Why is this rejected? Hiking trails with internet links

Nomination Support
1

As it was the wish in another thread ( It seems theres something happening regarding Hike Trails and the Team And I Like it - General Discussion - Niantic Wayfarer Community) I like to share some hiking trails even with internet links that got rejected (I think my nomination are about the same quality as in the other thread):

example 1

Wayspot Submission for Wanderweg des Fränkischen Albverein am Waldrand

Heroldsberg BY

Not Accepted

2025-04-30

Reviewers provided these top reasons for not accepting this submission:
  • The submission is likely not permanent or distinct

384×512 108 KB

Description

Der Blaustrich-Wanderweg verläuft von Lauf an der Pegnitz bis nach Eschenau. Er trägt die Weg-Nummer 052 und ist mit einer Länge von 30,6 km ausgewiesen.

Location

Kleingeschaidt 98, 90562 Heroldsberg, Deutschland

Supplemental Information

384×512 96.1 KB

Weg 052 Weg-Nr.052

example 2

Wayspot Submission for Weg-Nummer 206 des Fränkischen Albverein

Kalchreuth BY

Not Accepted

2025-04-28

Reviewers provided these top reasons for not accepting this submission:
  • The submission is likely not permanent or distinct

512×384 82.7 KB

Description

Die Markierung für diesen Wanderweg ist der Triebwagen. Der Weg verläuft entlang der Gräfenbergbahn, woher auch der Name stammt. Die Weg-Nummer lautet 206 und die Länge ist mit 19,7 km angegeben.

Location

H563+F2 Kalchreuth, Deutschland

Supplemental Information

512×384 84.7 KB

Gräfenbergbahn-Weg 206 Weg-Nr.206

example 3

Wayspot Submission for Offizieller Wanderweg des Fränkischen Albvereins

Kalchreuth BY

Not Accepted

2025-04-14

Reviewers provided these top reasons for not accepting this submission:
  • The submission is likely not permanent or distinct

384×512 96.2 KB

Description

Die Markierung für diesen Wanderweg ist der Triebwagen. Der Weg verläuft entlang der Gräfenbergbahn, woher auch der Name stammt. Die Weg-Nummer lautet 206 und die Länge ist mit 19,7 km angegeben.

Location

H563+8X Kalchreuth, Deutschland

Supplemental Information

512×384 110 KB

Gräfenbergbahn-Weg 206 Weg-Nr.206

2

@HikeLadyLDK can you help with your experience.

3

To be honest: I couldn’t have done it better. The descriptions are quite good, they could be a bit more detailled, (like mentioning interesting points of the trail or more Info about the train track one of them follows and why it inspired a Hike trail) but that’s nit-picky.

Link is provided, and at least the first one should fit the location (didn’t look up all of them now, but assuming theyre all accurate locations along the trail, that’s actually fine)

Maybe some little introduction like:

Map of the Trail: (LINK)

would be nicer to read, but thats also complaining on a pretty high standard.

The Links also verifiy the Hike trails sign, so that’s quite a perfect submission.

I think, if ML is learning here, the problem might be that on the first one, the conctrete background is quite unusual and the sign is a bit damaged, so AI might not have seen enough similiarities with other markers it knows.

Also the second and third are a bit unusual, as the sign is quite detailled and very special, so for this the AI may also not be able really comprehend that its an official Hike Trail sign.

That’s all i can assume here.

A general tip from me is, when it comes to painted signs especially, to add this Infovideo about hike trails to your submission as it clearly shows that painted Markers are perfectly viable and permanent in germany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84EryF7hwo4&t=1s

but that should only be for human reviewers. Still I’d like more people to add this, as over time more people might watch it an broaden their knowledge about our hike trails a little.

Another general tip is using this Map to find hike trails in your Area that you can submit. It also has quite a few local Hike trails that do not have their own website: https://hiking.waymarkedtrails.org/

Here you also have the opportunity to highlight a chosen trail, move the Map view to your wayspots location an have the Link lead reviewers to a point centered there with coordinates ans Map Infos in the Link (for your first Submission: Waymarked Trails - Hiking )

If theres an official website for a trail, I tend to provide both Links.

