cell phone service on Grand Teton

Anyone get cell service on the Lower Saddle or above while climbing the Grand?

I'm usually not concerned about this but have to have someone pick us up after we descend and I want to let them know when we are hiking out

I have had service with Verizon on lower saddle. Had to search a little though.

AT&T- yes.

^^^Thanks. How about T-Mobile?

I've been up there twice with Paradox Sports and we had service with at&t and Verizon both at the saddle and on the summit.

I was able to make calls on the summit with Verizon.

Jim Fox wrote: ^^^Thanks. How about T-Mobile?

I had service on the summit with T-Mobile but I didn't check at the saddle.

I was wondering the same. We will need to call our ride on the way down, and was hoping for service on the trail out or at least at the Lupine Meadows trail head.

Chris Massey wrote:I was wondering the same. We will need to call our ride on the way down, and was hoping for service on the trail out or at least at the Lupine Meadows trail head.

Last time I was in the National Park (last summer), the cell coverage when we were hiking was pretty spotty but I think at altitude, there are less obstructions & it's easier to find a signal. We didn't climb on that visit, so I wasn't sure but from all the posts, it sounds like cell service is available, at least on the summit.

The Tinder scene on the GT summit is pretty unreal...

I have ATT and was able to make a summit call with almost full bars.. NO service on the lower saddle. Didn't check much on the hike up or down but I had no service at the trail head.

My partner had Verizon and was able to send some texts from the tent on the saddle..

Verizon, reasonable on the lower and upper saddle and summit. Not so much in between.

Thanks for all the replies. Normally, I don't care about cell phone service on the trail but my wife will be dropping us off and picking us up & I'd like to give her a heads up if we are running late (or ahead of schedule, hopefully).

Lower saddle has the best service with both AT&T and Verizon at about the elevation of the black dike. Once down in the saddle its hard to get bars. Check your phone on the descent if you want to make a call!

Remember, you didn't summit of its not on Instagram or FB. Gotta blog about it as well

webdog wrote:Remember, you didn't summit of its not on Instagram or FB. Gotta blog about it as well

LOL!

Sorry, but I'm old school and wouldn't even take a cell phone except my wife is picking us up and I need to call her when we're done.
I'd rather have needles stuck in my eyes than go on Instagram or FB....

Don't forget about radio. A handheld FRS, GMRS, or HAM radio on simplex will often outperform a cell phone in the mountains. Some require a license, but they're not hard to get.

I don't know anything about radio propagation in the Tetons, but my 5w handheld can talk a long way. I think its certainly strong enough to reach Lupine Meadows from the Lower Saddle.

webdog wrote:Remember, you didn't summit of its not on Instagram or FB. Gotta blog about it as well

Can use my trekking pole as a selfie stick.....

Prametheus wrote:The Tinder scene on the GT summit is pretty unreal...

Nice, I literally laughed out loud.

The best way to find cell coverage at Grand Teton or any other National Park is to use the Cairn app. Cairn is a hiking and safety app that shows exact spots in the wilderness where others have found cell coverage by cell carrier. www.cairnme.com or just google it.

I just got a satellite messenger. Kind of pricey but I'm 61 and spend a fair amount of time out of cell range, sometimes alone, so not a bad thing to have in case of emergency or just to let my wife know that I'm just running late.