Yeah - and like this case the critical moment of error was minutes or hours before the “obvious” issue. Leaving paved roads in an area you know nothing about and are unprepared for is a bad idea.

The proximate issue was almost certainly that they were running late and, not being familiar with the US West, didn't realize that just because there was a "road" on the map, didn't mean that there was a shortcut that a passenger vehicle could go on.