Basemaps are the foundational map view underneath all your layers and markups. onX Backcountry offers three basemaps—Topographic, Terrain, and Satellite—to match your planning and navigation needs.
Select the Basemaps and Map Layers button to choose your desired basemap and turn Map Layers on or off, and use the 2D/3D button to adjust your map view.
The same menu also gives you access to Map Layers—toggleable overlays like trail slopes, avalanche data, government lands, and more that display on top of your basemap.
Keep reading for more info on using these features in onX Backcountry.
Choose your Basemap
Tap the Basemaps menu and select the Topographic, Terrain, or Satellite Basemap.
Topo displays a traditional topographic map with contour lines to show elevation and terrain shape. onX Backcountry's Topo basemap includes HD elevation data (built from LiDAR) integrated directly into the map.
Terrain is a blended basemap that combines satellite imagery with dynamic hillshade built on onX's proprietary high-definition elevation data. It makes the shape of the land easy to read at a glance, without requiring traditional map-reading experience.
Satellite shows aerial imagery of the map area. Tapping the Satellite option expands a set of sub-options to customize the view.
Hybrid — adds contour lines on top of the satellite imagery, combining the visual detail of aerial photography with topographic reference.
Preferred Imagery — controls which imagery set is loaded. Choose from:
- High Quality — the default setting; prioritizes high-resolution, clear-sky imagery.
- Snow — displays imagery captured with snow coverage, useful for winter trip planning.
- Recent — prioritizes the most recently captured imagery for an area, which may be less clear than High Quality but more up-to-date. View the map with Recent Imagery selected to scroll through imagery sets captured in two-week intervals.
Turn Map Layers On or Off
Swipe the Basemap menu up to scroll through available Map Layers for the Activity Mode you've selected.
Tap the toggle button next to a Map Layer to turn it on or off, and tap Layer Details for more information on a particular layer and a preview of how it's displayed on your map.
Recreation site icons for campsites, campgrounds, trailheads, parking, etc. are shown at closer zoom levels.
View the Map in 2D or 3D
Tap the 2D or 3D button beneath the Basemaps and Map Layers button to switch between a 2D or 3D map.
Alternatively, you can place two fingers on your screen and move them up or down to quickly switch between viewing modes.