Mapquest Directions Routing

Basic Directions Request

async function getDirections(from, to, apiKey, options = {}) {
  const params = new URLSearchParams({
    key: apiKey,
    from,
    to,
    routeType: options.routeType || 'fastest',
    unit: options.unit || 'm',         // 'm' = miles, 'k' = kilometers
    narrativeType: 'text',             // 'text', 'microformat', 'none'
    enhancedNarrative: false,
    avoidTimedConditions: false,
  });

  const response = await fetch(
    `https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?${params}`
  );
  const data = await response.json();

  if (data.info.statuscode !== 0) {
    throw new Error(`Directions error: ${data.info.messages.join(', ')}`);
  }

  return data.route;
}

Multi-Stop Routing

For routes with 3+ stops, use the from/to + multiple to parameters, or POST with a locations array:

async function getMultiStopRoute(locations, apiKey) {
  // locations: array of address strings or {lat, lng} objects
  const response = await fetch(
    `https://www.mapquestapi.com/directions/v2/route?key=${apiKey}`,
    {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        locations: locations,
        options: {
          routeType: 'fastest',
          unit: 'm',
          narrativeType: 'text',
          avoids: [],               // e.g. ['Toll Road', 'Ferry', 'Unpaved']
          doReverseGeocode: false,  // Skip reverse geocoding stops (faster)
        }
      })
    }
  );

  const data = await response.json();
  return data.route;
}

// Example with lat/lng objects (avoid geocoding overhead)
const stops = [
  { latLng: { lat: 34.0522, lng: -118.2437 } },  // Los Angeles
  { latLng: { lat: 36.1699, lng: -115.1398 } },  // Las Vegas
  { latLng: { lat: 33.4484, lng: -112.0740 } },  // Phoenix
];

Parsing the Route Response

function parseRoute(route) {
  return {
    // Overall trip summary
    distance: route.distance,          // in chosen unit (miles or km)
    time: route.time,                  // seconds
    formattedTime: route.formattedTime, // 'h:mm:ss'

    // Route shape (encoded polyline)
    shape: route.shape?.shapePoints,   // flat array [lat, lng, lat, lng, ...]

    // Per-leg details (one leg per stop-to-stop segment)
    legs: route.legs.map(leg => ({
      distance: leg.distance,
      time: leg.time,
      maneuvers: leg.maneuvers.map(m => ({
        narrative: m.narrative,        // Human-readable instruction
        distance: m.distance,
        time: m.time,
        turnType: m.turnType,          // 0=straight, 1=slight right, etc.
        startPoint: m.startPoint,      // {lat, lng}
        signs: m.signs,                // Road signs
        iconUrl: m.iconUrl,
      }))
    })),

    // Bounding box for fitting map view
    boundingBox: route.boundingBox,    // {ul: {lat,lng}, lr: {lat,lng}}

    // Status
    hasTollRoad: route.hasTollRoad,
    hasHighway: route.hasHighway,
    hasFerry: route.hasFerry,
  };
}

Route Avoidances

const avoidOptions = [
  'Toll Road',
  'Limited Access',
  'Ferry',
  'Unpaved',
  'Seasonal Closure',
  'Country Border Crossing',
];

// In request options: