Free camping and cell signal in West Texas
Where dispersed camping is allowed in West Texas: Big Bend & the Guadalupe Mountains, 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 West Texas in the mapCan you camp for free in West Texas?
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 West Texas 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 38% of West Texas for AT&T, 26% of West Texas for Verizon, 23% of West Texas for T-Mobile, 0% of West Texas for crossvalliantcellularpartnership, 0% of West Texas for panhandletelephone, 0% of West Texas for pinecellularphones, 0% of West Texas for tampnet. 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 West Texas
Ranked by distance from town and signal. Tap one to open it on the map.
- Cedar Grove Campground · gravel road · 6.4 km from Buffalo Gap · AT&T, Verizon
- Grapevine Hills (GH4, GH5) · gravel road · 8.9 km from Panther Junction · Verizon
- Public land · unpaved track · 18.6 km from Witco · AT&T, T-Mobile
- Public land · unpaved track · 18.9 km from Witco · AT&T, T-Mobile
- Public land near Pot Creek · unpaved track · 10.3 km from Grape Creek · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Public land near Dove Creek · unpaved track · 4.5 km from Tankersley · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Madera Canyon Dispersed Camping · unpaved track · 20.3 km from Quebec · AT&T
- 277 North Campground · gravel road · 6.6 km from Lake View Addition Colonia · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Campsite near O C Fisher Lake · paved road · 6.7 km from San Angelo · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
- Campsite near Bald Eagle Creek · unpaved track · 7.3 km from Grape Creek · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
Road access and wildfires
The map shows which roads in West Texas are paved, gravel, rough or unpaved tracks, plus parking lots and trailheads, and live wildfire hotspots and perimeters while you're online.
Open West Texas 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.