tracktype

Tracktype is a tagging concept used in OpenStreetMap to describe the general quality or maintenance level of tracks and paths, especially those used by pedestrians, cyclists, and other non-motorized users. It provides a coarse assessment of how easy or difficult a route is to traverse, complementing other tags such as surface, width, and accessibility.

The most common values for tracktype are grade1, grade2, grade3, and grade4. Grade1 indicates the highest quality, typically a well-graded, smooth, and regularly maintained track. Grade4 represents the roughest condition, which may be unmaintained, uneven, or overgrown. Some communities may discuss additional or alternative values, but grade1 through grade4 remain the standard convention in many mappings.

Tracktype is typically applied to ways tagged highway=track, path, or cycleway, and is intended to guide routing, navigation, and data interpretation for non-motorized users. It is often used in conjunction with the surface tag (for example, asphalt, gravel, dirt) and the smoothness tag, though the latter two describe different aspects of travel quality. Tracktype is not a universal standard across all editors and renderers, so its presence and interpretation can vary between datasets and tools.

In practice, tracktype can influence perceived difficulty and routing decisions, particularly for cyclists and hikers. However, many routing engines rely more heavily on surface, width, and official access tags, so tracktype may be optional or inconsistently applied. Careful tagging and consistency within a dataset improve its usefulness for maps and navigation.

See also: highway, track, surface, smoothness, access.