Warning: my GPS 'shortcut' in the Blue Ridge turned a 2 hour drive into 5

Last Saturday I took a detour the GPS swore would cut 20 miles off my drive from Asheville to Boone. It sent me down a gravel forest road that was barely passable, and my sedan scraped bottom twice before I found a spot to turn around. The kicker is the road wasn't even on the map after the first mile, just a bunch of logging paths that all looked the same. I wasted a full tank of gas, about $45 worth, and ended up backtracking to the same highway I left. My buddy who knows the area just laughed and said those shortcuts only work if you've got a lifted truck and a death wish. Anyone else had a navigation app steer them into a mess that cost more time than it saved?

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emery_flores20d ago

My buddy Tom tried this exact thing on the way to a camping trip near Marion. GPS took him down this old fire road that turned into a creek crossing. Water was up to his door sills and he had to reverse out in the dark with his hazard lights on. Took him three hours just to get back to pavement. He still brings it up every time someone mentions GPS.