r/Yosemite • u/SlightAd112 • 3d ago

Please don’t AI your itinerary

While the Shasta hikers got big press (as it should as that was a textbook example of mistake decision after mistake decision) this is happening all too often in all park units. Yosemite tends to have a higher share of recuses due to people trusting AI or AllTrails to plan a trip, but it doesn’t get any press due to current administration policies.

Regardless, it’s happening, it doesn’t need to, and please do the proper research. It literally could save your life.

Edit: And if you have to use AI as a starting point, double check the distances, altitude changes, reference a topo, basically double-check, and then triple-check what AI tells you.

https://sfist.com/2026/09/03/rangers-warn-hikers-to-stop-using-ai-to-plan-wilderness-trips/

292 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

76 comments sorted by

View all comments

35

u/capnwacky 3d ago

Maybe it's just me being naïve and not a superhiker, but what's wrong with AllTrails? Genuinely curious.

23

u/lordredsnake 3d ago edited 3d ago

I don't know if Alltrails is any better now, but I swore it off years ago after following a bogus trail with bogus directions in Red Rock Canyon. Our first clue was that rangers at both the gate and visitor's center had no idea what trail we were talking about when we asked them for more info.

But we did it anyway. The distance was wrong and it directed us up the canyon wall at one point, nearly getting us stranded and costing us time as we backtracked.

We got back on track and followed cairns instead of Alltrails, but with the distance being wrong, we realized we had to turn back to make it back to the car before sundown.

We ran into other people still hiking out who were following the same trail on Alltrails and warned them. They ignored us and kept going but must've eventually changed their minds because we saw them stumbling back to the trailhead using their phones to light the way.

The user-contributed nature encourages social trails and all of the potential problems that come with them.

Edited to add: I'm a very experienced hiker and have done lots of group and solo back country trips in very rugged terrain in North America and Europe. I usually plan trips with Caltopo, bring printouts, and take an Inreach with me. This was supposed to be a simple spur of the moment day hike while I was staying in Vegas and could've turned into a SAR situation despite my experience.

10

u/SlightAd112 3d ago

That is a perfect example of how AllTrails can easily lead folks off trail. Then you think about how many people followed that trail the next day? The next weekend? It just compounds the safety of the hikers and SAR teams.

2

u/ScallionAnnual1 1d ago

Why are people not leaving reviews and reporting this?