Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion iPad

Has anyone tried using their iPad in the Sierras? Any results? Coverage?
Thank you.

Hi Bob,

I got my iPad mid way through last year. It's hooked up with Verizon's 3G coverage, and I took it with me on a few of my hikes last year to see exactly what you want to know.

It worked great on most peaks through the Mt. Baldy area, except for Mt. Baldy. The 3 T's, Cucamonga, Ontario, and Big Horn all got me connected.

Around Mt. Whitney, it was very spotty. Up to Lone Pine Lake I could get some 3G action, but not enough to stream videos or anything. I was able to send/receive emails to my wife though. Up to Trail Camp I got two messages to go through, but that was it. Mostly dead. Nothing above there, and I didn't summit with it.

Up north around the June Lake Loop, I got coverage a lot more reliably in a lot more places. All through the Ansel Adams Wilderness seemed to work great (at least at my destinations, I wasn't hiking with the iPad in my hands or anything). At Thousand Island Lake, we watched a 2 minute video about Thousand Island Lake, and we were able to email my folks about our hike while we were still on it.

Nothing that I want to make a habit of, but I did want to know what the limitations were. I doubt that I'll carry my iPad into the backcountry again, especially since I can't imagine that my iPhone won't get service in just as many areas.

Thanks for the input. It looks like a toss-up between the iPhone and the iPad...another gadget to buy. The iPhone would certainly be lighter. I might do some coverage research in the Bishop Creek/Big Pine Creek areas.

Are you with Verizon?

If you are, and you do some testing in areas, share here please, I'd love to know where my phone/iPad have a shot at working.

My iphone with ATT on Baldy gets pretty ok coverage for much of the trail. I lose coverage between around 7500 and 8800 feet and then have coverage for nearly all the way to the top. Coverage on top is so so. I can occasionally make and receive calls. I'm bummed to hear that Verizon's coverage is not good on Baldy. I just got an ipad with Verizon coverage and had planned on doing some work up there during some of my acclimatizing stays up there this summer. It sounds like I may get more done on the att iphone. But that is why I have both devices with alternate carriers. Belt and suspenders.

Yes, I'm with Verizon. My "dumb" phone gets Verizon contact on several trails on the east side of the Sierras: Bishop Pass trail, just below Long Lake, Pine Creek Pass trail below Lower Pine Lake, McGee Creek, among others. But in deep canyons, and where there is no line-of-sight with the Owens Valley attennas, there is zero coverage. And no coverage on the West side of the trans-Sierra passes. Also, there is no 4G coverage in the Owens Valley.

I'll do more investigating after I get an iPhone.

I have Verizon and an iPhone, and got good coverage in the June Lake Loop a month back. Solid 3G. The coverage dropped significantly as we traveled north of June on the 395 to Lee Vining. ZERO signal in the parking lot at the Lee Vining power station - so much so I didn't even bother taking it with me up the canyon. Bob's right on with the lack of coverage in canyons.

Just a thought, it would be real cool if someone had the exact locations of the cell towers in the Owens' Valley/Eastern Sierra mapped out with maybe even GPS coordinates. That way we could use Google Earth or similar to come up with theoretical line of sight coverage and we could do some real life "testing" in order to have a map of accurate coverage (better than the overly generalized ink-blob map of the entire state that the carriers provide). I know the "will I have cell phone reception" has been asked so many times on both boards that a sticky with this type of map would be very helpful and appreciated.

Have y'all heard of this giant ball of yarn that you can carry into the backcountry with you? Totally keeps you connected to the rest of the world when you're out there...

Maybe this will help:
http://www.cellreception.com/towers/towers.php
Enter city, state, and zoom in and out to see all the towers. Select your carrier to see only their tower locations.