Wilderness managers at Mount Shasta in Northern California are encountering hikers who make poor decisions based on information from AI chatbots, according to Nick Meyers, US Forest Service program manager of the Mount Shasta Wilderness Climbing and Avalanche Center.
In one incident, three 20-year-old hikers required rescue after becoming lost on the mountain overnight. The hikers later said they had relied partly on Google’s Gemini chatbot for planning and admitted to inadequate preparation, including insufficient food and overestimating their fitness. “To these guys’ credit, they did try,” Meyers said. “But I think they kind of turned their brains off.”
Meyers reported other cases including a visitor who camped near a “No Camping” sign, insisting AI had told her it was permitted, and a hiker carrying an AI-generated map that placed prominent mountain features on the wrong side of the peak.
Separately, a helicopter crew rescued a 16-year-old from Crown Mountain in British Columbia after the teen used Anthropic’s Claude chatbot to help plan the trip, though the hiker also consulted Google Maps and the AllTrails app.
Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins said 26 percent of visitors now report using AI for travel information, up from zero a year ago. “I’m guessing that curve is not going to flatten,” Jenkins said.
Meyers said it remains unclear whether increased AI use will lead to more backcountry accidents. The Mount Shasta wilderness area averages a dozen rescues each year, and 2026 is shaping up to be an average year.