Tagging Recreational Trails in Canada

The intent of this article is to provide mappers with guidelines and status for Tagging Recreational Trails in Canada. For specific provincial tagging, see the list on the Canadian tagging guidelines page.

• See Map Features for most everything else.

Road & Surface Tagging In Canada

See Road & Surface Tagging In Canada

Recreational Tagging general methods

This chart below describes the general tagging ideas for tagging different types of recreational trails for different uses.

Tracktype & Cycleway

Key	Value	Element	Comment	Rendering	Photo Cycleway Road Bikes and Hybrid Bikes on a paved surface
Paths
highway	path		A non-specific or shared-use path
highway	cycleway		Shortcut for highway=path cycleway=designated -> For designated cycleways, i.e. mainly/exclusively for bicycles. If pedestrians are allowed as well, you can indicate this by adding a foot=yes or foot=designated tag as appropriate.
highway	footway		Shortcut for highway=path foot=designated -> For designated footpaths, i.e. mainly/exclusively for pedestrians. This includes walking tracks and gravel paths. If bicycles are allowed as well, you can indicate this by adding a bicycle=yes tag.
highway	bridleway		Shortcut for highway=path horse=designated -> For horses, (in the UK, these are rights of way for pedestrians, horse-riders and cyclists)
highway	steps		For flights of steps on footways
highway	footway		A footway....not a bicycleway		File:Lookslikeafootway.jpg
highway	path		A path.... a multi-purpose path		File:Lookslikeapath.jpg
cycleway	track		A track is a route that is separate from the road. Includes the tracks which are not marked, but the standard is to keep to the right accept to pass, even when walking. Road: Have fun. Hybrid: Have fun. Expedition: Have fun, adjust tire pressure over long duration. Mountain: Can be hard on the tires, not good over long duration
cycleway	lane		A lane is a route that lies within the roadway. ie. A bike lane
tracktype	grade1		paved track or heavily compacted hardcore. Surface was paved over 20 years ago pothole a major defining tagging factor Hybrid: Use caution Expedition: Touring: Use caution Mountain: This is easy, have fun
tracktype	grade2		unpaved track; surface of gravel or densely packed dirt/sand. Hybrid: Have fun Expedition: Touring: have fun Mountain: Have fun
tracktype	grade3		unpaved track; A mixture of hard materials and soft. Quite compact. Hybrid: Over a long duration, a hybrid bike will have troubles. Expedition: Touring: have fun Mountain: Have fun
tracktype	grade4		unpaved track; tire marks, with plant growth in between. Mostly dirt, but some hard materials, or compressed materials mixed in. Hybrid: Watch for rocks, Over a long duration, a hybrid bike will have troubles as it will get muddy. Expedition: Touring: Since the tires have more grip, have fun. (this is where Slime comes in handy) Mountain: Have fun
tracktype	grade5		unpaved track; subtle tire marks, lack of hardcore, Soft with low grip, subtle on the landscape. Hybrid: Over a long duration, a hybrid bike will have troubles as walking the bike is common to enjoy the landscape. Expedition: Touring: A work out, have fun Mountain: Have fun

This table is a wiki template with a default description in English. Editable here.

Walking:

• 2 feet

Note: For bicycle tagging, there are many different types of bikes, each which perform at different levels depending on the road surface conditions. Therefore, tagging bicycle=yes does not imply the surface type, and surface use. This needs to be defined.

Road Bike:

• skinnier tires
• lighter frame

Hybrid: Key Features:

• medium frame build
• semi slick tires

Expedition: Key Features:

• Needs to be built based on user requirements

See Expedition Touring Bike. It is essentially a modified hybrid bike; Using mountain bike components, modified for long distance travel. This type of bike can handle all grades of track, which (along with cycle=way and cycle=lane) as a mountain bike's tires would wear quickly over a long duration of paved roads -- unavoidable for navigating the Trans Canada Trail

Mountain: Key Features:

• Wider tires with a lot of grip
• front and rear suspension
• built for tough wear and tear

Purpose

There are thousands of recreational trails for all types of usages covering the country. The purpose of this article is to outline a set of national guidelines, and best practices, so then each mapper will have a basic understanding of how to tag recreational trails in Canada.

Recreational Trails: definition

For the purposes of this article, a "Recreational Trail" is defined by any navigatable surface and user which is human assisted travel. (with the exception of http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Canadian_tagging_guidelines#Highway_Tags)

Most recreational trails have a physical key map at the entrance of the trail. This key map is physically viewable, and shows the intended usage of each trail. Hiking trails, walking trails, where mountain bikes can go, where road bikes can go, where cars can go. .. and where you can horseback and cross country ski and snowmobile, ATV in some cases too)

Trail Types

Road Bicyles

• Highway (Motorway) (freeway)

Since road bicycles are not allowed... (usually this is signposted anyway)

Highway=Motorway
Bicycle=no

• Trunk (controlled by national highway service) ie. Trans Canada Highway

Since these are not motorways, bicycles are allowed on the shoulders. For this reason, many (not all) highway shoulders are paved to accommodate. --acrosscanadatrails 02:43, 11 July 2008 (UTC)needs verification

Highway=trunk
Bicycle=yes

• Primary (All large highways which are provincially controlled, such as the King's Highways (Provincial highways 2 through 148) in Ontario or the 5A Coquihalla connector in BC.

Shoulders are also paved here too.

Highway=trunk
Bicycle=yes

• Secondary (

Hybrid Bicycles

Recreation	Highway=Motorway	Highway=Trunk	Highway=Primary	Highway=Secondary	Highway=Tertiary	Highway=residential	Highway=Service	Highway=Cycleway
Road Bicycle	Bicycle=no	Bicycle=yes (on shoulder)	Bicycle=no	Bicycle=no	Bicycle=no	Bicycle=no	Bicycle=yes
Selkirk Trestle	Mapped
Selkirk Trestle to Lochside Jnct	Mapped
Lochside Jnct to Interurban Bridge	Mapped
Interurban Bridge to VGH	Mapped

Highway Tags

Restricted-access, divided highways with two or more lanes in each direction, e.g. Highway 401 in Ontario, Autoroute 20 in Quebec, Gardiner Expressway in Toronto, Ontario.

Highway=Motorway
Bicycle=no

[edit] Trunk

All highways controlled by the National Highway Service. A full inventory can be found on this PDF. [edit] Primary

[edit] Secondary

Provincial secondary highways or suburban and urban arterial roads. Toronto grid roads (Steeles, Finch, Bayview...) are an example of secondary. [edit] Tertiary

Provincial tertiary highways, all non-residential roads in cities, larger roads in residential areas [edit] Residential

Residential roads should be marked as residential [edit] Service

Lanes and other narrow, usually one lane and usually unnamed roads. For example, roads leading to a carpool lot.

Paved Highway Shoulder Recreation

Cycling

As cycling is permitted on highway shoulders (not on

Multi-Surface Recreational Trails

• Trans Canada Trail Official Website

An 18,000-kilometre recreational corridor winding its way through every Province and Territory, linking 800 communities along its route. When completed, this will be the longest trail of its kind in the world, connecting our regions, our three oceans and our people in a new way for generations to come. See Trans Canada Trail for OSM guidelines and Tagging status.

Paved cycleway (trail)

foot=yes
highway=cycleway
Bicycle=yes

Unpaved cycleway (trail)

foot=yes
highway=cycleway
Bicycle=yes
surface=unpaved