No expressway GPS

[hillrider]

I'm starting to want a new GPS. Has anyone seen one that will avoid expressways? Try plotting a route from Atlanta to Natches Ms and stay off the big road. X'way is the shortest, fastest way, but I don't want to go that way. Don't want to program 42 waypoints. The biggest problem is I don't know the words to look for in specs.

Edited May 6, 2013 by hillrider
spellling

[Marcarl]

In a Garmin Zumo you can go to settings, navigation, and then avoidances, and then you can avoid all kids of stuff.

[mini-muffin]

I think most of the GPS's out there can avoid the interstates or Xpressways. Just have to choose it when deciding how to go. I can do it on the Magellan I have in the truck.

 

Margaret

[hillrider]

I got a 350 and a 2850 garmin. Both say they can avoid major highways. Unfortunately - they can't.

[Snaggletooth]

I run a TomTom XXL and it lets me select to avoid Interstates and does fine with it. But the downside to that unit is it does not allow to program waypoints on a long trip. Got to go leg by legs on the long ones if you have points off the suggestest route.

[djh3]

Pretty sure my Garmin 765 has the avoid certian roads option. I also use TYRE to plan routes. This way I can see where its trying to run me and if I dont like it you have option of avoidences in the program or simply drag and drop to where you want and it will calculate.

[MidlifeVenture]

Can do on my TOM TOM and it is pretty old

[MikeWa]

The Magellan has presets for 'most use of freeways' and 'least use of freeways'. Something I have always found very handy. I like the Magellan presets and navigation the best of any GPS. Only problem is they don't make a water resistant unit suitable for motorcycles. At least as far as I know.

 

Mike

[alwrmcusn]

I currently own three GPS units and one that is OEM in the car. None of them will allow me to easily select a specific route. Each of them can "avoid" the expressway/interstate routes but avoid is not the same to them as "stay the heck completely 100% off"!

I wish, and I'm sure there are millions of like minded individuals, that were was a way or a GPS model that would allow me to input the route number/name along with appropriate info for turns, stops, vias etc. All of my GPS units can and do vocalize the route number/name even down to the streets names. It seems to me that it would be feasible to give me a GPS that I could program by saying something like.....

"Start at Cherokee, NC ride the Blue Ridge Parkway to NC 421 and stop".

As it is now for a ride along that route of the BRP, every GPS and mapping program that I have or am familiar with requires that I redirect at every possible exit or else it defaults to one of two possible routing methods that it finds more acceptable.

I do love my GPS devices for their ability to find things along the way such as food, gas, shopping, attractions and motels BUT! it's best feature is the "Go Home" button.

Harley Davidson and Honda both have mapping apps on their websites that allow you to plan a route and save it as a GPX file for importing to your GPS (if the GPS accepts GPX files, not all do). However try telling the app to take you from Cherokee, NC to Boone, NC along the BRP and you will spend hours overriding its route selection as it takes you off the parkway and on to a more direct route. Of course simply riding the BRP is easy enough, just get on and stay on it. The point is I use my GPS to give me verbals and to help me keep my eyes on the road itself. I'd like the #$%@ thing to allow me to tell it what to do, not vice versa!

[hillrider]

well, I discovered that if I tell the 2350 to avoid everything, it trys to avoid xway's. That helps.

[mralex714]

I still use a map.

[Gunfighter]

My Motorola Droid has a navigation app in it that will avoid anything you want to miss, you can also change your route on the run. You can talk to it and it will talk to you. Once I found out all it would do I gave my Garmin to my daughter. The Droid also updates constantly, for free!

 

Not, of course water proof but if it is raining I just put it in the fairing pocket and let it talk to me via Bluetooth.

[wes0778]

Not sure about the roads from Atlanta to Montgomery, but once in Montgomery, take US 80 to Cuba AL, where you can turn on US11/US80. There is a stretch in Meridian, MS where I think you cannot avoid a short stretch of interstate, but then take US11 south to Laurel, MS where you pick up US84, all the way to Natchez.

 

Or, If you wanted to ride the Natchez Trace, where you will need to watch out for Bambi and the bears (the kind in patrol cars!) Make your way to Tuscaloosa and pick up US82. It will take you all the way to huge metropolis of Mathiston, MS where you can get on The Trace, which runs all the way to Natchez.