Where We Play

Explore the world’s athlete playgrounds on the new heatmap.

The Global Heatmap

A marathon PR in Berlin, a bikepacking adventure in Mongolia and a ski down the slopes in Utah. Each of these plus over a billion other Strava activities were used to create the new Heatmap. It includes over 27 billion kilometers of data, overlapping to show the most frequented spots for sport on the globe. This incredible visualization was created with 200 thousand years of movement including thousands of marathons and countless coffee rides. What looks like a multihued map of the Earth is actually the white hot visualization of over 1 billion activities on Strava.

We dove deep into the map and found some of our favorite pieces of art, created by effort.

Explore

Skiing in Salt Lake

Salt Lake City has 6 resorts within an hour drive and countless backcountry lines. With all of the heat those athletes are generating, it’s a wonder the snow stays so light and fluffy.

View on Strava

Hiking the O and W in Torres del Paine, Patagonia

The “O’ and “W” routes are the two most popular treks in the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile's Patagonia region. You can clearly see the shapes of the letters in the heat!

See for yourself.

Kiteboarding in La Ventana, Baja, Mexico

La Ventana Bay is one of the world’s premier kitesurfing destinations. It’s home to international competitions as well as being a great place for beginners. The heat coming off of the coast shows just how many Strava athletes have visited this hot destination!

Feel the wind.

Mountain Biking vs. Skiing in Whistler, B.C., Canada

Bikes in the summer and boards in the winter, Whistler is a year-round destination for athletes seeking that premium Canadian gnar. Comparing the cycling and snow sport heat maps shows how the two groups use the mountains differently.

Get rad!

Hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain

The path of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage appears almost like the Great Wall of China, except it’s made from thousands of athletes’ footsteps. Even if you zoom out, it’s still so clear!

You can see it from space!

Ironman Kona Swim in Hawaii

This could be the hottest section of ocean on the entire heatmap: the swim leg of Ironman World Championships in Kona. You can even see a hole where the turnaround buoy was.

Dive in!

Swimming, Running and Cycling in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most active cities on Strava and this equatorial city loves every type of sport. Comparing the run, bike and water layers show you how Brazilians use their city differently for each sport.

Take a look.

Swimming the Channel Between England and France

According to the English Channel Swimming Association, there have been 2,226 successful swims since 1875 and 105 so far in 2017. That’s not enough to make this section of ocean as white-hot as Kona, but you can see that a handful of those swimmers have put their efforts on Strava.

That's a long swim!

Rarefied Air on Mt. Everest

Although we know of a couple Strava athletes who have laid tracks all the way up to the highest point on Earth, the heat starts to cool down around Everest base camp. We’re still a little short of breath just looking at the level of activity above 5,000 meters.

Bring a jacket.

The Antarctica Marathon: A Sliver of Light in the Dark

Have you ever traveled to another city to run a marathon? How about another continent? What about to the most remote continent on Earth? This sliver of light is the course for the Antarctica Marathon. At least you don’t have to worry about finishing before sunset!

Check it out!

Burning Man

Is this the work of fitness-crazed aliens? Not quite. The unique pentagonal pattern of Burning Man’s pop-up city is forever etched into the Heatmap thanks to all of the runners and cyclists who have used Strava to explore it. Check out how the perimeter has slightly shifted over the years!

Get ready to party!