Free camping and cell signal in Bay Area, Big Sur & the Central Coast
Where dispersed camping is allowed in Bay Area, Big Sur & the Central Coast, which carrier will reach you to work or call for help, and what's on the road in. One map, saved to your phone for use with no signal.
Open Bay Area, Big Sur & the Central Coast in the mapCan you camp for free in Bay Area, Big Sur & the Central Coast?
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. California state parks and wildlife areas are not open for dispersed camping, and a free campfire permit is needed on public land. National and state parks, wildlife refuges, tribal land and private timberland are not. In Bay Area, Big Sur & the Central Coast 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 51% of Bay Area, Big Sur & the Central Coast for AT&T, 48% of Bay Area, Big Sur & the Central Coast for Verizon, 38% of Bay Area, Big Sur & the Central Coast for T-Mobile, 0% of Bay Area, Big Sur & the Central Coast for worldmobilenetworksllc. 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 Bay Area, Big Sur & the Central Coast
Ranked by distance from town and signal. Tap one to open it on the map.
- Carrizo Springs Rustic Campsite · gravel road · 13 km from Lucia · AT&T, Verizon
- Public land near Santa Lucia Creek · gravel road · 14.3 km from Sans (historical) · AT&T, Verizon
- Public land near Little Buttonwillow Lake · gravel road · 10.4 km from Abbato (historical) · AT&T, Verizon
- Turlock Lake Campground · gravel road · 11 km from La Grange · AT&T, Verizon
- Public land · unpaved track · 12.3 km from Ingomar · Verizon
- Campsite near Santa Maria Beach · unpaved track · 5.8 km from Inverness Park · AT&T
- Public land near Nonada Hill · gravel road · 10.8 km from Wood Ranch · AT&T, T-Mobile
- Public land · gravel road · 14 km from Hunter-Liggett · AT&T, Verizon
- Public land · gravel road · 13.7 km from Panoche Junction · AT&T, T-Mobile
- Gray Pine · gravel road · 8.6 km from Pippin Corner · AT&T
Road access and wildfires
The map shows which roads in Bay Area, Big Sur & the Central Coast are paved, gravel, rough or unpaved tracks, plus parking lots and trailheads, and live wildfire hotspots and perimeters while you're online.
Open Bay Area, Big Sur & the Central Coast 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 saves it to your phone for use without signal. See everything the map does.