Two German tourists had to call Big Horn County Search and Rescue (BCSAR) for help after Google Maps led them astray.
The tourists were were visiting the Medicine Wheel in the Bighorn Mountains when they decided to head to Shell on May 31, BCSAR reported Sunday. Instead of recommending U.S. Highway 14 either westbound or eastbound, Google Maps sent them down a backcountry road that blew out two of their tires.
The pair was evacuated by BCSAR volunteers on ATVs that evening, but their Jeep Compass was stuck in the mountains until the tires could be replaced.
“They were on a road that they shouldn't have been in the car that they were driving,” said Adam Potter, owner of Big Horse Point S Towing in Greybull. “If you're going to be in the Bighorns, don't trust Google.”
Mission 26
This was BCSAR’s 26th mission so far in 2026. Potter wasn’t officially dispatched to rescue the German tourists when they got stuck, but he expected to be sent into the mountains at some point.
“I got a call from one of my buddies with the Big Horn County Sheriff's Department who told me BCSAR might be calling, so I sat tight,” he said. “Two of the guys who work for me in my shop are BCSAR volunteers, and they said the same thing.”
Potter didn’t get the call he was expecting until the next morning. The driver of the Jeep, named Matthias, asked if he could get his rental car out of the mountains.
Potter said Matthias and his wife were trying to take Alkali Road from Medicine Wheel to Shell. When they encountered a locked gate, Google Maps recommended an alternate route that they weren’t equipped to travel.
“They were on a road made for ATVs,” he said. “Matthias was probably about 10 miles down there when he realized that that wasn't going to work. He couldn’t get that Jeep Compass down there.”
Matthias managed to turn around and start going back the way he came. As he did so, his low-profile Jeep scraped against a large, sharp rock that punctured two tires.
The stranded Germans contacted the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office, which sent BCSAR volunteers to pick them up. The Jeep Compass was left where it was, as there wasn’t anything that could be done right away to save it.
Down, Up, Down, Up Again
Once Matthias and his wife reached Greybull, he called Potter about getting the vehicle out of the mountains, which was stuck near South Trapper Rim, an area that Potter’s familiar with.
“At this time of year and hunting season, we’re up there quite a bit,” he said.
Potter knew there was no point in trying to tow the Jeep out, as he wasn’t sure his tow truck could get to the spot. Instead, he had Matthias guide him to the stranded vehicle.
“It was just the tires,” Potter said. “The rest of the suspension looked good, and he never hit anything on the undercarriage, but we can’t replace a tire on a rim on the side of the road out in the mountains.”
The solution was to jack up the Jeep, remove the punctured wheels, and take them back down to the tow shop. By that point, it was already getting dark.
“It was a four-hour round trip to reach that spot, Potter said.
On Monday morning, Potter and Matthias went back up again to replace the tires and get the vehicle going. Then, Matthias drove it out of the mountains, shadowed by Potter.
“He drove himself up out of there,” Potter said. “He got himself down there, so it wasn't too hard for him to get back out. I just worked him up the road.”
What Do You Know, Google?
Google Maps is one of the most popular web mapping platforms in the world. However, Wyoming consistently tests its reliability.
When the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park opens every year, Google Maps tends to insist it’s closed and redirects drivers several hours out of their way to the North Entrance in Gardiner, Montana. When Yellowstone’s South Entrance opens, Google Maps has the same issue.
When Interstate 80 shuts down for winter weather, Google Maps occasionally tries to send drivers down closed, abandoned, and unmaintained roads because they’re still on the map and, as far as Google Maps is concerned, are still viable shortcuts.
“It's hard for Google to navigate change,” Rick Howe, president and CEO of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce, told Cowboy State Daily. “It works when things are consistent, but seasonal openings and closures of specific locations are really hard for the current platform to handle, and there’s no clear way to change that.”
Matthias and his wife were back on well-traveled roads after they got their rented Jeep out of the Bighorns, and they’re on their way back to Germany.
Potter ensured they wouldn’t have any more navigational issues for the final stretch of their journey.
“I pointed him in the right direction on the maps and websites that clarify ATV roads versus groomed, maintained roads,” he said. “Google Maps doesn’t know the difference.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
