Abby Levene

Playing hooky from the office just got even easier. Whether you’re looking to join video calls from the road or totally disconnect from the grid, our new, enhanced Cell Coverage maps are here to help.

Just check out the Cell Coverage map for your phone carrier (we’ve got AT&T, Verizon, US Cellular, T-Mobile, and a general cell coverage option) and these color-coded maps will quickly tell you where you will have cell service, and how good it will be. 

Unprecedented Accuracy and Specificity 

Based on carrier data, our new Cell Coverage maps are our most accurate and specific yet. Color-coded hexagon-shaped tiles show you whether you will have voice service, 4G, 5G (up to 5 Mbps, which is fast enough to stream 720 HD video, Netflix, etc.), 5G (over 35 Mps, which should be more than enough bandwidth than you could ever need), and no coverage at all.

As you zoom into the map, the level of cell coverage specificity goes all the way down to 100 square meters, or about the size of a single-family house. 

These enhanced maps provide an unprecedented level of accuracy and specificity:

Green indicates voice service only. 

Light purple shows where you can expect to have 4G

Purple shows 5G Data up to 5 Mbps min download

Dark purple 35 Mbps min download

All of our Cell Coverage maps cover the continental US, Alaska, and Hawaii. 

Take Video Calls or Make a Call for Help

Understanding where you will at least have voice service can help you be prepared to make an emergency call, if needed. However, we also recommend that you bring a backup satellite communication device when traveling into the backcountry, as well as download your maps for offline use so you can find your way back if coverage drops out.

And whether you’re looking to work remotely from the trailhead or stream Netflix from your tent, look for dark purple tiles to give you a sense of where you can expect to join video calls, download files, communicate with our coworkers online, and pull up your favorite tv show.

How to Use the Cell Coverage Maps

View the Cell Coverage maps on the big screen at gaiagps.com or on your phone with the iOS or Android app. To find these maps, tap the layers icon on the left sidebar on your desktop or in the bottom left hand corner of your app. You can also find them here.

Next, select “Add Map Layers” and search for “Cell Coverage.” Select AT&T, Verizon, US Cellular, T-Mobile, or All Carriers. 

Pair the Cell Coverage maps with any basemap, such as Gaia Topo, Gaia Winter, or Gaia Overland, to see exactly where you will and will not have cell service (and how good it will be) along your route. Use the slider to make the basemap more or less visible under the Cell Coverage map shading. 

Cell Coverage Maps Are Available with Gaia GPS Premium

All Cell Coverage maps are available with a Gaia GPS Premium or Outside+ membership. With Premium or Outside+, you get access to our entire 300-plus map catalog, including our proprietary Gaia Winter and Gaia Overland maps, as well as our suite of National Geographic Trails Illustrated maps, high res satellite imagery, USGS and USFS maps, and MVUM. 

You can also download maps for offline use—including the Cell Coverage maps—so you can find your way and quickly reference when you will next hit cell service. Plus stay safer with our suite of weather features and safety tools including air quality, wildfire maps, and slope angle shading.

Since 2008, Gaia GPS has revolutionized how people adventure outdoors. Now with millions of users, we remain committed to the Gaia GPS community and our mission of putting the best backcountry navigation tools in your hands so you can adventure confidently and safely.

Gaia GPS Premium now proudly offers members more than 300 maps for every adventure, global offline navigation, 3D maps, and localized weather-at-a-tap.

This fall we:

• Unveiled a brand new interface on iOS and Android so you can spend less time looking at your phone screen and more time soaking in the views.
• Added an interactive map legend so you can spy backcountry ski zones, trailheads, campsites, and whatever points of interest you’re looking for at a glance.
• Improved snap-to-trail route planning and elevation profiles to make trip planning easier than ever.
• Updated our suite of proprietary Gaia Topo, Gaia Overland, and Gaia Winter maps as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity so that no matter your activity, we’re here for you every step of the way.   

The market landscape has evolved dramatically since we led the charge into backcountry map apps over 15 years ago. To allow us to continue innovating, we are changing our Premium price across our platforms. You can verify your subscription cost by logging in to your subscriptions page. This update will also help us continue to address your feedback so that we can better serve you outside. 

Thank you for being part of the Gaia GPS community and for helping us push the boundaries of backcountry navigation. We hope you’ll join us on the next step of this adventure.  

For more info, head to our FAQ Page.

