Glossary
Words used in this guide, in plain English.
- 2D
- A flat map, seen from straight above.
- 3D
- A map that shows hills and valleys in their real shape. You can tilt and turn it.
- 4WD
- A four wheel drive. In the app it's the vehicle for tracks a normal car can't take.
- Base map
- The picture under everything else on the map. You can pick Topo or Satellite.
- Cell Coverage Heatmap
- A layer that shows where your phone may get signal. It's only a guess.
- Cluster
- A green circle with a number in it. It means there are that many pins close together. Zoom in to see them.
- Contour lines
- Thin lines on the topo map that join places of the same height. Lines close together mean steep ground.
- Dispersed camping
- Free camping outside a campground. It's often on forest land.
- Dump station
- A place to empty an RV toilet tank.
- Fifth wheel
- A big trailer that hitches into the bed of a pickup truck.
- Forest Service
- The US Forest Service. It runs the national forests and sets when many forest roads close.
- GPS
- The part of your phone that works out where you are, using satellites. It works with no phone signal.
- GPX
- A small file that holds a route or a track. Other map apps and GPS units can open it.
- Home screen icon
- The Motocamp button on your phone's home screen. Tap it to open the app.
- Hotspot
- A place where satellites saw strong heat. It often means a fire.
- Layer
- One kind of thing you can show on the map, such as campsites or fuel. Each has its own switch.
- Leaving on
- The day your trip starts. The app checks road closures for that day.
- Map source
- A setting in the Offline tab. It picks whether the map comes from the internet or from maps saved on your phone.
- Max grade
- The steepest part of your route, shown as a percentage. 10% means the road rises 10 feet every 100 feet.
- Offline
- Using the app with no phone signal. It works if you saved the maps first.
- OpenStreetMap
- A free world map made by volunteers. Much of what you see in the app comes from it.
- A file you can print or share, like a page from a book. Your trip plan comes as one.
- Plan with AI
- Type your trip in your own words, and the app plans a real route for you. AI means a computer that understands plain language.
- Posted limit
- A height, width, length or weight limit shown on a road sign.
- Rain radar
- A live picture of where rain is falling right now.
- Recovery code
- A code the app gives you to get back into your account if you forget your password. Keep it somewhere safe.
- Rescue beacon
- A small device that calls for help by satellite when there's no phone signal.
- Rig
- Your vehicle, plus anything you're towing.
- Route Summary
- The box at the top of the Route tab after you plan. It shows the distance, the driving time and when you'll arrive.
- RV
- A recreational vehicle: a motorhome you drive, or a trailer you tow.
- Satellite map
- A map made from photos taken from space.
- Saved Spots
- Places you've saved with a name. They show on your map only.
- Sign-in code
- A short code we email you. Type it in to sign in without a password.
- Stop
- A place your route goes through on the way to the end.
- Stripe
- The company that takes card payments for us. We never see your full card number.
- Terrain
- The shape of the land: hills, valleys and flats.
- Topo map
- A map that shows roads, tracks and the shape of the land with contour lines.
- Towing
- Pulling a trailer behind your vehicle.
- White ring
- A small white circle on the route line. It marks a spot you dragged the line through.