Free camping and cell signal in Northwoods
Where dispersed camping is allowed in Northwoods: Chequamegon-Nicolet & the Apostle Islands, 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 Northwoods in the mapCan you camp for free in Northwoods?
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. Wisconsin state forests allow camping only at campgrounds or designated remote sites, usually with a free permit; county forests set their own rules. National and state parks, wildlife refuges, tribal land and private timberland are not. In Northwoods 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 27% of Northwoods for AT&T, 16% of Northwoods for Verizon, 12% of Northwoods for nsighttelservices, 10% of Northwoods for T-Mobile. 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 Northwoods
Ranked by distance from town and signal. Tap one to open it on the map.
- Old Veterans State Camp Ground · unpaved track · 11.7 km from Athelstane · AT&T, T-Mobile,
- Birch Grove Campground · access unclear · 12.1 km from Barksdale · AT&T, T-Mobile
- 4 · gravel road · 13.6 km from Clearwater Lake · AT&T, Verizon
- Public land near Trout Lake · unpaved track · 15.1 km from New Post · Verizon
- Mooney Dam CP · hike-in · 17.5 km from Gordon · AT&T, Verizon
- Public land near Woods Lake · rough road · 14.1 km from Athelstane · AT&T, T-Mobile,
- Campsite near Emily Lake · access unclear · 9.2 km from Lac du Flambeau · AT&T, T-Mobile
- Sevenmile Lake Recreation Area · road · 11.6 km from Clearwater Lake · AT&T, , Verizon
- Public land near Gilkey Lake · gravel road · 12.3 km from Mountain · T-Mobile,
- East Twin Campground · unpaved track · 4.5 km from Clam Lake · AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
Road access and wildfires
The map shows which roads in Northwoods are paved, gravel, rough or unpaved tracks, plus parking lots and trailheads, and live wildfire hotspots and perimeters while you're online.
Open Northwoods 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.