No bars?
No problem.

iPhone

1. Add it to your Home Screen. In Safari, tap Share ↑, then Add to Home Screen. You get a Dirt Index icon.
2. Open Dirt Index from that icon, on wifi, and open your ride there. iPhone keeps Home Screen apps' saved data separate from Safari, so save the ride inside the icon version, the one you'll use on the trail.
3. Wait for the green "offline ready" badge.
4. Turn on location: Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → on. When Dirt Index asks to use your location, tap Allow.
5. Open it within a few days of your ride. iPhone can clear saved website data you haven't used in about a week. A quick open on wifi refreshes it.

Riding in Safari instead of the icon? That works too. Just save the ride in Safari, and under Location Services, set Safari Websites to "While Using."

Android

1. Install it. In Chrome, tap the ⋮ menu, then Add to Home screen or Install app.
2. Open Dirt Index from the new icon, on wifi, and open your ride.
3. Wait for the green "offline ready" badge.
4. Turn on location: pull down the quick settings and tap Location. When Dirt Index asks, choose While using the app.
5. Set location to high accuracy if your phone offers it (Settings → Location → Location services). It helps the first fix in a canyon.

Chrome keeps installed sites' data much longer than iPhone does, but a quick open on wifi before the ride never hurts.

Prefer a ride app or a watch?

Every ride has a GPX file, the standard GPS route format. Load it into the app you already use, then download that app's offline map for the area. The GPX is only the line; your app also needs its own map saved.

• Trailforks: open the GPX from your phone's Files or Downloads and share it to Trailforks. Then download the region's map for offline use.
• Strava: import the GPX as a route on strava.com (Routes → Import GPX), then save it for offline in the app.
• Garmin watch or bike computer: Garmin Connect → Courses → Import, then send it to your device. Sync before you leave home.
• Gaia GPS, onX, Komoot: all import GPX. Download the map area before you lose signal.

Offline maps in most of these apps need their paid plan. Dirt Index's own offline map is free.

Why the blue dot works with no bars

• GPS is satellites. Your phone works out where you are from GPS satellites with no cell or data connection. It even works in airplane mode, as long as Location is on.
• The map is the part that needs saving. That's what the green badge means: the map tiles along your route are stored on your phone.
• First fix can take a minute in a canyon or under a ridge. Stand still in the open and give it 30 to 60 seconds.
• Accuracy is about 15 to 50 ft. Good enough to know which trail you're on, not which side of it.
• Off route? Under the map, Dirt Index shows how many feet you are from the line and which mile you're near.

Troubleshooting

• The badge is stuck on "saving." Stay on wifi with the page open. A ride is roughly 15 to 25 MB of map, which takes a few seconds on good wifi and much longer on cell data.
• The badge says "offline: partial." Some map pieces didn't save. Reload the page on wifi and wait for green.
• Gray squares on the map. Only the area around each route is saved. Zoom back toward the orange or teal line.
• "Location unavailable." Location Services is off, or Dirt Index wasn't allowed. See the iPhone or Android steps above.
• "Conditions unavailable offline." That's normal. The weather needs signal, so check it before you leave.

Before you roll out

• Battery: GPS plus a bright screen drains fast. Start full, carry a small battery pack, and lock the screen between checks.
• Tell someone which ride you're on and when you'll be back. The ride name and its link are all they need.
• Screenshot the map as a last-resort backup. It costs nothing.
• Emergency: 911 can sometimes connect even with no bars on your own carrier. Read them the coordinates shown under the map after "Locate me."