Online mountain routes put hikers and wildlife at risk

Publishing precise locations for little-known mountain paths on social media and hiking platforms can endanger both people and nature, BR reported.

Roland Stadler of the Kochel mountain rescue service enjoys sharing mountain experiences, but warns against using geotagging to show exactly how to reach hidden places and unofficial paths. Such routes are not listed on Alpine Club maps or standard topographic maps of Bavaria. On hiking apps, users can upload paths without checks.

Stadler said hikers are increasingly using routes that are not official trails, including chamois trails and hunters’ trails, which can overwhelm inexperienced walkers.

Rescuers are also increasingly called to people who follow directions on a phone instead of using hiking maps. These displays often lack contour lines, a scale and information about the route’s difficulty or whether it is marked. That makes it difficult for inexperienced hikers to judge whether they can manage the tour or find their way through alpine terrain.

Animal tracks, puddles and fallen trees can make it hard to see where a path runs. GPS devices can also give inaccurate readings, including for elevation. Deviations of up to 50 metres are possible, which can quickly lead hikers to take a wrong turn or leave the path. In fog or darkness, exhausted and disoriented hikers can panic and enter steep, dangerous terrain where falls and accidents may occur, Stadler said.

Geotagging also creates problems for wildlife, said Felix Steinmeyer of the Bavarian Association for Bird Protection, who works as an area supervisor in the Allgäu High Alps. Most species can adapt well to people when they know that humans stay on hiking trails. But black grouse often live close to paths and can be disturbed when people suddenly appear in places where they are not normally seen.

Daniel Weickel, tourism chief of Kochel am See, also criticised people who seek attention online at nature’s expense for the sake of a few likes.

Sophia Weiss, an influencer from Schönau am Königssee, has also spoken out against geotagging. On Instagram, she urges people to protect beautiful mountain locations rather than present them online in full detail. Using nature to increase reach or strengthen one’s ego is the wrong approach to mountain activities, she said. Online posts have an extremely wide reach and can encourage imitation, she added.

Posting such routes also does not encourage people to take responsibility for themselves and for nature, Stadler said. Everyone has the right to access nature, and he welcomes the fact that young people enjoy going into the mountains. But they must act responsibly, he said.

Stadler recently saw an orange mountain bike standing in the middle of a forest, far from the official trail. He hoped its rider would not post the route online or on a hiking platform. That would not necessarily mean others would repeat the tour, he said, but it would make that more likely.

Following routes found online without further checks is generally not a good idea, Stadler said. Hikers should plan every tour themselves and check beforehand whether they are capable of completing it.