[Tagging] hiking route from= and to= tags

[stevea]

I have tagged a lot of hiking trail routes, equestrian routes, pedestrian and wheelchair routes, bicycle routes and passenger train routes.  Using the from=* and to=* (and sometimes via=*) tags to give at least some semblance of geography to a route is something I do more often on passenger train routes, but I can see its (relatively high) value on hiking trails (as route relations) and bicycle routes, too.  (And I've done that and seen that).

All comments I've seen in this thread are valid, in my experience:  Kevin's that origin and destination can and do form important parts of the name of a trail, that (at least in Switzerland), the "base network routes" seem to be evolving into a place where origin and destination likely does not live in a name=* tag (and I don't know the definitive works-everywhere answer here, though using from=*, to=* and via=* where prudent can work well) as well as that there are "named and numbered routes 'on top of' the base network but not covering it" — good use of multiple route relations, Swiss mappers!

However, I've never seen (or inferred) that from=* and to=* tags are "mandatory directions" (as what is from=* could become to=* and vice versa), so I'm not sure that's a valid concern (though, thanks for mentioning that "some may," Warin).  It doesn't seem to be common, but I agree that "some might" infer this.

In areas where surges of rapid growth and change in a route network would often cause a name=* change (if that is or were the convention), using from=*, to=* and via=* seems more "plastic," leaving a name=* to be at least slightly more permanent and lasting.  There are a LOT of roads called "Heretown to Theretown Drive," it is true, and it doesn't take much imagination to name a road like this.

In short, I believe from=* and to=* (and via=* when warranted) tags are a good solution here, though origin and destination in name=* will continue to be an important component of many, many route relations.  (As Kevin says, often as a regional convention).  Using from=*, to=* and via=* tags seems a good solution on many (perhaps all?) types of routes, not only hiking routes.