Free camping and cell signal in Deserts
Where dispersed camping is allowed in Deserts: Death Valley, Mojave, Joshua Tree & Anza-Borrego, 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 Deserts in the mapCan you camp for free in Deserts?
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 Deserts 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 43% of Deserts for AT&T, 32% of Deserts for Verizon, 28% of Deserts for T-Mobile, 0% of Deserts 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 Deserts
Ranked by distance from town and signal. Tap one to open it on the map.
- T.K. Jones Campground · gravel road · 14.7 km from Bard · AT&T, Verizon
- Black Tank Wash · rough road · 19.2 km from Halloran Springs · Verizon
- Coon Hollow · gravel road · 15.7 km from Palo Verde · AT&T
- Public land near Slaughter Tree Wash · unpaved track · 22.8 km from Tosco (historical) · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Public land · gravel road · 12.1 km from Cartago · Verizon
- Campsite near Traer Agua Canyon · unpaved track · 20.1 km from Desert View Housing Area · AT&T, Verizon
- Campsite near Goat Spring · unpaved track · 20.1 km from Daggett · AT&T
- Campsite near Stoddard Ridge · unpaved track · 14.5 km from Bell Mountain · T-Mobile
- Owl Canyon Campground · gravel road · 10.8 km from Skyline North · AT&T, T-Mobile
- Campsite near Indian Spring · rough road · 15.8 km from Rainbow Wells · AT&T
Road access and wildfires
The map shows which roads in Deserts are paved, gravel, rough or unpaved tracks, plus parking lots and trailheads, and live wildfire hotspots and perimeters while you're online.
Open Deserts 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.