Is there cell service in the Grand Canyon?

ByAlicia Durette Updated on

Cell phone coverage in the Grand Canyon is limited and varies depending on the location within the park. On the South Rim, near Grand Canyon Village, there are several areas with decent and reliable cell service. The North Rim is more remote and has less cell coverage, with the best reception near the Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim. However, below the canyon rim on the popular hiking trails, cell service is lost almost immediately.

Going to any national park comes with its challenges, one of those being poor cell service. Since most national parks are located far away from cities and the conveniences that come with them, cell service can be spotty.

So is there reliable cell phone service in Grand Canyon National Park? Read on to find out the details, what to do when cellular networks are out of reach, and plan ahead for your next national park adventure!

Is There Cell Service in the Grand Canyon

Cell Phone Reception in the Grand Canyon

So, is there cell phone service/reception in the Grand Canyon? Well, it depends on where you are!

South Rim: On the more popular South Rim, there are several areas of fairly decent and reliable cell service, especially near the Grand Canyon Village. The trailheads to Bright Angel Trail and South Kaibab Trail are here (or close by) as well as the Bright Angel Lodge, the visitor’s center, the Grand Canyon Railway Depot, and numerous other lodges, restaurants, and historic buildings.

North Rim: The North Rim is more remote and therefore has even less cell coverage. Inside and around the Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim is where you’ll have the most luck sending a text or making a phone call. Still, even in the surrounding cabins and parking lots you probably won’t have good enough cell phone reception to look at or post on social media. Probably for the best, since you’ll want to be fully mentally present to enjoy the beauty of the North Rim.

Inside the canyon: Once you drop below the canyon rim on the popular hiking trails, you’ll lose cell service almost immediately. The towering cliffs and narrow side canyons shut off almost all cell reception into the canyon itself; if you think you’ll need to reach friends or family on the north or south rims during your hike, it might be worth it to invest in a satellite phone of some kind.

Satellite Phone

There have been random areas along the popular Rim-to-Rim hike where you may be able to reach someone by text, but those are spotty and unreliable at best.

My husband was actually able to send me a text from above the “Devil’s Corkscrew”, a section of switchbacks about 4-5 miles below the south rim. Other areas that may have service are the water stations along the last three miles of Bright Angel Trail.

Some efforts have been made to improve cell phone coverage in the park, but only outside the canyon itself. The roads leading into the park can be dead zones for cell phone reception, so there has been some recent interest in adding cell towers along the routes into the park to improve safety for visitors, as well as the surrounding Native American towns that are on the fringes of the park.

According to their respective cell phone reception coverage maps, Verizon and AT&T have the best coverage on the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon, but reception inside the canyon walls is a little more patchy. T-Mobile’s data coverage map shows more reception available inside the canyon, especially at Phantom Ranch (where many hikers take an extended rest). The closer you get to the areas below the North Rim, however, the less cell service you’re likely to have as the canyon walls get really narrow in this area. Overall, Verizon appears to have the best coverage, on the rims and inside the canyon as well.

Grand Canyon Cell Phone Coverage Maps
Cellular Network Coverage Maps in the Grand Canyon National Park Area
sources: AT&T – Verizon – T-mobile

Wi-fi in Grand Canyon National Park

You won’t have much luck finding reliable wifi in the park; on the South Rim, the Yavapai Lodge offers limited wifi, enough to maybe check your email or some light browsing of your social media sites. Posting pictures, streaming movies, catching the latest sports game, and other high-bandwidth activities are not so easily done with the limited wifi on the South Rim. The El Tovar Restaurant and Maswik Food Court are both located at Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim and offer free wifi, but again, don’t expect anything too high-speed or reliable!

Looking over the Grand Canyon

Headed to the North Rim? Due to its remote location, wifi has yet to be installed here, and cell service is much less reliable than on the South Rim. That being said, I love the North Rim for this exact reason! Spending time on the north side of the Grand Canyon allows you to unplug from the world for a bit.

What Do I Do in Case of an Emergency?

Since the Grand Canyon is a national park, and therefore federally-owned land, their search-and-rescue teams tend to be highly trained and quick responders. However, don’t rely on there being a professional nearby to help you if you get into trouble, as the park is huge and still a very wild and remote place.

If you find yourself at Phantom Ranch and in need of some contact with the outside world, there are payphones available if your cell phone can’t get a signal. Satellite phones can also be used inside the park, but I am not as familiar with those as I haven’t had to ever use one. There are companies that allow you to rent a satellite phone for trips into the wilderness, which can come in handy if you’re really worried!

For the most part, the vast majority of visitors stay above the canyon rims, and therefore are less likely to have an emergency, For those who venture below the canyon walls on the miles of trails, they are usually plenty prepared and true emergencies are rare.

Pro Tips

  • Download park maps to your phone, and make sure they are available offline. Apps such as Strava, the National Park Service App, Google Maps, Gaia GPS, and many others offer offline access once the maps are downloaded. The best thing you can do to prepare is downloading several before your trip, and play around with the different apps to see which is more user-friendly and works for you.
  • Set your phone in airplane mode. Since cell phones are always searching for reception, you may notice your phone battery draining quicker in places of poor cell phone coverage. Putting the phone in airplane mode will save your battery during a long day in the park.
  • Know before you go. Know your plan for your visit to the park, have a physical paper map of the park if needed, and make sure someone on the outside knows where you’re going and when you plan on returning. Post about your plans if needed on any social media site. That way, people who would normally hear from you (work, family, friends) will know that you’re out of reach by cellphone for the weekend.
  • Treat your phone as a camera first. When I visit the park, I know I won’t be needing to send texts or make phone calls. I turn off my cellular data, wifi, and Bluetooth (unless I’m listening to music) and simply use my phone as a camera instead. You need to remember this incredible trip somehow, even if pictures rarely do the Grand Canyon justice!
  • Rent a satellite phone. If you know you will need to make contact with friends or family outside the park, and you want it to be reliable, rent or buy a satellite phone. As long as you have a good view of the sky, a satellite phone should cover the gaps that a cellular phone is missing.
  • Unplug and enjoy! Itching to scroll social media, send an email, or chat with friends? Remember where you are! Millions make the trip every year to visit Grand Canyon National Park, and making the most of it while you are here is so important! Take in all the sights, sounds, and smells of this gorgeous national park.

Before You Go

Cell phones are like an extra appendage to most of us these days; for myself, I am rarely out of sight of my phone and am always connected to the outside world.

National parks are the exception: when I’m hiking, camping, or simply enjoying the sights of these beautiful wild spaces, my cell phone is usually tucked somewhere in my pack without a second thought.

Unplugging from the world and enjoying a place like the Grand Canyon is a privilege and a pleasure; of course, emergencies happen, or you need to contact people in your group, or your family needs to get ahold of you.

In those cases, cell phone coverage is important and needed, and luckily there are areas in the park where you can use your phone.

The South Rim and Grand Canyon Village are the most reliable by far, which is helpful since it is also the most popular area in the park.

Planning ahead and knowing where you might get better cell phone coverage can make your trip a little more safe and more enjoyable. Just don’t forget to enjoy the natural beauty around you as well!

And if you’re unsure which rim to visit first, check out my detailed guide to which side of Grand Canyon is best to visit?