Why does this happen so often on the left coast?

I think the west has a lot more goat paths than we do in the east. Every time the GPS tried to send me down one was out west. Once in NM, once in Utah and once in CA. We actually followed the California one after looking at a paper map. I thought it was a short gravel road running from I-15 to Hwy 127. We weren't on that road tho and ended up hours later at the back door to Tecopa. Interesting drive tho, we barely beat sundown.

BK