A pair of Israeli tourists had to be rescued on Monday, October 20, after following Google Maps onto a restricted mountain road near the Dachstein massif in Austria, only to become stranded deep in the forest. The Dachstein Glacier is located in the Austrian region of Styria, about 90 minutes southeast of Salzburg. The Dachstein Glacier is part of the greater Schladming-Dachstein area.
According to police, the 22-year-old man and his partner set out on Monday morning intending to visit the Hohen Dachstein, one of Austria’s most iconic alpine destinations. However, instead of selecting the driving route to the official parking area on the Styrian side, they appear to have followed a hiking route suggested by Google Maps—one that leads from Gosau through forest roads toward the mountain.
Undeterred by the end of the paved road and several “no driving” signs, the couple continued for several kilometres along the gravel track before realizing that their journey was impossible to complete by car. Attempting to turn back, they became disoriented and soon found themselves blocked by a closed forest barrier in the Gosau-Vordertal area.
Unable to describe their precise location, the tourists managed to place an emergency call. A police patrol from Bad Goisern was dispatched and eventually located the stranded couple and their rental car. Officers escorted them safely back down to Gosau.
Austrian police confirmed that the couple will be billed for the cost of the rescue operation. The Upper Austrian State Police Directorate noted that navigation errors of this kind are not uncommon in the region, where GPS services occasionally misdirect drivers onto hiking or forestry routes.
- Related: [VIDEO] Navigation Fail Sees American Driver Stuck in the Middle of Cross-Country Trails in AUstria
Unfortunately, it happens rather frequently that tourists get stuck when blindly following navigation systems instead of observing road signs. Last year an American tourist got his car stuck on a cross-country trail when the driver failed to observe signs that the road ahead was closed in winter.
