Tagging scheme
Every color is a claim about who a trail is for
JuicyTrails reads the OpenStreetMap tags and paints each trail by who it is for. The map is a picture of the data: if a trail looks wrong on the map, the tags are wrong, and a one-tag fix corrects it on every map built on OpenStreetMap, not just this one.
Before
Path — unverified
After one tag
Hike
The red dashed line is not a bug. It is the map saying nobody has tagged who this trail is for. The sign says who. Add foot=designated and it is a hiking trail everywhere downstream.
The 11 colors
The minimum OpenStreetMap tags that produce each color in the shipped style.
Minimums assume no conflicting tags and an unpaved surface (unset counts as unpaved). Mode values yes, designated and permissive are interchangeable. Informal Path (faint, thin, dashed) and 4WD Track (dashed brown) are de-emphasis variants of Path and Track, not new colors: add informal=yes or 4wd_only=yes. The acrostic J·U·I·C·Y·T·R·A·I·L·S is the legend. To fix a trail from a sign, see How to map.
Tagging details
The fuller, standards-based way to tag each trail, grounded in OSM US / Trails. Rule of thumb: =designated means signed or intended for that use; =yes means merely allowed.
Bicycle, Horse, Hike
Renders from: highway=path + bicycle=designated + horse=designated, unpaved.
A shared, natural-surface multi-use trail open to cyclists, equestrians, and hikers.
Recommended tagging
highway=path— the universal US trail tag.bicycle=designatedandhorse=designatedfor the intended uses.foot=designated— add this too if it's also a signed hiking route. The style keys this color on bike + horse, but tagging foot makes "Hike" explicit rather than inferred.surface=*(e.g.ground,dirt,gravel) — keep it unpaved for this color.name=*andoperator=*for an official trail;informal=yesfor a social one.
Nuance: a bare highway=path has no default access, so don't rely on it being implicitly walkable — tag foot=designated when hikers are intended.
Wiki: highway=path · bicycle · horse · foot
Hike
Renders from: highway=path + foot=designated, unpaved, not a sidewalk/crossing.
A dedicated hiking / foot trail — the most common backcountry trail.
Recommended tagging
highway=path+foot=designated(usefoot=yesif walking is merely allowed but it isn't specifically a hiking trail).surface=*(ground,dirt,rock, …).sac_scale=*— recommended for mountain/alpine difficulty (Key:sac_scale).trail_visibility=*— when the tread is faint or unmarked (Key:trail_visibility).name=*,operator=*for official trails;informal=yesfor social trails;maintained=nofor unmaintained ones.
Nuance: do not use highway=footway for a backcountry hike — footway connotes constructed/urban pedestrian ways; US/Trails uses highway=path exclusively. Also: sac_scale is physical difficulty, trail_visibility is how easy it is to follow — independent.
Wiki: highway=path · foot · sac_scale
Bicycle Rec Path
Renders from: highway=path + bicycle=designated + surface=paved.
A paved, dedicated recreational / shared-use bike path (greenway).
Recommended tagging
- The OSM-standard tag for a physically separate paved bike path is
highway=cycleway, which impliesbicycle=designated. Addfoot=designatedif pedestrians share it. - JuicyTrails also renders
highway=path+bicycle=designated+ a paved surface as this color — for a shared path rather than a cyclists-only cycleway. - Prefer specific
surface=asphalt/surface=concreteover genericsurface=paved.
Nuance: use highway=cycleway for a separate dedicated cycleway; highway=path + bicycle=designated for a shared path. Foot access default on a cycleway is country-dependent — tag foot explicitly.
Wiki: highway=cycleway · surface
Hike, Horse
Renders from: highway=path + horse=designated, unpaved.
A shared hiking + equestrian trail.
Recommended tagging
highway=path+horse=designated; addfoot=designatedwhen it's also a signed hiking trail.surface=*unpaved.
Nuance: highway=bridleway is the traditional global tag for an equestrian way and is valid — but US/Trails recommends highway=path + horse=* for US trails. Tag foot rather than relying on implicit walkability.
Wiki: horse · highway=bridleway
Motorcycle
Renders from: highway=path + motorcycle=yes, unpaved.
A narrow motorized single-track (dirt-bike) trail.
Recommended tagging
highway=path— narrow motorized trails are paths;highway=trackis for car-width routes.motorcycle=designated(ormotorcycle=yes).- If only motorcycles are allowed, pair with
motor_vehicle=no— the specific mode tag overrides the umbrella. ohv=yesin OHV areas;surface=*unpaved.
Nuance: JuicyTrails reads motorcycle and atv but not the umbrella motor_vehicle, so always tag the specific mode.
