Tag:waterway=access_point

waterway=access_point is the primary tag for a point of interest where people can enter or leave a body of water from land, a pier, or another structure. In other words, this is where a path meets the waterline. Typical use cases are launching small boats, wading, swimming, and going out onto surface ice in winter.

For access points that have a constructed ramp for launching boats, see leisure=slipway. For places to access water as a resource, see amenity=drinking_water, amenity=water_point, waterway=water_point, man_made=water_well, and man_made=water_tap.

How to map

Place a node at the location where someone can access the water. Tag the node with waterway=access_point.

If the location is on the edge of natural=water, natural=coastline, or man_made=pier, connect the access point to that way. If there is a path or road leading to the access point, connect that way to the node. If the access point is near a waterway centerline, use waterway=link to connect the access point to the centerline of the waterway.

Useful combinations

Access tags

• access=* – the overall allowed access
• canoe=* – whether canoes and kayaks can be launched here
• trailer=* – whether boats can be launched on trailers (see also leisure=slipway)
• swimming=* – whether swimming is allowed from here (see also leisure=swimming_area)
• fishing=* – whether fishing is allowed from here (see also leisure=fishing)
• snowmobile=* – whether snowmobiles can enter the ice in winter
• ski:nordic=* – whether cross-country skiers can enter the ice in winter

Point of interest tags

• name=*
• description=*
• informal=*
• operator=*
• opening_hours=*
• fee=*
• wheelchair=* – is it wheelchair accessible for the allowed uses
• surface=* – the physical surface material
• tidal=* – is the water here affected by tides
• intermittent=* – is it sometimes unavailable
• seasonal=* – is it available only part of the year

Available amenity tags

• parking=* – is there public parking within reasonable walking distance
• drinking_water=* – is potable water available nearby (generally not direct from the water body itself)
• camping=* – is camping allowed nearby
• toilets=* – are public restroom facilities available nearby
• shower=* – are public showers available nearby
• picnic_table=* – is a picnic table available nearby
• bbq=* – is a grill available nearby
• openfire=* – are campfires allowed here

Examples

• 
  A public canoe access point on the Winooski River in Richmond, VT, USA
• 
  Econfina Creek Canoe Launch - Bay County, FL, USA
• 
  Canoe Launch Point at Lawn Hill Gorge in Queensland, Australia

Alternative tagging

If a feature is better suited to leisure=slipway, leisure=bathing_place ,leisure=swimming_area, or leisure=fishing, use that tag instead. If desired, waterway=access_point can be used in addition.

Historically, canoe=put_in, canoe=egress, and canoe=put_in;egress have been used to tag small-boat launches. However, canoe=* is best as an access tag and is not suited as a primary type tag. The different permutations of put_in/egress are also difficult to query, and are not used consistently by mappers to show launch-ability.

whitewater=put_in and whitewater=put_in;egress have also been used for small-boat launches, but are redundant to the canoe=* tags and suffer the same issues.