Hiking Trail Signs Deciphered

Trails don't spontaneously appear. They are planned, built, groomed and blazed so people can travel safely. The purpose of a trail marker or blaze helps hikers follow a specific path. Markers are used to indicate things such as the beginning and end of a trail, a change of direction or an intersection.

Blazes are found on prominent trees that are easy to spot from the trail. They are usually placed just above eye level or higher in areas that receive snow. Painted markers are roughly two inches wide and six inches tall, while other types of markers and signs vary in size.

Blazes come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can be paint marks on trees, metallic plates affixed on trunks or more elaborate wooden signposts. Here are the 6 most common types:

Paint

Paint is most commonly used to mark a hiking trail. In the United States and Canada, the standard marking system uses rectangles in different configurations to guide hikers. We're explaining the meaning behind each configuration in the next section of this post.

Cairns (or ‘ducks’)

Cairns are piles of rocks hikers leave alongside their path to mark a trail and guide other trekkers. They are usually found above treeline or in areas where trees are sparse. Cairns vary in height, but they usually rise high enough to stand out from the surrounding landscape and be easily noticed. Smaller stacks of stones (3 to 4) are called ducks. There is a question in the outdoor community about cairns being a disturbance of nature.

Posts

Posts with trail signs or markers are commonly used on ridgelines, rocky outcrops, and wherever else stones and trees are not available. Posts can also be very useful in areas where high snowfall are likely to obscure cairns.

Affixed Markers

As an alternative to paint markers, some trailblazers use markers made out of metal, plastic or wood that they nail onto trees. Because paint can fade, affixed markers may sound like a more durable approach to trailblazing. However, it is not uncommon for these signs to fall off or get stolen, which is why paint markers still end up being the more reliable option. 

Etchings

An etching is a name given to a trail sign that is carved into a tree. Although effective, this type of blaze is employed much less frequently than other methods as it causes irreversible damage to the trunks.

Flags

Finally, some trails are blazed with flagging tape or ribbons in lieu of paint or affixed markers. Each flag is tied to a tree branch that can easily be spotted from the trail. 

Paint markers can be found in 6 different configurations. Each has a different meaning and is meant to indicate which way the trail is going.

• A single rectangle is a mere indication that you are on the right path. Keep going straight.
• Two rectangles forming a right diagonal indicate a right turn. If you have a hard time remembering whether you're meant to go left or right, imagine a straight line going through both rectangles. The result would be an axis pointing in the direction of the turn - in this case, right.
• Two rectangles forming a left diagonal signal a left turn.
• Three rectangles forming an upward-pointing arrow show the beginning of a trail.
• Conversely, three rectangles structured in an inverted pyramid or downward-pointing arrow mean you've reached the end of the trail. 
• Finally, a marker showing two triangles stacked next to one signal a spur leading to a different trail.

In North America, trail blaze colors have no purpose other than to represent an individual trail. In other words, trails are typically marked in a single color from beginning to end. The Appalachian Trail, for example, uses white. Blaze colors come in particularly handy when different trails intersect or when dealing with side trails. Because each trail is marked in a different color, it is easy knowing which markers to follow and which to ignore to stay on track.