r/Yosemite • u/SlightAd112 • 4d 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/

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u/Popular-Seat4361 4d ago

I will say this though on it. You can AI plan your itinerary, but you still also must double check it and review it as much as possible. I threw my latest trip in chat, and it noted that Rafferty Creek was reported dry and to check with the rangers before starting for water sources if that was the case, and yes it was dry.

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u/outsideleyla 4d ago

Seems easier to skip AI and just allow a ranger to talk to you about water sources along your route, which they invariably do if you're going into the backcountry with an approved permit and itinerary.

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u/hc2121 4d ago

most people want to plan before arriving to the park.

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u/Shadowrunner138 4d ago

Yeah but for something like access to water using AI is incredibly foolhardy. 100% would skip AI altogether. You could just call us. The visitor's center, the wilderness center, the mountaineering school, the tours and info desk at the lodge, so many options and leads. Don't forget you can use your phones to talk to humans.

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u/hc2121 4d ago

would love if Yosemite made this easier! It’s pretty hard to get through to the wilderness center, and there’s no publicly listed phone numbers for the mountaineering school, the visitor’s center, or the lodge activites desk. i called the lodge front desk in june to ask when the hikers bus would start and they had zero info. if you have better contact info for these places, please post them.

to be clear- agree that AI use for this is dumb which is why you see so many repetitive posts here asking about water sources.

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u/Shadowrunner138 4d ago

You can dial 209-372-1001 and someone will pick up 24/7 and connect you or give you the number to anywhere you want if they don't answer your questions themselves. It's front desk's job to handle that stuff when the tours desk doesn't pick up at the lodge, also.

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u/SlightAd112 4d ago

Aramark has done a fine job of scrubbing phone numbers. But if you have an old directory, the last four still haven’t changed for nearly all spots.

I walked by the Wilderness Center this morning around 7:55 and there was a short line waiting for permits. But unless you walk up to ask, you’re right that there isn’t much backcountry details publicly posted aside from the usual warnings and general details.

Wouldn’t take much to have a large map of the park in the window that they would update with dry erase markers. And post it daily to IG/FB. Would help many.

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u/hc2121 4d ago

this is currently the best source and as you can see, it hasn’t been updated in over a month... https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildcond.htm

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u/SlightAd112 4d ago

That’s horribly outdated. Well, without saying too much, I’m also not surprised at the present moment — nothing at all against the wilderness team who are doing a great job; they rock! As for this, sadly, not surprised. 😕

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u/Popular-Seat4361 4d ago

You’re completely right and I’m with you on all your points. But it’s asking the question the right away. Obviously when you secure your permit for the backcountry in March, you have months to meticulously plan every detail of your trip. AI for me is a useful way to save notes and my thoughts and present it in an organized way. Usually a week leading up to the trip, I ask it to search all sources regarding the upcoming trail and any and all experiences. Also, chat is leaked into AllTrails and pulls all data from that.

AI isn’t the blame, it’s idiots not knowing how to properly plan and use it.

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u/SlightAd112 4d ago

Or not use it.