I stopped trusting GPS after getting stuck on a cliff edge in the Smokies

Used to just punch in a trailhead name and go, never checked topo maps or anything. Last fall near Clingmans Dome, my phone guided me onto a washed out logging road that ended at a 40 foot drop. Now I always carry a paper map and compass, and I cross reference any route with at least two sources before I leave the parking lot. Anyone else had a GPS fail them on a trail that made you change how you plan trips?

2 comments

2 Comments

harper_smith10d ago

lol I had almost the exact same thing happen in the Smokies but near the Alum Cave trailhead. My phone showed a short cut to the parking lot that turned out to be an old fire road that just dead ended into a boulder field in the middle of nowhere. I wasted like two hours backtracking and it was getting dark. Now I always screenshot the route on my phone before I lose service, plus I keep a paper map in my pack. Also, pro tip: download the offline maps in Google Maps or something before you head out because those satellite signals can just vanish when you're deep in the woods. Seriously, a compass and map weigh nothing but they'll save your trip every time.

noah41510d ago

Yeah that Clingmans Dome area is notorious for bad GPS signals with all the hills and trees blocking satellites. Paper maps are still the way to go for navigation out there.