yes, you can't trust GPS, you also can't trust most maps. You need *local* maps produced by locals, plus topo maps that show you what you're getting into. The local maps are much more likely to have weather warning info. National generic maps produced by chain publishers are less likely.
In reality, they should close this road with gates, period. Every year, people get stuck on the same road in winter. They rescued another guy elsewhere in Oregon the same day they found Kim's body.
The road can start off looking passable and then RAPIDLY turn to shit, by which time you've gone miles down it, and potentially stuck. Also, the forest road Kim veered onto looked wider and more passable than NF-23, but that's because it was headed to lower elevations.
The only truly saving piece of electronics is a satellite phone, minimally with a hand-crank recharger, plus enough provisions in the vehicle to wait for rescue.
But the best advise of all is the stay the fuck out of the mountains in winter and NEVER take shortcuts through mountains. Instead of spending another hour driving by turning back to route 42, James took a fatal short-cut. I've been in Oregon before driving to Crater Lake, and I too almost got lost on a fucking logging road. Many of them are paved, look completely legit, and hard to distinguish from the main roads, except they have no signs, which you often don't notice until too late. (how many times you found a road, which you thought was your turnoff, but didn't have a street sign, so you took it on a hunch, even though it was a really the next turnout!)
I drive to Tahoe alot for skiing, and besides having provisions, I never take anything but the main roads, and even then, I avoid them when there's alot of snow, even given 4WD and chains and snowtires. One year, I drove to Tahoe at noon, it was supposed to take 4hrs. I didn't get there until 11pm. I had to drive on chains at 10mph through moutains on snowpacked roads for 10 hours, the most scary drive I've ever had. Luckily, there were a gazillion people also on the road, so if I did break down, help wasn't far. But still. A harrowing drive. I learned by lesson after that.
