Search and rescue team warns against Google Maps after stranded hiker lifted from North Shore mountain

A member of North Shore Rescue sits in a helicopter during an operation on Sept. 20, 2023. (Image credit: Facebook/North Shore Rescue)

North Shore Rescue is warning hikers against using Google Maps or similar apps to navigate wilderness areas after crews were called to the same mountain for the third time in recent months.

Crews rescued a hiker who was stranded on a cliff on Mount Fromme on Saturday afternoon, after he attempted to climb the mountain from the Kennedy Falls area.

Two NSR members were hoisted down from a Talon Helicopter with ropes to reach the hiker, North Shore Rescue search manager Dave Barnett told CTV News. He added the terrain in the area is very steep and technically difficult to navigate.

The hiker had some scratches, but no serious injuries, Barnett said.

Mount Fromme has been the site of three rescues in recent months, according to Barnett. And in 2021, a hiker was found dead on the mountain.

He believes people keep getting lost on Mount Fromme because they’re following directions on Google Maps—which shows a trail there that does not actually exist.

He said NSR has contacted Google to fix the error, but has not received a response. In the meantime, the search and rescue team is urging hikers to not use “urban map apps” in the wilderness because they’re not always accurate.

“To be clear, the area in question has no trails and is very steep with many cliff bands throughout,” NSR wrote on social media after the rescue. “The area is clearly dangerous.”

NSR said it recommends a “good old-fashioned paper map and compass,” but if you are using a phone-based app, it said to use one specifically designed for the outdoors, such as CalTopo or Gaia. “Be sure to carry a spare charged external battery, as mapping programs can quickly drain your phone’s battery, especially in the cold,” NSR added.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Meagan Gill