ridewithgps.com - a great mapping tool (no GPS required)

[dakay]

If you know where the bike trail is on the map, just click on draw line instead of follow roads and draw the line on the bike trail. Then go back to follow road when you get back on the road.

Kathy

[maillotpois]

This is a very cool site!! I just did a quick and dirty route (an estimate of tomorrow's Gran Fondo) that it would have taken ages to work out in Topo.

[azfiddle]

I looked at this site and thought it was pretty cool too. Thanks for sharing it.

[jobob]

Some bike trails show up when you're mapping a route - just make sure when you're in the "draw a route page" to click on "cycling" instead of "driving" (you'll see those options on the right hand side of the route page).

Even though I'm surprised & pleased with how many trails do show up on RWG, some still simply don't show up. For instance, the Alameda Creek trail in Fremont CA, which I ride a lot, doesn't show up on google maps, and it doesn't show up on RWG either. Oh well. I've found that you can still see some trails, such as the ACT, if you view the map with the "satellite" or "hybrid" viewing option. But the follow paths option won't work and you'll have to map the route point-to-point. Oh well, them's the breaks.

[Chile Pepper]

Wow--that's amazing. I don't usually bother with these things, since they never apply to my area, but that came with my little town, with amazingly accurate detail. I just mapped one of my favorite routes, and it was within a kilometer on the distance calculator. I'm impressed.