Trail blazing

As signs, also signpost, walking or hiking sign marking an applied in the landscape (colored ) symbol is referred to, which marks the course of a trail in nature. You should tourists and hikers show that took advantage of the way of a club or a community is maintained and leads to a clearly defined target.

Purpose

Signs have a pilot function and should show also non-local hikers the further course of a trail. For this purpose, the signs are in sight distance often applied to trees with paint or glued in the form of adhesive labels on lamp posts or other smooth surfaces. These symbols are also back on trail maps works. The signs are often linked to information and overview boards on output or entry points. The signs at branches are supplemented frequently to differ with direction arrows and count digits similar ways from one another.

The labeling and signposting of routes and climbing in the mountains is usually done by way of regional home - waiting, tourism and alpine clubs. Roads of national significance ( eg back or wide trails) are cared for in cooperation of several institutions. The route sign should be refreshed regularly as they disappear or fade through the forest management by environmental influences and vandalism over the years.

Rare Signs of municipalities or local history or local history societies are attached. This mark usually cultural history, industrial history or other topics trails and subject to its own symbolism and design.

Often the marks are combined in certain intervals with signs - nature especially at crossroads. One problem is the disappearance of marks by cutting down trees or the construction of forest roads. Unmarked paths sometimes facilitate cairns and footmarks orientation.

Symbolism

The type of the symbol and the color scheme is in the hands of the respective Touring Association, which drafted and marked the trails. In many regions, a regular system for this character has been developed so that even non-local visitors can conclude on the basis of signs given to the nature and length of the trail.

• Across Germany, a white cross for regional headquarters through local hiking routes is often used. These routes can be several hundred kilometers long.
• From hiking parking outgoing called motorists hiking trails are often marked with an A with an added digit, the Zählzeichen, bsp. A1. These are, are mostly short, usually three to seven kilometers, rarely more than 20 kilometers, local hiking trails that lead back to the starting point.
• In some regions such as the Black Forest, the entire road network is provided with a uniform road signs. At crossing points inform signpost over the next way point. But here you can not identify the basis of the character a single path.

Quality characteristics

Since the signs to guide visitors to the area in the first place, certain qualitative requirements for the installation of traffic signs are to be met.

• Eco-friendly and uniform mounting with color in the natural landscape and space by means of adhesive labels in the settlement area.
• Regular refresher.
• The next drawing should be in view direction and distance
• Depending on the terrain and Type of path reasonable distance. (An paths frequently within dense vegetation, rare on long overland routes )
• Directional arrows may leave no room for interpretation open
• The change in the vegetation to be taken into account. In the winter mounted route sign may be obscured by leaves in the summer.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, the markings are in accordance with the guidelines of the Swiss Hiking Federation ( SAW) always yellow (normal trails), brown ( Theme trails ), white -red-white ( mountain trails ), white -blue-white (Alpine route) or yellow- red ( Jura Crest Trail ).

The mountain trails are kept in red and white to be visible even from a distance and at dusk.

In the hills and woods, the trail markers are painted on larger trees, the mountains on stones or specially embarked piles, etc. Skimarkierungen

Legal basis in Germany

The authorization granted by the higher authorities landscape approval for the installation of traffic signs have under German law only regional or national acting, great hiking clubs with delimited scope. This goes back to an imperial law of 1934, with the savage mark should be curbed. This law is still in the form of the country's landscape and forest laws.

But even with this new permission flat trails must be approved prior to labeling of the lower authorities landscape in detail. For North Rhine -Westphalia, for example, a regulation on the implementation of the landscape Act ( DVO -LG ) was adopted, which regulates, among other things, in § 20, have to look like to be used for the marking of trails marking characters.