Cell phone coverage?

imported
#1

My husband, son, and I will be heading out for our first time on the AT in about 3 weeks. We are hoping for at least a full month of backpacking leaving from Springer. Don’t know how far we’ll make it. Not trying to focus as much on the destination or time frame as we are the journey. We will be leaving a lot of responsibilities behind and will need to be able to check on people and things from time to time. I know there will be days that we make our way down into towns and can probably find decent phone signals; but what are the chances of finding any along the trail; and what, if any carrier seems to work the best? Elderly parents, grandchildren, etc. may need to reach us in case of emergency.

Tammy Wyers

#2

Tammy, I haven’t hiked the A. T. but I read a lot of journals. Hikers seem to indicate that Verizon has the best coverage. Perhaps more people will weigh in on the subject. Cheryl

Cheryl

#3

I hiked on the trail last year and had AT&T which was the worst - like Tammy said, Verizon seem to be the best. At times even in towns I couldn’t get coverage with AT&T. Good luck with which ever service you use.

Lightbulb

#4

You can get a signal almost every day. Cell phones operate on a line of sight. Best bet for coverage is the peak of the mountain. If you have to make a call or send a text try it then. Don’t wait until you get to a shelter. Major road crossings are also a good bet. When you are deep in the Smokeys you won’t get a signal except at some of the tops, look for one of those views where you can look down and see a great distance.

Francis

#5

Thanks so much. This really helps and also puts my mind much more at ease.

Tammy Wyers

#6

Verizon seemed to work for us and, as another hiker indicated, higher is better. I would suggest that you use airplane mode until you plan to use your phone because as you leave a signal area your phone try’s desperately to acquire a signal resulting in very fast battery drainage. I found that I could compose texts (large ones) hours before I needed to send them. I would simply check for a signal at a gap or rise and then I would just send / receive for a few moments and then just go back to airplane mode.

Vernon

#7

Sounds like good advice. Thanks a lot.

Tammy Wyers