The Gaia GPS Team

We take your feedback seriously over here at Gaia GPS, and that’s why we’ve been working tirelessly to make our iOS and Android apps more intuitive and easier to use. And we have great news: we’ve simplified the top five features in the app so you can spend less time looking at your phone and more time exploring. Waypoints, locating yourself on the map, taking a geotagged photo, recording an activity, and downloading maps for offline use are easier to access than ever.

Think of this update like reorganizing the gear shed. All the tools you know and love are still there. We’ve simply moved them to more convenient locations and gave them a fresh coat of paint. Read on to learn about this update and how to make the most of our top features on your adventures.

1. Mark Up the Map with Waypoints 

Whether they’re pins, icons, or emojis, waypoints let you mark up the map. Label key water sources, epic campsites, breathtaking views, the location of your car, you name it, so you can find it again later. 

Now it’s easier than ever to add waypoints to the map: 

1. Hit the big green plus button in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
2. Tap the pin icon.
3. Add pins, icons, or emojis to your current location, or move them around to anywhere on the map.
4. Further customize and color-code your waypoints by changing the color of the border.

2. Find Yourself on the Map

Locating yourself on the map is probably the most useful and important tool in Gaia GPS. It’s how you find your way back to the trail when you get lost, how you see how much further to go until the lunch break, and how you avoid avalanche terrain.

Now you can locate yourself on the map by hitting the arrow icon on the lefthand sidebar. The map will shift to automatically center you on the screen, as denoted by the arrow on the map. Tap the locate icon again to change navigation modes.

3. Take a Geotagged Photo

Memorialize that epic campsite, viewpoint, or waterfall by photographing it in the app. The photo will automatically get dropped on the location where it was taken so you can find that place again later.

To take a photo in the app:

1. Tap the big green plus button on the bottom right corner of the screen.
2. Tap the camera icon.
3. Add a title and notes, if you wish.

4. Record an Activity in the App

Whether you want to leave a breadcrumb trail of your adventure so you can retrace your steps if you get lost, or you want to marvel at your travels once you get home, recording your activity in the app is the way to go. 

To record an activity in the app:

1. Tap the red circle at the top left of the screen. (You can also start recording an activity by tapping the “Trip” button at the bottom of the screen. That page makes it easy to follow along with your progress, take a photo waypoint, see your coordinates, and check the accuracy of the app’s GPS.)
2. To stop recording, simply tap the time in the red box on the top left, or hit the time button on the trip page.

5. Download a Map for Offline Use

Orient yourself on the map, navigate along the trail, and re-route on the fly—all without cell service—by downloading a map. While you can download pretty much any map you like, we recommend starting with one of our proprietary base maps: Gaia Topo, Gaia Overland, and Gaia Winter. These file-efficient maps are designed to pack world-class quality and detail without clogging up precious storage space on your phone. Plus, even huge swaths of the map can be downloaded in a matter of minutes. Download the map for your whole state so you’re never caught off the grid without it. 

To download a map:

1. Tap the map layers icon on the bottom left of the screen.
2. Hit “save offline maps.” 
3. Select the region of the map you want to save offline.
4. Keep “Include data to create and navigate routes offline” toggled on so you can enjoy snap-to-trail route planning without cell service.

Your App for Your Adventures

Customize the app to your heart’s delight to tailor it for your adventures. While the possibilities are endless, starting with choosing the right maps from the 300-plus map catalog and layering maps together to unlock even more detail, you can also:

• Modify what’s shown on the stats bar at the top. Just tap it and choose from the dropdown menu.
• Hide stats bar entirely to reveal even more map. (Go to Settings → Map Layout)
• Move the plus button from the bottom left to the right of the screen (Go to Settings → map Layout → toggle “Add Menu Location” from right to left.)
• Enable landscape mode (Settings → Map Controls → toggle on “Allow Rotation”)
• Change your location arrow color (Settings → Map Controls → Location Marker)

Navigate Like a Pro with Gaia GPS Premium

Unlock the full power of Gaia GPS—and your inner adventurer—with a Premium membership.

Gaia GPS Premium gives you access to the entire 300+ map catalog, including high-resolution, world-wide satellite imagery; our suite of National Geographic maps; and specialty maps ranging from historic topos to slope angle shading.

With Premium, you can also download maps for offline use so you can find your way—even without cell service. And you can layer maps together to reveal even more terrain, weather, and safety features.