4

Thank you very much for your detailed answer. I got wayspots accepted and rejected by both the community and the niantic team. Even appeals are totally random. All of my submissions are with internet links and descriptions like you read. I am also a member of the Fränkische Albverein so I have the sign and the glue here to renew the hiking trail signs at least in my area. When I appeal I even mention the clarification link in this forum and nevertheless it is totally random.

Sometimes I got accepted 10 stops in a row by Niantic but last week my dad submitted hiking trails and nearly all got rejected by Niantic (they had this Niantic ballons in voting). So this is sadly frustrating. The situation got better since the clarification in this forum about hiking trails but it is far away from good and consistent.

5

I find that trail markers in less-than-perfect condition get rejected more often that ones in perfect condition. This isn’t rejections by eMiLy, but rejections by the community.

I suspect that quite a few people still don’t like trail markers as wayspots and look for a reason to reject them. Named trail, visible on streetview, good description, link to trail site, all good except for a damaged trail marker, so it gets rejected.

6

Now another perfect example in my point of view. This was in voting at Niantic and it got rejected. Did I get the clarification for hiking trails wrong or should this be a wayspot? Why did Niantic rejected this wayspot? To be honest I am really frustrated. If I didnt see the point please tell me why this wayspot is rejected.

Wayspot Submission for Markierungen für fünf offizielle Wanderwege

Kalchreuth BY

Not Accepted

:play_button:

2025-05-16 - Rejected

Reviewers provided these top reasons for not accepting this submission:
  • The submission lacks uniqueness or historical and cultural meaning

384×512 99 KB

Description

Zu fünfzig ausgewiesenen Wallfahrtsorten führen die Wander- und Radwege des “Marienwegs”. Der Triebwagen markiert den Gräfenbergbahn-Weg. Die Weg-Nummer lautet 206 und die Länge ist mit 19,7 km angegeben. Der Jakobsweg III trägt das Wanderzeichen Strahlenmuschel. Er verläuft von Dormitz (Lkr. Forchheim) nach Stein-Deutenbach. Der Blaustrich-Wanderweg verläuft von Fürth bis nach Sendelmühle. Er trägt die Weg-Nr. 063. Der Namen des Gelbpunkt-Wanderwegs ist Zielweg Erlangen – Kalchreuth.

Location

Adam-Kraft-Straße 28, 90562 Kalchreuth, Deutschland

Supplemental Information

512×384 66.3 KB

Fränkischer Marienweg https://fraenkischer-marienweg.de/ Gräfenbergbahn-Weg 206 Weg-Nr.206 Jakobsweg III Weg-Nr.202 Weg 063 Blaustrich Kalchreuth Weg-Nr.063 Weg 148 (Gelbpunkt Kalchreuth) Weg-Nr.148

7

Niantic/Scopely didn’t reject this wayspot - reviewers did. There’s a significant difference in those rejections.

Sometimes wayspots get rejected for no obvious reason. You look at the submission, shrug, resubmit and it goes through a second time.

Sometimes you can look at your submission again with an eye for “what about this submission would make it get rejected” and //ignore the rejection reason//. You might see something. I this case, the trail marker looks temporary, because it’s held on with ties not properly fixed - that could be enough to get it rejected.

8

But it is not rejected because of this.

And sorry but i saw before it was in voting at Niantic with the niantic balloon. And even the mail said that our team has decided not to accept your wayspot nomination.

9

I havent’ seen wayfarer showing a wayspot rejected by reviewers (which is what this indicates) while the email says the team rejected it. I’ll have to leave that to someone else.

My point still stands about looking at the submission to see if there is something that would get it rejected, which this one has, unfortunately.

10

You are most likely thinking about the “automated process” rejection. Humans at Niantic can use the full range of rejection reasons.

1 Like
11

The Community, the Appeals Team, eMiLy and Niantic are just different kinds of “Reviewers”.