https://www.sfgate.com/renotahoe/article/Google-Maps-may-have-led-Tahoe-travelers-astray-16734398.php Skip to main content Currently Reading Google Maps may have led Tahoe travelers astray during snowstorm * Newsletters * Sign In [ ] * Home + About SFGATE + Contact SFGATE + Newsletters + Ethics Policy + Advertise With Us + Privacy Notice / Notice At Collection + Terms of Use + Ad Choices + Classifieds + Do Not Sell My Personal Info * News + Bay Area + Nation + World + Crime + Unsolved + Weather + Education + Jobs + Health + Sponsored Content * Local + SF History + Businesses + Places + Essays + Sponsored Content * Politics * Sports + 49ers + Giants + A's + Warriors + Soccer + Sharks + TV Listings + College + Preps * culture + Movies + Music + Streaming + Characters + Tech & Social Media + Things To Do + Sponsored: SF Culture + Cannabis + Senior Living * Food + Drink + Restaurants + Reservations * Travel + Tahoe + California Parks + Disneyland + Hawaii + Napa + SF Insider: Things to do + Wine Country + Monterey-Carmel * Real Estate + New Homes + (Virtual) Open Homes + Luxury + Rentals + Mortgage Rates + Place a Real Estate Ad + Neighborhood Guides + Home & Garden * Obits + Obituaries + Place an Obituary * Coupons * Buy Area MOST POPULAR * The hills are covered in freshly fallen snowfall at Palisades Tahoe on Dec. 26, 2021. I-80 to Tahoe closed indefinitely, 89 blocked by avalanche * DoorDash, Uber Eats and other food delivery apps are seen on an iPhone screen. SF startup requires engineers to deliver food and they're upset * Road construction to access Sherwood Chair at Palisades Tahoe. Bay Area visitors stranded in Tahoe amid massive snowstorm * A family walking down Grant Avenue wear face masks in San Francisco, Calif. on August 5, 2021. 'Things are different now': Charts show omicron unfolding in SF * A fresh layer of snowfall covered the peak of Mount Diablo on Tuesday morning, Dec. 14, 2021. Map shows where snow could fall in the Bay Area on Tuesday * Colfax and westbound Canyon Way, as seen during a snowstorm in the Sierra on Dec. 27, 2021. Photos show how incredibly snowy Tahoe highways are right now * A view of main street Nevada City in California's Gold Country. The coolest thing to do in each Northern California county * The sheriff's office identified the skier as 43-year-old Rory Angelotta from Truckee. Crews search for skier who disappeared from Truckee ski resort * A Caltrans photo of fallen trees on the road on Dec. 27. No way to sneak past the Tahoe I-80 closure, Caltrans warns * Eastbound Highway 50 at Meyers at a standstill in gridlock traffic on Dec. 28, 2021. 10-hour delays possible around Tahoe as Highway 50 hits capacity * Goleta, Calif. Dec. 25, 2021. 'Tornado-like' weather event wrecks California neighborhood * The athletics program at the Academy of Art in San Francisco has been surprisingly successful. Inside scandal-prone 'Art U's' oddly robust athletic department Travel // Tahoe Google Maps may have led Tahoe travelers astray during snowstorm Joshua Bote, SFGATE Dec. 28, 2021Updated: Dec. 28, 2021 1 p.m. Facebook Twitter Email Colfax and westbound Canyon Way, as seen during a snowstorm in the Sierra on Dec. 27, 2021. Colfax and westbound Canyon Way, as seen during a snowstorm in the Sierra on Dec. 27, 2021. Placer County Sheriff's Office/Handout It appears that Google Maps may have guided weary Lake Tahoe travelers to closed-off and even dangerous roads amid record-setting snowfall. Social media posts, including from Crystal Kolden, a professor of forest sciences at UC Merced, have condemned the service for redirecting travelers away from closed highways to potentially precarious shortcuts. "This is an abject failure," tweeted Kolden Monday evening. "You are sending people up a poorly maintained forest road to their death in a severe blizzard." A screenshot she shared showed directions through Marysville Road, a fairly narrow, two-lane path going through the Tahoe National Forest. .@googlemaps This is an abject failure. You are sending people up a poorly maintained forest road to their death in a severe blizzard. Hire people who can address winter storms in your code (or maybe get some of your engineers who are stuck in Tahoe right now on it). pic.twitter.com/IzagAXzBtA -- Dr. Crystal A. Kolden ?"? (@pyrogeog) December 28, 2021 (Kolden did not immediately respond to a request for comment from SFGATE.) Other dispatches from Twitter allege that the service -- particularly its mobile app -- directed people to closed-off highways, mountain passes and lakeside roads to get around. This is in direct contrast to Caltrans' messaging to avoid workarounds. Caltrans District 3 spokesperson Steve Nelson told SFGATE on Monday that they were seeing drivers trying to skirt highway closures with side streets. "They'll take side roads and try and sneak past the closures, and that never ends well," he said. ALSO READ: Here's the latest on Tahoe highway closures and reopenings Kolden's post got the attention of Google engineer Soren Meyer-Eppler, who said on Twitter he worked on "this problem" in the past and explained the challenges of guiding people through mountain roads. He also defended the service, noting the "trade-off" of offering convenient driving directions and fully accurate ones. Most Popular 1. I-80 into Tahoe closed indefinitely due to Sierra snowstorm, avalanche blocks 89 2. San Francisco-based DoorDash is requiring engineers to deliver food -- and they're furious 3. Bay Area visitors are stranded in Tahoe amid a massive snowstorm 4. 'Things are different now': Charts show how omicron is unfolding in San Francisco 5. Weather service posts map showing where snow could fall in San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday 6. Photos, videos show how incredibly snowy Tahoe highways are right now 7. The coolest thing to do in each Northern California county "[People are suggesting] if you can't get driving directions and road closures right 100% of the time, you shouldn't offer any. Surely that would be a worse trade-off than the status quo?" he wrote. "Consider that we don't know a priori which mistake is potentially dangerous." A Google spokesperson told SFGATE that it is currently taking preventative measures to ensure that drivers remain safe while driving around the Lake Tahoe area. "In light of the unpredictable conditions from the current snowstorm, our team is working as quickly as possible to update routes in the Lake Tahoe area using details from local authorities," the spokesperson said in a statement. "We currently show a winter storm warning to alert drivers in the area, and encourage everyone to stay alert and attentive." Officials continue to advise that drivers stay home, if possible, and to drive carefully if absolutely necessary. Most Popular 1. I-80 into Tahoe closed indefinitely due to Sierra snowstorm, avalanche blocks 89 2. San Francisco-based DoorDash is requiring engineers to deliver food -- and they're furious 3. Bay Area visitors are stranded in Tahoe amid a massive snowstorm 4. 'Things are different now': Charts show how omicron is unfolding in San Francisco 5. Weather service posts map showing where snow could fall in San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday 6. Photos, videos show how incredibly snowy Tahoe highways are right now 7. The coolest thing to do in each Northern California county Written By Joshua Bote Reach Joshua on Joshua Bote is an assistant news editor for SFGATE. He grew up in the Los Angeles area, went to UC Berkeley and has previously worked as a reporter at USA Today and a music writer at NPR. 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