Free camping and cell signal in Northern Pennsylvania
Where dispersed camping is allowed in Northern Pennsylvania: Allegheny NF & the PA Wilds, 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 Northern Pennsylvania in the mapCan you camp for free in Northern Pennsylvania?
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. Pennsylvania state forests allow one-night backpack camping in most areas without a permit; longer stays and roadside camping need a free permit. National and state parks, wildlife refuges, tribal land and private timberland are not. In Northern Pennsylvania 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 41% of Northern Pennsylvania for AT&T, 34% of Northern Pennsylvania for Verizon, 21% of Northern Pennsylvania for T-Mobile, 0% of Northern Pennsylvania for limitlessmobilellc. 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 Northern Pennsylvania
Ranked by distance from town and signal. Tap one to open it on the map.
- Camp Mountain Run · gravel road · 4.1 km from Hoovertown · AT&T, Verizon
- Camp Timber Tops · gravel road · 2.1 km from Friendly Acres · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Public land near Tea Spring · gravel road · 4.6 km from Shakespeare Club · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Campsite near Clear Creek · gravel road · 1.7 km from Clarington · Verizon
- Motorized Campsite 1 · gravel road · 8.1 km from Elimsport · AT&T, Verizon
- Public land near Sand Spring Run · gravel road · 8.9 km from Elimsport · Verizon
- Public land near Wilcox Branch · unpaved track · 10.5 km from Oleona · T-Mobile
- Public land near Duck Pond · unpaved track · 3.2 km from Lantz Corners · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Campsite near South Branch Kinzua Creek · gravel road · 4.1 km from Morrison (historical) · Verizon
- Campsite near Muskrat Cove · hike-in · 3 km from Nealeys · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
Road access and wildfires
The map shows which roads in Northern Pennsylvania are paved, gravel, rough or unpaved tracks, plus parking lots and trailheads, and live wildfire hotspots and perimeters while you're online.
Open Northern Pennsylvania 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.