Search teams locate man north of Duluth after phone map directions mishap

Authorities in northeastern Minnesota rescued a driver early Sunday after directions from his phone sent him down a remote forest road.

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office reported that the 30-year-old man was able to get cell service and called 911 just before 5:30 a.m.

Search teams responded to the area of the Hulligan Lake Forest Road, off the Vermilion Trail about 30 miles north of Duluth.

The man "was attempting to follow cell phone map directions, when his vehicle became stuck on the remote forest road. He then set out on foot and became lost in a wooded and swampy area," the sheriff's office reported.

Searchers — including some using a drone — located the man "cold and wet, but otherwise uninjured."

In a news release, the sheriff's office said it "would like to remind the public that cell phone mapping is not always accurate and may occasionally guide people onto little-used roads. It is recommended that individuals stay on higher-traffic roadways when they are unfamiliar with the area."

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