Recording Trails and Points of Interest
An Android and iPhone guide to adding your observations to OpenStreetMap
Use your phone to record a trail and mark features along the way. Then use a computer to upload the recording and add the trail and features to OpenStreetMap. Start with one short trail and a few points so the first outing is easy to review.
Trails and points of interest
A trail recording, also called a GPS track or trace, is a line showing where you walked. A waypoint is a saved location, such as a bench or trail sign. A GPX file holds the recording and can also hold those waypoints.
A point of interest is the actual feature you want to map. The waypoint is your field note for finding it later. You can add several waypoints during one trail recording without ending the walk.
What to record in the field
For a trail, note its established name, surface, junctions, steps, and any signs about permitted use. Measure width if you want to record it. Follow each branch you intend to map so its route is captured.
For a point of interest, record what it is and enough detail to identify it. Examples include a bench with a backrest, a picnic table, an information board, a trail guidepost, or a gate. Use real names only; “bench beside pond” is a useful field note, not necessarily a map name.
Before leaving
- Charge your phone, install the app for your phone type, and allow precise location access. Bring a power bank for a longer outing.
- Try a short recording and check that it continues after locking and unlocking the screen. If it stops, review the app’s background location and battery settings before the full walk.
- Begin at the trail entrance and finish before driving away. GPS can drift under trees, so check the recorded shape against what you actually walked.
How this guide is organized
Page 2: Android. Page 3: iPhone. Page 4: Upload the GPX file. Page 5: Add trails. Page 6: Add points of interest and publish your edits.
Uploading a GPS recording does not automatically create a trail or point on the public map. The final editing and save steps publish the actual features.
Android phones
Use OSMTracker for Android. These steps use the app’s standard layout; icons and wording can vary by version.
Install OSMTracker from Google Play
Start recording a trail
- Turn on Location on your phone and open OSMTracker at the trail entrance. Allow precise location access when asked.
- Tap the plus button to start a new track. Wait for a GPS fix; the feature buttons become available when a position is found.
- Walk the trail. Open the menu and choose Display Track to check that your route is being drawn.
Add a point of interest while recording
- Leave the trail recording running. Stop beside the feature you want to mark.
- Tap the matching feature button, or use a text note when there is no suitable button.
- Enter a clear note, such as “Wooden bench with backrest beside pond,” and confirm it.
- Use the photo or voice-note button for supporting details if helpful. A signed photograph can save typing.
- Return to the recording screen and continue walking. Repeat for each feature. You do not need a separate trail recording for each point.
Example: Walk to a bench, save its note, continue to the next junction, photograph the sign, and finish the loop. Your trail and marked locations belong to the same outing.
Save and export the walk
- At the end, tap the Save or stop control, shown as a floppy disk in the documented layout.
- Press and hold the recording in the track list. Use details to give it a recognizable name, then display it to check the route.
- Choose “Export as GPX.” Use Share GPX if offered to send it to your own email or Google Drive, then download it on your computer.
Keep the original recording. Photos and audio are separate files, so transfer those too if you will use them while editing. Continue on page 4.
OSMTracker illustrated recording instructions
OSMTracker track and waypoint features
Apple iPhones
Use Open GPX Tracker. It records the trail and named waypoints and shares them as a GPX file. Button placement may vary by version.
Install Open GPX Tracker from the App Store
Start recording a trail
- Open the app at the trail entrance and allow location access. Enable Precise Location in the iPhone location settings for the app.
- Wait until the map shows your position. Tap Start Tracking and begin walking.
- Check that your route is appearing on the map. If you pause for a long break, tap Pause and then Resume before walking again.
Add a point of interest while recording
- Keep tracking activity and stand beside the feature.
- Tap the new pin or waypoint button on the bottom bar. This places a waypoint at your current location.
- Tap the marker and its edit control. Change the waypoint name to something useful, such as “Trail sign at north junction,” and confirm it.
- Continue walking. Add more pins the same way without saving or resetting the trail each time.
A long press on the map places a pin where you touch the screen. When surveying a feature beside you, use the current-location pin button so you do not accidentally mark another spot.
Take supporting photographs with the Camera app. Keep the pictures with your field notes for later reference; the GPX file does not contain the image files.
Save and send the recording
- At the end, tap Pause and then Save. Enter a useful filename, such as “Pine Hill trail September 7.”
- Open the saved-files list using the folder button. Select the saved recording and use its sharing option.
- For Windows, send the GPX file to your own email or Google Drive and download it on the computer. For a Mac, AirDrop is another option.
Save the .gpx file in a folder you can find easily. Keep the original on your phone until you have checked the transfer. Continue on page 4.
Open GPX Tracker features and sharing
Open GPX Tracker project documentation
Upload your recording to OpenStreetMap
These steps are the same for Android and iPhone. Use your computer for the upload and map editing. A Windows PC or Mac works.
