TrailSim

Phone signal and eSIMs on United States's famous routes

TrailSim has analysed 27 routes that cross the United States — 42,389 km of them inside the United States (42,421 km including the parts in neighbouring countries), checked against FCC National Broadband Map filings and OpenCellID crowd-sourced tower data. Across those routes, TrailSim's model puts fast 4G/5G data on 58% of the distance (whole-route figures; the share is not split at borders), with 1164 dead zones of 2 km or more mapped. The best-covered is Florida Keys Overseas Highway (US-1, Key Largo–Key West) (100%); the weakest is Pacific Crest Trail — Washington (Bridge of the Gods–Manning Park) (10%). 1 more route in the United States is in the catalog without a published report yet.

United States routes with a coverage report

Fast 4G/5G share is the part of the whole route with usable data on the featured plan's networks (a TrailSim model estimate, not a measurement); dead zones are continuous stretches of 2 km or more with no signal on them. The km column is the distance inside the United States. Every order on these routes includes the report (PDF + GPX).

Routekm in the United StatesFast 4G/5GDead zonesDead-zone kmTypical days
Florida Keys Overseas Highway (US-1, Key Largo–Key West) 159 100% 0 0 3
Historic Route 66 (U.S. Route 66 / The Mother Road) 3,471 >99% 4 17 14
Route 66 — Midwest (Chicago–Oklahoma City) 1,291 100% 0 0 5
Route 66 — Southwest (Albuquerque–Santa Monica) 1,299 >99% 1 3 5
Route 66 — Southern Plains (Oklahoma City–Albuquerque) 881 98% 3 14 4
Olympic Peninsula Loop (US-101) 543 95% 0 0 4
Appalachian Trail — Mid-Atlantic (Harpers Ferry–Bear Mountain) 594 91% 3 10 29
Columbia River Gorge & Mount Hood Loop (Portland) 284 90% 0 0 2
Pacific Coast Highway (California SR-1, San Francisco–Los Angeles) 705 of 708 84% 8 57 5
Long Trail (Vermont, Massachusetts–Canada) 401 69% 7 30 20
Appalachian Trail (AT) 3,392 66% 82 471 165
TransAmerica Bicycle Trail (ACA Route 76) 7,163 64% 200 1,474 80
Utah Mighty 5 Road Trip (Zion–Bryce–Capitol Reef–Arches/Canyonlands) 566 63% 17 141 7
Appalachian Trail — South (Springer Mountain–Damascus) 740 62% 13 64 36
Appalachian Trail — Virginia (Damascus–Harpers Ferry) 880 61% 19 121 43
Appalachian Trail — New England (Bear Mountain–Katahdin) 1,179 59% 49 278 57
Pacific Crest Trail — Southern California (Campo–Kennedy Meadows) 1,113 59% 31 240 38
Arizona Trail (AZT, Mexico–Utah) 1,253 49% 53 345 45
Pacific Crest Trail — Oregon (California Border–Bridge of the Gods) 723 45% 38 224 23
Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR) 3,248 37% 112 1,585 35
Colorado Trail (Denver–Durango) 767 36% 36 328 35
Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)also crosses Canada 4,207 of 4,221 34% 166 2,006 150
Pacific Crest Trail — Northern California (Donner Pass–Oregon Border) 855 31% 61 404 29
Continental Divide Trail (CDT) 4,823 of 4,824 29% 201 2,465 220
Pacific Crest Trail — Sierra Nevada (Kennedy Meadows–Donner Pass) 715 16% 20 514 29
John Muir Trail (JMT / Nüümü Poyo) 336 11% 9 270 21
Pacific Crest Trail — Washington (Bridge of the Gods–Manning Park)also crosses Canada 801 of 815 10% 31 584 29

United States routes without a report yet

The eSIM, delivery and refund are the same; the page says plainly that no coverage report exists for the corridor.

Frequently asked questions

Which eSIM works best for hiking or driving in the United States?

It depends on the route: each of United States's networks holds in different places, so TrailSim compares them along each route and features the plan whose networks cover the most of it at a sensible price — Florida Keys Overseas Highway (US-1, Key Largo–Key West) is the best-covered of the 27 analysed United States routes at 100% fast 4G/5G data (TrailSim estimate). Every United States route page lists current plans and, where a report exists, the dead zones with GPS coordinates.

Is there phone signal on hiking trails in the United States?

Across the 27 United States routes TrailSim has analysed (42,389 km inside the country), the model puts fast 4G/5G data on 58% of the distance, from 10% on Pacific Crest Trail — Washington (Bridge of the Gods–Manning Park) to 100% on Florida Keys Overseas Highway (US-1, Key Largo–Key West). These are estimates from FCC National Broadband Map filings and OpenCellID crowd-sourced tower data, not guarantees; 1164 dead zones of 2 km or more are mapped in the route reports.

Do the plan days start when I buy?

No — on first use. Installing the TrailSim eSIM and connecting in the United States starts the clock, so you can buy weeks ahead. Uninstalled eSIMs can be refunded within 14 days.

All routes · Coverage index (every analysed route ranked) · Glossary · How the analysis works

Estimates from public signal data, not guarantees. Country attribution from the route geometry against Natural Earth borders. Route and place names © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Updated 2026-09-07. © 2026 TrailSim.