bkington1858

In reviewing guides and information, it appears that many of the National Parks out West have (had ?) sparse cell phone coverage, so it is frequently recommended to have a pre-paid calling card to use from landlines if you need to call family / business, etc.

We have Sprint IPhones.

Visiting Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Badlands, Rocky Mountains, and traveling in New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Utah, etc.

Thanks for any input on this.

Dayle

Don't expect to have coverage in any of tha natl parks except at the visitors centers.

Sometimes you might have some coverage in a park of its near a large enough town and has a straight shot at a tower nearby.

Can't say about prepaid cards. I've never tried to use one I live in Utah and relish the time disconnected.

MmePerdu

I bought a calling card in the store at Sequoia National Park a while back for precisely that reason, to use with the "pay" phone in front of the store. I suggest you just shop around and find the cheapest per minute. Another thing to consider is when, or if, it expires. The one I bought had an expiration date of 1 year from first use unless it was topped up before that date. But it was cheap per minute so you just have to decide what your priorities are. I've since gotten another, Sprint I think, with no expiration date.

longhorn55

Why not just run to Target and get an AT&T phone card? They are good for a year and have various values. For example, the $10 phone card is good for 135 minutes of domestic calling. That works out to just over 7 cents per minute.

WhereAreWe

I've used my AT&T credit card as a calling card in the parks.

Badlands may have decent signal since it is fairly close to I-90. Rocky Mountain has some service on the Estes Park side. Not sure about the others you've listed

marvelousmouse

I've only needed a phone card once on a camping trip, and that's because I dropped my iphone in the lake. The point is- buy a phone card beforehand if you know for sure you need to call someone. Otherwise, as I learned with the lake escapade- a lot of gas stations in more remote areas sell those cards; if you need one, you will find one. Furthermore- won't you be loading up on groceries outside of the park? Groceries or gas mean towns, and towns mean cell reception. Guides are useful resources, but not meant to be taken as gospel truth

Now that said- even outside of the parks, there are dead spots of highway in ID, WA, etc. where I don't get cell or data reception (even car radio reception). So if you have data junkies with you...tell them to bring a good book and lots of music, or the withdrawal period may be ugly lol.

clarkgriswold

Cloncom.com

Print your own phone card. just write down the "access" number and your pin code and take it with you. They are about 2c per minute.

bkington1858

Thanks for clearing that up everyone.

Myer

The only time I used a land line in a national park was in Glacier in MT. I think I was at Swiftcurrent.

The charge was OUTRAGIOUS!!!!

utahtea

Yellowstone has coverage with Verizon (can't speak for the other providers) at Old Faithful, Mammoth Hot Springs & Canyon Village.

Glacier at the West Glacier Visitor Center.

Zion National Park has coverage at the visitor center but get's sparse as you go into the canyon. Byrce Canyon also has coverage at the visitor center and lodge. In Arches we had coverage at Delicate Arch...LOL! There is NO coverage what so ever in Capitol Reef National Park. They just got it a few years ago in nearby town of Torrey! A lot of the back roads of Utah have very little coverage and it's worse with AT&T than Verizon. Moab, Utah has good coverage.

Utahtea

DebitNM

Verizon has the best coverage in NM for cell. There are many areas without decent cell coverage, so have that calling card handy for areas besides NP's here.

bkington1858

Just for an update for anyone else with the question - Our road trip is almost over, and we have not needed a phone card

Of course, I also overpacked, but that is an entirely different topic LOL

sludick

bkington1858, looking forward to hearing about your road trip once you get back!

Looking at your luggage, what things in particular did you NOT use that you threw in anyway?

DebitNM

Better to have it and not need it than to need it ......