diff --git a/src/ol/format/gpxformat.js b/src/ol/format/gpxformat.js
index bb83768e7d..8f1d8fa72c 100644
--- a/src/ol/format/gpxformat.js
+++ b/src/ol/format/gpxformat.js
@@ -839,11 +839,13 @@ ol.format.GPX.GPX_NODE_FACTORY_ = function(value, objectStack, opt_nodeName) {
       'value should be an ol.Feature');
   var geometry = value.getGeometry();
   if (geometry) {
-    var parentNode = objectStack[objectStack.length - 1].node;
-    goog.asserts.assert(ol.xml.isNode(parentNode),
-        'parentNode should be an XML node');
-    return ol.xml.createElementNS(parentNode.namespaceURI,
-        ol.format.GPX.GEOMETRY_TYPE_TO_NODENAME_[geometry.getType()]);
+    var nodeName = ol.format.GPX.GEOMETRY_TYPE_TO_NODENAME_[geometry.getType()];
+    if (nodeName) {
+      var parentNode = objectStack[objectStack.length - 1].node;
+      goog.asserts.assert(ol.xml.isNode(parentNode),
+          'parentNode should be an XML node');
+      return ol.xml.createElementNS(parentNode.namespaceURI, nodeName);
+    }
   }
 };
 
diff --git a/test/spec/ol/format/gpxformat.test.js b/test/spec/ol/format/gpxformat.test.js
index ff09580aca..bf5c4eaca0 100644
--- a/test/spec/ol/format/gpxformat.test.js
+++ b/test/spec/ol/format/gpxformat.test.js
@@ -557,6 +557,23 @@ describe('ol.format.GPX', function() {
 
   });
 
+  describe('write unsupported geometries', function() {
+    beforeEach(function() {
+      format = new ol.format.GPX();
+    });
+
+    it('does not fail', function() {
+      var polygon = new ol.geom.Polygon(
+          [[[0, 0], [2, 2], [4, 0], [0, 0]]]);
+      var feature = new ol.Feature(polygon);
+      var features = [feature];
+      var gpx = format.writeFeatures(features);
+      var expected =
+          '<gpx xmlns="http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/1"/>';
+      expect(gpx).to.be(expected);
+    });
+  });
+
 });
 
 
@@ -566,5 +583,6 @@ goog.require('ol.geom.GeometryLayout');
 goog.require('ol.geom.LineString');
 goog.require('ol.geom.MultiLineString');
 goog.require('ol.geom.Point');
+goog.require('ol.geom.Polygon');
 goog.require('ol.proj');
 goog.require('ol.xml');