Create your account and find your file
- Visit OpenStreetMap, select Sign Up, and create a free account. Complete the email confirmation. If you already have an account, sign in.
- Download the GPX file from your email or cloud storage. Make sure the filename ends in .gpx. Put it in a folder such as Trail Mapping in Documents.
Upload the GPX file
- Open the Upload a GPS trace link below. You can also use GPS Traces on the website and choose Upload a trace.
- Click Choose File or Browse. Select the .gpx file from your Trail Mapping folder.
- Enter a description, such as “Walked woodland trail and recorded benches and guideposts.” Add optional search tags such as Chelmsford, walking, trail.
- Choose a visibility setting using the explanation below, then click Upload.
- Wait while the trace is processed. “Pending” means it is still in the queue. Find it under GPS Traces and see your traces.
Choose the visibility setting
Identifiable makes the recording publicly listed and linked to your username, including its GPS times. Use it when you are comfortable sharing the outing openly.
Trackable shares the ordered GPS points and times without listing the recording publicly under your account. It does not make the GPS points completely private. If you want to keep the recording private, skip the trace upload and load the local file into the editor on page 5 instead.
Older guides may show “public” and “private.” Those options were deprecated in August 2026. The local file method on page 5 works regardless of your trace visibility choice.
What happens after this upload
The recording is now available as mapping evidence. To put a trail or bench on the actual map, continue with pages 5 and 6. Keep your local GPX file because it is the simplest way to load your own route into the editor.
OpenStreetMap GPS upload instructions
GPS trace visibility explained
Add or improve a trail on the map
Open the editor and your recording
- Sign in to OpenStreetMap. Search for the park or nearby street and zoom to the trail area.
- Click Edit. Choose “Edit with ID” if asked. This editor runs in your browser; take its walkthrough on your first visit.
- Open the folder containing your GPX file. Drag the file onto the editing map. The route appears as a reference layer.
Zoom in until existing map features are visible. Your reference recording cannot be edited into a trail simply by clicking Save. You draw or improve the actual map feature using it as a guide.
Draw a missing trail
- Click Line at the top of the editor, then click the trail’s starting location.
- Click at bends along the route. Follow the real trail shape rather than every GPS wiggle. Double-click at the end to finish.
- Where the trail joins another path, connect to that existing path at the actual junction. Draw branches as separate connected lines.
- Choose a suitable feature type in the left panel. Search for Path for a general woodland path. Use Foot Path where that accurately describes the feature.
Add the trail details you know
Enter an established trail name only if it has one. Add a known surface such as dirt or gravel. Add width if measured. Use Add field to find additional fields when needed.
Record permissions from signs or reliable knowledge. Leave unknown access or wheelchair suitability blank. A GPS walk alone does not prove public access or accessibility. A long named hiking route made of several paths is a more advanced mapping task.
If the trail is already mapped
Select the existing trail to add missing details. Adjust its shape only where your observations support a correction. Do not draw a duplicate over it or move it solely to match one noisy GPS recording.
Next, add the points of interest from the same walk. Save a small batch of changes at a time so it is easy to check your work.
OpenStreetMap browser editor instructions
Choosing and describing a path
Add points of interest and publish your work
Turn a waypoint into a map feature
The waypoint you saved while walking is a reference. Create or update the real feature at that location in the editor.
- Find the waypoint in your GPX reference layer and read your field note. Check your photographs if needed. If markers or labels do not appear, consult the saved track on your phone; do not guess the location.
- Check whether the feature already exists. If it does, select it and improve its details.
- For a missing bench or information board, click Point and then its actual location. Search the left panel for Bench, Information Board, Guidepost, or another matching type.
- Fill in known details. A bench may have a backrest; a guidepost may have an established name or reference. Leave the Name field empty for an unnamed feature.
A gate blocking a trail belongs on the trail line at its actual position, sharing a point with that line. A bench beside the trail is a separate point beside it. A bridge usually needs to be mapped as a section of the path, not just a standalone point.
Save the actual map edits
- Click Save in the editor. Read the listed issues and correct mistakes before continuing.
- Write a short change description, such as “Added woodland trail, two benches, and a guidepost from my GPS survey.” If asked for the source, enter survey.
- Complete the final upload and wait for confirmation. Your edits are now in OpenStreetMap. The displayed map may take time to refresh, and other apps update on their own schedules.
If something does not look right
Only the GPS line appears: finish drawing and saving the map features. The trace alone does not publish them.
The route stops partway: check whether recording paused or background location was restricted. Rewalk the missing section rather than inventing its route.
A point has no visible map symbol: check its feature type in the editor. Not every mapped feature is displayed at every zoom level. Do not add a duplicate just to make it appear.