the list contains repeated pins or businesses Google marks as permanently closed, clean the selection first. The duplicate and closed-place guide keeps those decisions out of Gaia's smaller mobile editing screens.
Export 5 lists free — up to 5 places per list. Unlimited exports require a paid plan.
Use a filename that will become a useful Gaia folder name. Gaia GPS automatically creates a folder named after an imported file, so utah-trailheads-2026.gpx saves cleanup later.
The 1,000-feature limit
Gaia GPS's current web import documentation limits each imported file to 1,000 features. A saved-place GPX contains one feature per waypoint, so a 1,300-place list should become at least two files.
Export separate selections such as:
- utah-trailheads-part-1.gpx — places 1–900;
- utah-trailheads-part-2.gpx — places 901–1,300.
Leave some space below the hard limit rather than aiming for exactly 1,000. It makes the count easier to audit and leaves room if you add points before importing.
Gaia GPS accepts multiple files. The restriction is per file, not a claim that the entire account can hold only 1,000 waypoints.
Step 2A: Import on gaiagps.com
The web route is convenient when the file was created on the same computer.
- Sign in at gaiagps.com/map.
- Click Import Data on the right toolbar, or drag the GPX onto the map.
- Wait for the items to appear in the left sidebar.
- Deselect anything you do not want.
- Click Save Item.
Gaia GPS creates a folder for the import using the filename. Find it under Saved Items. If the points exist but are not visible on the map, check that the corresponding map overlay and folder visibility are enabled.
To see the result in the mobile app, let Gaia GPS sync after the web import.
Step 2B: Import in the Android app
Gaia GPS's current Android instructions use this path:
- Copy the GPX to the phone.
- Open Gaia GPS and tap Saved.
- Tap the three-dot menu.
- Choose Import File.
- Find and open the GPX.
The imported file appears in Saved folders after the success message. Email, Dropbox, Google Drive, a cable, or any other method is fine as long as the actual file reaches local storage or the Android file picker.
Gaia GPS publishes separate iOS instructions from the web-import article. Because iOS Share-sheet labels change, the web import followed by sync is the least ambiguous cross-platform method when you already have the file on a computer.
Step 3: Verify before downloading maps
Check several waypoints:
- a remote location;
- one inside a dense town;
- a long or accented name;
- one with a note;
- the first and last place from each split file.
Gaia may show the default red marker. Its documentation says an icon that does not exist in Gaia's icon list is replaced by that marker. ExportMyMap does not attempt to translate Google list icons, so consistent default styling is expected.
You can edit waypoint titles, icons, colors, positions, and notes later in Gaia GPS. Do not interpret a generic icon as evidence that the coordinates were lost.
What survives and what does not
The GPX reliably describes the waypoint name and position. Address, note, and Maps link travel in descriptive GPX fields, but every destination app decides how to display them.
The following Google data does not turn into native Gaia data:
- ratings and reviews;
- photos;
- live business hours;
- Google's place categories;
- list reactions and collaborators;
- a live connection to later Google Maps edits.
For a durable archive, export Excel or JSON alongside GPX. The notes preservation guide compares exactly where the note goes in each format.
Troubleshooting
Gaia rejects the file. Check the extension and run the original download through the GPX validator. A web page saved with a .gpx name is still a web page.
Only some waypoints appear. Confirm that each file stays under 1,000 features and that every source place had coordinates. Use the missing coordinates guide for entries that cannot become waypoints.
The import exists but the map is empty. Open Saved Items, enable the imported folder, and check overlay visibility. Zoom to one known waypoint instead of scanning the entire world map.
Notes are absent. Verify the Include notes switch and inspect one waypoint description. If the note is present in GPX, Gaia's importer or display is the remaining variable. Keep the spreadsheet archive.
The app shows tracks instead of points. Return to the original ExportMyMap GPX. It contains waypoints only. A third-party conversion may have changed the geometry type.
Choose the destination that fits the job
Gaia GPS makes sense when the imported points will live beside outdoor maps, routes, tracks, and field data. Locus Map offers a similarly deep Android library. For a simpler offline bookmark collection, MAPS.ME or Organic Maps may require less organization.
Whichever app you choose, keep the original GPX and a rich table. The waypoint file moves the pins; the table preserves the context that makes them useful.