Free camping and cell signal in Southwest
Where dispersed camping is allowed in Southwest: Kodiak, the Alaska Peninsula & Bristol Bay, which carrier will reach you to work or call for help, and what's on the road in. Free to use online. Offline use is paid: the Camp Map Pass saves the region to your phone for use with no signal.
Open Southwest in the mapCan you camp for free in Southwest?
On most national forest and Bureau of Land Management land, yes: dispersed camping is allowed outside developed sites, usually for up to 14 days, unless an area is posted closed. Alaska state land allows camping for up to 14 days at one site too, and most refuges, preserves and parks allow backcountry camping; much of the rest is Alaska Native corporation land, where you need permission. National and state parks, wildlife refuges, tribal land and private timberland are not. In Southwest the map shows who manages every piece of public land, wilderness boundaries and the land with no public record, which you should treat as private.
Where will I have cell signal?
From the carriers' own coverage filings with the FCC, strong (in-vehicle) LTE covers about 2% of Southwest for gci, 1% of Southwest for bristolbaycellularpartnership, 0% of Southwest for adakeagleenterprisesllc, 0% of Southwest for arcticslopetelephoneassociationcooperativeinc, 0% of Southwest for AT&T, 0% of Southwest for coppervalleywireless, 0% of Southwest for cordovawirelesscommunicationsllc, 0% of Southwest for telalaskacellularinc, 0% of Southwest for Verizon, 0% of Southwest for otztelecommunicationsllc, 0% of Southwest for optimera. Carriers model their coverage optimistically in the mountains, so the map also collects speed tests from other campers. Canadian phones usually roam on AT&T, T-Mobile or Verizon here: check which one your plan uses.
Remote spots with coverage in Southwest
Ranked by distance from town and signal. Tap one to open it on the map.
- Public land near Barry Lagoon · gravel road · 16.8 km from Uhaskek (historical) · AT&T,
- Public land near Barry Lagoon · gravel road · 18.2 km from Chiniak (historical) · AT&T
- Public land near Lupin Lake · unpaved track · 13.8 km from Uhaskek (historical) · AT&T,
- Public land near Bull Lake · unpaved track · 11.2 km from Uhaskek (historical) · AT&T
- Public land near Dragonfly Lake · unpaved track · 10.5 km from Womens Bay · AT&T, , Verizon
- Public land near Mount Joan · unpaved track · 4.3 km from Womens Bay · AT&T, , Verizon
- Campsite near Abercrombie Lake · hike-in · 2.2 km from Mill Bay · AT&T, , Verizon
- Public land · unpaved track · 7 km from King Salmon · outdoor coverage only
- Public land near Lupin Lake · unpaved track · 12.6 km from Uhaskek (historical) · AT&T
- Public land near Old Womens Mountain · gravel road · 8.8 km from Womens Bay · AT&T, , Verizon
Road access and wildfires
The map shows which roads in Southwest are paved, gravel, rough or unpaved tracks, plus parking lots and trailheads, and live wildfire hotspots and perimeters while you're online.
Open Southwest in the mapCosmic's Camp Map puts all of this on one map with land status, cell coverage by carrier, recreation sites, wildfires, services and road reports, and, with the Camp Map Pass, saves it to your phone for use without signal. See everything the map does.