CSV Tools

Sample GPX File

A downloadable sample GPX file containing 15 real US landmark locations as waypoints, each with a name, description, and elevation. Load it onto a GPS device or use it to test GPX parsers and converters.

Geo GPX Text format

sample-locations.gpx

Data Preview

15 rows × 5 columns
1namedesclatitudelongitudeelevation
2Mount RainierGlaciated stratovolcano in Washington46.8523-121.76034392
3Half DomeGranite dome above Yosemite Valley37.7459-119.53322694
4Grand Canyon South RimOverlook near Grand Canyon Village36.0544-112.14012093
5Old FaithfulPredictable geyser in Yellowstone44.4605-110.82812240
6DenaliHighest peak in North America63.0692-151.0076190
7Angels LandingRidge viewpoint in Zion Canyon37.269-112.94691765
8Longs PeakFourteener in Rocky Mountain National Park40.2549-105.6164346
9Mauna KeaDormant volcano on the island of Hawaii19.8206-155.46814207
10Crater LakeDeepest lake in the United States42.9446-122.1091883
11Mount WhitneyHighest summit in the contiguous United States36.5785-118.29234421
12Badwater BasinLowest point in North America, Death Valley36.2461-116.8172-86
13Great Sand DunesTallest dunes in North America37.7916-105.59432590
14Cadillac MountainGranite summit in Acadia National Park44.3528-68.2247466
15Mount MitchellHighest peak east of the Mississippi35.7648-82.26522037
16Guadalupe PeakHighest point in Texas31.8914-104.86072667

Raw File Contents

sample-locations.gpx
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<gpx version="1.1" creator="csvtools.com" xmlns="http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/1">
  <wpt lat="46.8523" lon="-121.7603">
    <ele>4392</ele>
    <name>Mount Rainier</name>
    <desc>Glaciated stratovolcano in Washington</desc>
  </wpt>
  <wpt lat="37.7459" lon="-119.5332">
    <ele>2694</ele>
    <name>Half Dome</name>
    <desc>Granite dome above Yosemite Valley</desc>
  </wpt>
  <wpt lat="36.0544" lon="-112.1401">
    <ele>2093</ele>
    <name>Grand Canyon South Rim</name>
    <desc>Overlook near Grand Canyon Village</desc>
  </wpt>
  <wpt lat="44.4605" lon="-110.8281">
    <ele>2240</ele>
    <name>Old Faithful</name>
    <desc>Predictable geyser in Yellowstone</desc>
  </wpt>
  <wpt lat="63.0692" lon="-151.007">
    <ele>6190</ele>
    <name>Denali</name>
    <desc>Highest peak in North America</desc>
  </wpt>
  <wpt lat="37.269" lon="-112.9469">
    <ele>1765</ele>
    <name>Angels Landing</name>
    <desc>Ridge viewpoint in Zion Canyon</desc>
  </wpt>
  <wpt lat="40.2549" lon="-105.616">
    <ele>4346</ele>
    <name>Longs Peak</name>
    <desc>Fourteener in Rocky Mountain National Park</desc>
  </wpt>
  <wpt lat="19.8206" lon="-155.4681">
    <ele>4207</ele>
    <name>Mauna Kea</name>
    <desc>Dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii</desc>
  </wpt>
  <wpt lat="42.9446" lon="-122.109">
    <ele>1883</ele>
    <name>Crater Lake</name>
    <desc>Deepest lake in the United States</desc>
  </wpt>
  <wpt lat="36.5785" lon="-118.2923">
    <ele>4421</ele>
    <name>Mount Whitney</name>
    <desc>Highest summit in the contiguous United States</desc>
  </wpt>
  <wpt lat="36.2461" lon="-116.8172">
    <ele>-86</ele>
    <name>Badwater Basin</name>
    <desc>Lowest point in North America, Death Valley</desc>
  </wpt>
  <wpt lat="37.7916" lon="-105.5943">
    <ele>2590</ele>
    <name>Great Sand Dunes</name>
    <desc>Tallest dunes in North America</desc>
  </wpt>
  <wpt lat="44.3528" lon="-68.2247">
    <ele>466</ele>
    <name>Cadillac Mountain</name>
    <desc>Granite summit in Acadia National Park</desc>
  </wpt>
  <wpt lat="35.7648" lon="-82.2652">
    <ele>2037</ele>
    <name>Mount Mitchell</name>
    <desc>Highest peak east of the Mississippi</desc>
  </wpt>
  <wpt lat="31.8914" lon="-104.8607">
    <ele>2667</ele>
    <name>Guadalupe Peak</name>
    <desc>Highest point in Texas</desc>
  </wpt>
</gpx>

Schema

Field Type Description
name string Waypoint name, from each wpt element's name tag
desc string One-line description of the landmark, from the desc tag (GPX's short name for description)
latitude number WGS84 latitude in decimal degrees, from the wpt element's lat attribute
longitude number WGS84 longitude in decimal degrees, from the wpt element's lon attribute
elevation number Elevation in meters, from the ele tag; negative for Badwater Basin

About the GPX Format

GPX (GPS Exchange Format) is the XML format GPS devices and fitness apps use to trade waypoints, routes, and tracks. This sample is a GPX 1.1 document containing 15 <wpt> (waypoint) elements. Unusually among the geo formats, GPX puts coordinates in attributeslat and lon on the <wpt> tag — while elevation lives in a child <ele> element, and the name and description follow in <name> and <desc>.

The key thing to know is that GPX is a closed schema, not a property bag. A waypoint may only contain the elements the GPX 1.1 schema defines — ele, time, name, desc, sym, and a handful of others. There is no equivalent of GeoJSON’s arbitrary properties object, so of this dataset’s columns only name, description (as desc), and elevation survive by design. Extra CSV columns must either be dropped or stuffed into a nonstandard <extensions> block that most consumers ignore. That is also why the schema table above says desc, not description — the twin CSV keeps the schema’s element name.

How to open it

  • Garmin BaseCamp / any handheld GPS — GPX is the lingua franca of GPS hardware
  • gpsbabelgpsbabel -i gpx -f sample-locations.gpx -o csv -F out.csv
  • QGIS — opens GPX as separate waypoint/route/track layers
  • Strava, Komoot, Gaia GPS — all import GPX waypoints and routes

Things to test with it

Badwater Basin’s <ele> is −86, verifying signed elevation handling, and the coordinate span (Hawaii to Alaska to Maine) exercises bounding-box math. The same 15 locations ship in every geo format here — GeoJSON, KML, KMZ, and Shapefile — for side-by-side comparison. Flatten waypoints into rows with the GPX to CSV converter, or generate a device-ready file from a spreadsheet with CSV to GPX.

FAQ

4 questions
Is anything uploaded when I download or preview this file?
No. The sample is a static file served directly from this site, and the converters here run entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or processed on a server.
Why are some attributes missing compared to the other geo samples?
By design, GPX waypoints only carry fields the schema defines — name, desc, ele, and a few others like time and sym. There is no arbitrary properties bag like GeoJSON has, so this sample preserves exactly name, description (as desc), and elevation. Any other CSV column would be dropped or need a nonstandard extensions block.
Why is the column called desc instead of description?
The GPX 1.1 schema names the element desc, so the CSV twin keeps that name rather than silently renaming it. It holds the same landmark descriptions as the other four sample formats.
What is the difference between waypoints, routes, and tracks?
Waypoints (wpt) are standalone named points, routes (rte) are an ordered list of points you plan to follow, and tracks (trk) are a breadcrumb log of where a device actually went. This sample uses only waypoints.

Work With GPX Files 5 tools