Getting found: phones, personal locator beacons and satellite messengers, and what to do while you wait

Most people who get into trouble outdoors are found because someone knew to look, and because the person in trouble made themselves easy to find. This article covers the three ways to call for help from the backcountry, a cell phone, a personal locator beacon (PLB) and a satellite messenger, and what to do while you wait. It draws on the National Park Service's Outdoor Emergency Plan, NOAA's search and rescue satellite program and the U.S. Coast Guard, with notes on how Japan handles the same situation.

First: someone should already know where you are

Before any device, leave a trip plan with someone who will call for help if you are late. See The Ten Essentials and a trip plan for what to include.

If you are lost: stop, then stay put

The NPS Outdoor Emergency Plan says to stop and calmly assess your situation, and to retrace your steps only if it is safe. If you can't, stay put: "Changing location will make it difficult for authorities to find you. Move only if there is an immediate threat to your life."

Option 1: Your phone

If you have any signal, call 911. The NPS says to tell them:

• GPS coordinates from your phone, if available
• the name of the trail or area where you started
• your last known location before you became lost
• a description of your surroundings, including visible landmarks
• the types and colors of clothing you are wearing
• your equipment and any medical conditions

Learn before your trip how to display your coordinates in your phone's map or compass app. Your phone may send its location with the call, but don't rely on that alone: say where you are, too. After the call, save battery: turn off apps you don't need and keep the phone warm (our suggestions).

The limitation is obvious: in many mountains and canyons there is no signal. That is where beacons come in.

Option 2: A personal locator beacon (PLB)

NOAA's Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking program (SARSAT), part of the international Cospas-Sarsat system, lists three types of 406 MHz emergency beacons: EPIRBs for maritime use, ELTs for aviation, and PLBs, "handheld personal, portable units for remote-environment use." They are digitally coded and transmit distress signals immediately upon activation.

The U.S. Coast Guard describes PLBs as devices "typically used by outdoor enthusiasts, such as hikers, hunters, and adventurers, who may find themselves in remote areas with no cell phone coverage."

• Register it. NOAA states that all U.S. coded beacons must be registered with NOAA, and that registration "will help rescue forces find you faster in an emergency because they know who and what they are looking for." The Coast Guard adds that you need to update the registration whenever your contact information or beacon details change.
• It is one-way. A PLB sends a distress signal; it does not let you describe the problem or receive a reply (our view, based on how 406 MHz beacons are described above).
• Don't test it by setting it off. NOAA warns that even a brief inadvertent signal can generate a false alert, and asks owners to follow the manufacturer's testing instructions.

Option 3: A satellite messenger or satellite SOS on a phone

Satellite messengers and some newer phones can send an SOS and text messages through commercial satellite networks. They are not part of the 406 MHz system described above. How the alert is routed, what coverage you get, and whether a subscription is needed depend on the product, so read the maker's documentation and test the messaging (not the SOS) before you go (our view). Two-way messaging is the big advantage: you can tell rescuers what is wrong and hear that help is coming.

While you wait: be easy to find

• Whistle. The NPS says to "blow your whistle three times, take a break, and blow three times again." A whistle carries farther than your voice and saves energy.
• Light. At night, flash the SOS pattern: "three times quickly, three times slowly, three times quickly."
• Color. The NPS recommends wearing bright clothing to make yourself easier to see during a search. Spread out something bright in an open spot if you can (our suggestion).
• Fire. The NPS says not to build a fire if there is a high fire risk or during wildland fire season.
• Warmth. Staying put means staying warm: get out of the wind, insulate yourself from the ground, and put on every layer. See Hypothermia and frostbite and Sleeping warm.

Teach children to "hug a tree"

The Hug-a-Tree and Survive program teaches children to stay in one place if they become lost. The NPS notes it was inspired by the 1981 search for nine-year-old Jimmy Beveridge in southern California; in 2005 its creator, tracker Ab Taylor, donated the rights to the program to the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR). The NPS uses it in children's programs. Give children a whistle and practice what to do if they lose sight of you (our suggestion).

How Japan does it

• In Japan, call 110 (police) or 119 (fire and ambulance). Japan's National Police Agency reports that in 2025, 76.3% of the 3,122 mountain accidents involved a call for help from the scene by cell phone or radio. Getting lost was the most common type of accident, at 30.9% of the people involved.
• Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications says phones send GPS location with emergency calls when GPS is available; otherwise the location is estimated from cell towers, which can be off by several hundred meters to about 10 kilometers. It asks callers to state their location and landmarks out loud as well.
• Fukushima Prefectural Police describe a different distress signal from the U.S. "three blasts": six signals, one every 10 seconds, then a one-minute pause, repeated, using sound by day and light by night. Either pattern tells searchers that someone needs help.

For hiking in Japan, see Hiking in Japan. Our Japanese edition has a full guide to what to do when lost in Japan's mountains: 山で道に迷ったら.