Free camping and cell signal in Ohio
Where dispersed camping is allowed in Ohio: Wayne NF & the Hocking Hills, 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 Ohio in the mapCan you camp for free in Ohio?
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. State trust land rules vary: check the managing agency. National and state parks, wildlife refuges, tribal land and private timberland are not. In Ohio 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 73% of Ohio for AT&T, 65% of Ohio for Verizon, 39% of Ohio for T-Mobile, 0% of Ohio for appalachianwireless. 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 Ohio
Ranked by distance from town and signal. Tap one to open it on the map.
- Twin Island Park · gravel road · 4.1 km from Manchester · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Stow Silver Springs Campground · gravel road · 3 km from Darrowville · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Aspen Glen · gravel road · 2.9 km from Barnes Corners (historical) · AT&T, Verizon
- Sun Valley Campground · gravel road · 2 km from Maple Grove · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Recreation Unlimited · unpaved track · 3.5 km from West Liberty · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Public land near Perry Fish and Game Association Pond · gravel road · 4.5 km from Wesley · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Public land near Walnut Creek · gravel road · 4.3 km from East Monroe · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Punderson Camp Area · paved road · 2 km from South Newbury · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Public land near Wolf Creek · gravel road · 3.9 km from Havens · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Summit · hike-in · 4.3 km from Nettle Lake · AT&T, Verizon
Road access and wildfires
The map shows which roads in Ohio are paved, gravel, rough or unpaved tracks, plus parking lots and trailheads, and live wildfire hotspots and perimeters while you're online.
Open Ohio 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.