diff --git a/.changeset/afraid-pugs-confess.md b/.changeset/afraid-pugs-confess.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..25a3637f89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/afraid-pugs-confess.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-explore': patch
+---
+
+Collect the routes of a `ExploreLayout` with `useElementFilter`
diff --git a/plugins/explore/src/components/ExploreLayout/ExploreLayout.test.tsx b/plugins/explore/src/components/ExploreLayout/ExploreLayout.test.tsx
index 2e398e3dae..80944628da 100644
--- a/plugins/explore/src/components/ExploreLayout/ExploreLayout.test.tsx
+++ b/plugins/explore/src/components/ExploreLayout/ExploreLayout.test.tsx
@@ -14,17 +14,35 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
+import {
+  ApiProvider,
+  ApiRegistry,
+  FeatureFlagged,
+} from '@backstage/core-app-api';
+import {
+  FeatureFlagsApi,
+  featureFlagsApiRef,
+} from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
 import { renderInTestApp } from '@backstage/test-utils';
 import { waitFor } from '@testing-library/react';
 import React from 'react';
 import { ExploreLayout } from './ExploreLayout';
 
+const featureFlagsApi: jest.Mocked<FeatureFlagsApi> = {
+  isActive: jest.fn(),
+  save: jest.fn(),
+  getRegisteredFlags: jest.fn(),
+  registerFlag: jest.fn(),
+};
+
+const mockApis = ApiRegistry.with(featureFlagsApiRef, featureFlagsApi);
+
 describe('<ExploreLayout />', () => {
   const Wrapper = ({ children }: { children?: React.ReactNode }) => (
-    <>{children}</>
+    <ApiProvider apis={mockApis}>{children}</ApiProvider>
   );
 
-  beforeEach(() => {
+  afterEach(() => {
     jest.resetAllMocks();
   });
 
@@ -78,4 +96,50 @@ describe('<ExploreLayout />', () => {
       expect(getByText('Browse the ACME Corp ecosystem')).toBeInTheDocument(),
     );
   });
+
+  it('renders feature flagged route', async () => {
+    featureFlagsApi.isActive.mockReturnValue(true);
+
+    const { getByText } = await renderInTestApp(
+      <Wrapper>
+        <ExploreLayout subtitle="Browse the ACME Corp ecosystem">
+          <FeatureFlagged with="test-flag">
+            <ExploreLayout.Route path="/tools" title="Tools">
+              <div>Tools Content</div>
+            </ExploreLayout.Route>
+          </FeatureFlagged>
+          <FeatureFlagged without="test-flag">
+            <ExploreLayout.Route path="/tools-v2" title="Tools V2">
+              <div>Tools V2 Content</div>
+            </ExploreLayout.Route>
+          </FeatureFlagged>
+        </ExploreLayout>
+      </Wrapper>,
+    );
+
+    await waitFor(() => expect(getByText('Tools')).toBeInTheDocument());
+  });
+
+  it('skips feature flagged route', async () => {
+    featureFlagsApi.isActive.mockReturnValue(false);
+
+    const { getByText } = await renderInTestApp(
+      <Wrapper>
+        <ExploreLayout subtitle="Browse the ACME Corp ecosystem">
+          <FeatureFlagged with="test-flag">
+            <ExploreLayout.Route path="/tools" title="Tools">
+              <div>Tools Content</div>
+            </ExploreLayout.Route>
+          </FeatureFlagged>
+          <FeatureFlagged without="test-flag">
+            <ExploreLayout.Route path="/tools-v2" title="Tools V2">
+              <div>Tools V2 Content</div>
+            </ExploreLayout.Route>
+          </FeatureFlagged>
+        </ExploreLayout>
+      </Wrapper>,
+    );
+
+    await waitFor(() => expect(getByText('Tools V2')).toBeInTheDocument());
+  });
 });
diff --git a/plugins/explore/src/components/ExploreLayout/ExploreLayout.tsx b/plugins/explore/src/components/ExploreLayout/ExploreLayout.tsx
index c28238427f..bc9553c612 100644
--- a/plugins/explore/src/components/ExploreLayout/ExploreLayout.tsx
+++ b/plugins/explore/src/components/ExploreLayout/ExploreLayout.tsx
@@ -14,11 +14,13 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import { TabProps } from '@material-ui/core';
-import { Children, default as React, Fragment, isValidElement } from 'react';
-
-import { attachComponentData } from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
 import { Header, Page, RoutedTabs } from '@backstage/core-components';
+import {
+  attachComponentData,
+  useElementFilter,
+} from '@backstage/core-plugin-api';
+import { TabProps } from '@material-ui/core';
+import { default as React } from 'react';
 
 // TODO: This layout could be a shared based component if it was possible to create custom TabbedLayouts
 //    A generalized version of createSubRoutesFromChildren, etc. would be required
@@ -30,41 +32,14 @@ type SubRoute = {
   tabProps?: TabProps<React.ElementType, { component?: React.ElementType }>;
 };
 
+const dataKey = 'plugin.explore.exploreLayoutRoute';
+
 const Route: (props: SubRoute) => null = () => null;
+attachComponentData(Route, dataKey, true);
 
 // This causes all mount points that are discovered within this route to use the path of the route itself
 attachComponentData(Route, 'core.gatherMountPoints', true);
 
-function createSubRoutesFromChildren(
-  childrenProps: React.ReactNode,
-): SubRoute[] {
-  // Directly comparing child.type with Route will not work with in
-  // combination with react-hot-loader in storybook
-  // https://github.com/gaearon/react-hot-loader/issues/304
-  const routeType = (
-    <Route path="" title="">
-      <div />
-    </Route>
-  ).type;
-
-  return Children.toArray(childrenProps).flatMap(child => {
-    if (!isValidElement(child)) {
-      return [];
-    }
-
-    if (child.type === Fragment) {
-      return createSubRoutesFromChildren(child.props.children);
-    }
-
-    if (child.type !== routeType) {
-      throw new Error('Child of ExploreLayout must be an ExploreLayout.Route');
-    }
-
-    const { path, title, children, tabProps } = child.props;
-    return [{ path, title, children, tabProps }];
-  });
-}
-
 type ExploreLayoutProps = {
   title?: string;
   subtitle?: string;
@@ -88,7 +63,16 @@ export const ExploreLayout = ({
   subtitle,
   children,
 }: ExploreLayoutProps) => {
-  const routes = createSubRoutesFromChildren(children);
+  const routes = useElementFilter(children, elements =>
+    elements
+      .selectByComponentData({
+        key: dataKey,
+        withStrictError:
+          'Child of ExploreLayout must be an ExploreLayout.Route',
+      })
+      .getElements<SubRoute>()
+      .map(child => child.props),
+  );
 
   return (
     <Page themeId="home">