Wiki: motorcycle · motor_vehicle
Path
Renders from: highway=path with no mode tags at all, unpaved. Adding informal=yes renders the fainter, thinner Informal Path variant (same red, de-emphasized).
A path whose permitted uses are unknown — a neutral "unverified" dashed line. Less a final type than a prompt that the way is under-tagged. A social, use-worn trail nobody built or signed gets the thinner Informal Path line.
Recommended tagging
- Add access tags so it renders as its real type:
foot=designated→ Hike,bicycle=designated→ Bicycle,horse=designated→ Hike+Horse, and so on. - Per the wiki: "All paths should ideally have access tags."
informal=yesmarks a social / unofficial path. It's a status tag, not an access restriction — JuicyTrails keeps it visible as the faint dashed Informal Path rather than hiding it. Still add access tags so its uses are clear.
Nuance: a bare highway=path has no default access assumptions, so JuicyTrails deliberately won't assume it's walkable — the dashed Path line means "add access tags," not "verified trail." The thinner, fainter Informal Path variant (informal=yes) is that same red de-emphasized — it says "social trail," not "restricted."
Wiki: highway=path · informal · US/Trails
Bicycle, Hike
Renders from: highway=path + bicycle=designated, unpaved.
An unpaved, natural-surface shared bike + hike trail (singletrack or doubletrack).
Recommended tagging
highway=path+bicycle=designated; addfoot=designatedwhen it's also a signed hiking trail.surface=*unpaved (dirt,gravel,ground) — the unpaved surface is what distinguishes this from the paved blue Rec Path.
Nuance: same path-vs-cycleway distinction as the Rec Path — an unpaved shared trail is highway=path + bicycle=designated; a paved separate cycleway is highway=cycleway.
Sidewalk and Footpath
Renders from: highway=footway + footway=sidewalk.
An urban sidewalk or paved footpath mapped as a separate way.
Recommended tagging
highway=footway+footway=sidewalkfor a sidewalk drawn as its own way.- Alternatively tag
sidewalk=left/right/bothon the road itself — separate ways are preferred when the sidewalk is physically distinct. - Use
footway=crossingfor crossing segments;surface=*(usually paved).
Nuance: this is the one category that intentionally uses highway=footway rather than highway=path. Don't double-map a sidewalk as a separate way and as sidewalk=both on the road — pick one.
Wiki: highway=footway · footway=sidewalk
ATV
Renders from: highway=path + atv=yes.
A trail open to ATVs / quads (vehicles 50 in / 1.27 m or less in width).
Recommended tagging
highway=pathfor a narrow ATV trail;atv=designated(oratv=yes) — defined as access for all-terrain vehicles ≤50 in wide, widely used for USFS / BLM routes.ohv=yes;maxwidth=*for the legal width limit;surface=*unpaved.
Nuance: JuicyTrails renders ATV only on highway=path. A wider ATV route tagged highway=track + atv=designated renders brown Track here, not lime ATV.
Wiki: atv · highway=track
Track
Renders from: highway=track (alone — no other tags required). Adding 4wd_only=yes renders the dashed 4WD Track variant (same brown, de-emphasized).
A car-width unpaved road for forestry, agriculture, or recreation. Roads signed 4WD-only get a dashed brown 4WD Track line — see 4wd_only below.
Recommended tagging
highway=track— the bare tag is sufficient; no4wdtag required.tracktype=grade1…grade5for firmness;surface=*;smoothness=*.4wd_only=yeswhen signed for high-clearance / 4WD-only vehicles — this renders the dashed brown 4WD Track line, distinguishing signed 4WD roads from ordinary tracks. Tag what is signed.- Motor-access tags as appropriate:
motor_vehicle,motorcar,atv,motorcycle,ohv=yes.
Nuance: JuicyTrails colors any highway=track brown regardless of access or surface — a 4wd_only=yes track is the same brown but dashed. Reserve track for car-width ways; narrower motorized trails belong on highway=path + motorcycle/atv.
Wiki: highway=track · 4wd_only · tracktype
No access
Renders from: a trail (highway=path/footway/bridleway/cycleway) + access=no.
A trail closed or legally restricted to the public.
Recommended tagging
access=nofor a closed / prohibited trail.access=privatefor private-property trails;access=discouragedwhen legal but discouraged;access=permitwhen a permit is required.- For a single-mode closure use the specific key (e.g.
foot=no) — specific keys override the generalaccess.
Nuance: informal=yes is a status tag (a social/unofficial trail), not an access restriction — an informal trail is permitted unless a separate access tag restricts it. Caveat: highway=track + access=no still renders brown because the Track color ignores access.