Serious question, is marking a route with cairns helping or just ruining it for everyone else?

Last week I was on the Lost Coast Trail near Shelter Cove and saw a group stacking a fresh pile of rocks right on the beach where the tide could wash it away. They seemed proud of it. I get the appeal when fog rolls in and the trail disappears, but I also know park signs say leave no trace. I used to rely on cairns in the Sierras above 10,000 feet where the path is pure rock, and they saved me twice. But now I wonder if every new cairn just invites more people to add their own, and pretty soon you got 50 piles pointing nowhere. Anyone else torn on this, or am I overthinking a pile of rocks? What's your rule for when building a marker is okay versus just lazy navigation?

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