On Wed, Jan 2, 2019 at 7:26 PM Peter Elderson <pelder...@gmail.com> wrote: > The minimum requirements here are: free parking space, some kind of landmark, > at least 2 bicycle routes and two walking routes, and an information board or > stand. And waymarks for route directions.
None of the examples I posted meet all your requirements. Most trailheads here are served by only short access trails, while the main trails stay off road, so most trailheads serve either a single route or else the entire trail network depending on definitions. Moreover, there are relatively few entry points that serve both walking and cycling routes. (We have a paucity of MTB routes on the whole.) The only trailhead that I can think of that I've visited in recent years that would meet your criteria serves a rather small natural area and maybe 20 km of trail that's otherwise disconnected from the trail network (except that the Erie Canalway, a paved shared-foot-and-cycleway, runs down one side). And that in turn means that the Erie Canalway has a trailhead sort of by accident - because it happens to be right there. Most of our major national and regional trails simply aren't served by that sort of facility. To give the example of one intermediate-scale trail (220 km) that I've mapped, https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/4286650, it visits car-accessible highways fewer than ten times. Only one has another trail at the same access point, unless you count the short footways in the campground at Lake Durant. The two ends of the trail are in villages, and one section in the middle has about a 5-km road-walk through another village. Aside from those and the campground, the trailheads consist of notice boards and registers at the crossings of remote mountain roads. There are two sections that are each over 60 km long that have no road crossings at all. The two endpoints, as I said, are in villages, and are more extensively marked; the southern terminus has the arch that I shared earlier and ends at a village park that has toilets, and is behind a commercial street that has various businesses. The northern terminus is at a former railway station that is now a museum, and again has many businesses close by. Neither terminus is a jumping-off point for multiple other trails. This is a trail of extensive regional significance. Not dignifying the getting-on and getting-off points with the 'trailhead' tag, if we have a 'trailhead' tag, seems a little parochial. (It'll also invite further mistagging by us Americans, which will cause further arguments on this mailing list down the road.) Our definition would be much simpler: "designated point at which a hiker, skier, cyclist, rider or snowmobilist gets on and off a waymarked trail." Usually, but not always, a trailhead will have dedicated parking (which may or not be free of charge), a notice board and signage. More elaborate trailheads may have facilities such as artwork or stelae marking them, seating, rubbish bins, toilets, and public transportation access, particularly if they are located in developed parks or campgrounds. Facilities such as these are considerably rarer in trails that access "back country" or wilderness areas. I submit that the additional requirements you enumerate reflect a European cultural assumption. Europe is much denser than the US. Its trails are shorter. Its trailheads are closer to civilization, with facilities to match. The Adirondack Park, through which https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/4286650 runs, is about 24000 km² - an area intermediate in size between Slovenia and Belguim - with a population density of fewer than 5 inhabitants/km². (The density is that high because it's a public-private partnership. There are [highly regulated] settlements and villages inside the park.) It is too sparse to support the sort of facilities that you have in mind, and there's no need to run trails to common points of concentration. The trails go where they go, and many never reach the highway at all, starting and finishing on other trails. Because of the long distances covered by the trail network, the trailheads assume greater importance, not less, despite their lack of facilities. I once sprained a knee about 25 km from the nearest highway - you can be sure that I was acutely aware of where the nearest trailhead was, even though it took me a day and a half to hobble there. Knowing where your alternative exit points are and how to reach them is an essential part of route planning. The parks also have a few access points that don't have trails at all, but are merely parking areas for hikers and climbers who are willing and able to make their own way cross-country. They have register books and notice boards, but no trails. I'm not sure what to make of them in this scheme of things, but can tag the parking area and notice board at least. (I don't think that any proposal for tagging a register book ever gained traction.) _______________________________________________ Tagging mailing list Tagging@openstreetmap.org https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/tagging
