Now that it's officially summer, Californians are running for the hills, mountains, deserts and oceans for a bit of vacation time. But if you're one of those people for whom vacation means obsessively checking Gmail on your BlackBerry, the time away can be maddening.
That cottage in the mountains is charming enough until Day 3 without cellphone reception.
So we did some homework for those of you considering excursions into the boonies this summer. We compared the coverage maps of the big four cellphone providers (available on their websites) with the boundaries of five of California's most popular national parks: Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Sequoia, King's Canyon and Yosemite.
Having cellphone coverage could be very helpful when you're lost or wondering whether you really can eat those berries.
Turns out that wireless coverage is spotty in most of California's national parks, but not everyone is similarly afflicted. Climb Yosemite's Half Dome and pull out your BlackBerry to call your mom, and your phone might not work -- even though the hipster in hiking boots next to you is chatting happily on his iPhone.
Our conclusion: If you're buying a mobile phone just for the reception in the wilderness, go for Verizon Wireless and stay away from T-Mobile. Although your best bet is probably to get a homing pigeon.
* In Yosemite National Park, where hikers can gaze at waterfalls and climb large blocks of granite, T-Mobile's map shows that it has no reception anywhere, not even once you leave the park and are merely in the boonies. Verizon's map shows it has roaming coverage in Yosemite Valley, as do AT&T and Sprint. Rick Deutsch, author of "One Best Hike: Yosemite's Half Dome," said that making calls from the top of the granite rock has become common practice and that most carriers seem to get reception.
* Moving south to Sequoia and King's Canyon national parks, where tree huggers can hug really, really big trees and climb the Sierra, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint all lack reception. Verizon's helpful map, which has shaded green areas to tell you where the national parks are, shows that customers will have coverage in the southwest parts.
