Cell phone service and Internet access?

Could someone help me out with this topic?

We know our cell phone service will get us at least through Chicago with no problems (we have Sprint).

But, having never traveled west of Chicago with this company, we%26#39;re not sure we%26#39;ll have access after that.

Which cell phone providers have coverage between Chicago and Sioux Falls? Between Sioux Falls and the Black Hills? In the Black Hills?

If our phone is in ';roaming mode'; we%26#39;ll still be able to make a call it would just be more expensive correct?

Is there coverage in less populated areas like the Badlands? Custer State Park?

I%26#39;m concerned with three small kids of being stranded even for a little while.

What about internet access? Are there coffee shops with internet access in the Black Hills? How about somewhere along the road from Sioux Falls to the Black Hills?

Cell phone service and Internet access?

Alltel %26amp; Verizon are the major carriers for South Dakota

google national Verizon coverage map (TA isn%26#39;t allowing the link)

national Alltel coverage map:

engadgetmobile.com/2006/…

I%26#39;ll try to answer some of your questions.

There are places on I90, especially between Chamberlain %26amp; Wall that are dead zones. If you have your phone on, the battery will drain faster because it will be searching the whole time. We often keep one on the car charger when traveling across SD.

However, I%26#39;ve read more towers are being added.

Once you are outside of the towns in the Hills, cell phone signal is sporadic. Many parts of Custer State Park do not receive a signal.

Rapid City has internet/wifi cafes Dunn Brothers, Alternative Fuel, Thirstys are 3 I know of for sure.

Cell phone service and Internet access?

In addition to Lorhs%26#39; comments, I%26#39;d add that you%26#39;ll be roaming with Sprint in most of SD west of Sioux Falls. It%26#39;s an ever chaning issue, but in the past the coverage has been pretty bad in western SD with a Sprint phone. A couple of years ago a friend visited and his Sprint phone was pretty much worthless outside of Rapid City. Perhaps that has changed now.

No matter what provider you have, you will be traveling in some areas with no coverage. You should have some basic survival gear. At a minimum in the summer: water, food and a first aid kit. Especially water. You can%26#39;t depend on a cell phone in many areas of the western states.

Are pay phones available in areas that don%26#39;t have cell phone coverage? You%26#39;d be hard pressed to find a pay phone anywhere in my city these days.

Do they have emergency land line phones along the sides of the road from Sioux Falls to the Black Hills? How about in less populated areas like Custer State Park or the scenic drives in the area?

If someone is stranded on a scenic drive road like Needles Hwy, how long might it be before another car came around? How about if your stranded in the Badlands or on the road somewhere between Sioux Falls and the Black Hills?

If you had to walk to the nearest exit, are there wild animals you have to worry about? What kinds? What about if you break down in the Black Hills?

Thanks for humoring me, I just want to be prepared for anything!

Hi Tamsin,

When I went to SD two years ago, I had a Nextel phone (now Sprint). It was absolutely worthless out there. Luckily, my husband had Verizon as his carrier and had no problems. I now have Verizon but was still in contract with Nextel when I went out. I very seldom got any signal in the hills.

Since they are now Sprint, things may have changed. I would go to a Sprint store and see if there are towers in the area. There weren%26#39;t any when I went, and I knew this going in.

We had no problems with Internet access. We had an internet computer in our hotel lobby, and service was good.

If you are travelling during peak tourist season, I don%26#39;t think you will have much problems encountering other cars on the roads, especially in Custer. We never felt lonely..always lots of people around. I really think you will be ok. We found the locals extremely friendly and helpful.

Tamsin, you won%26#39;t be alone in the Black Hills or on the interstate in the summer.

You don%26#39;t have to worry about wild animals driving across SD during the day, at night the only worry is deer, and they are more likely to be running than anything else.

Also, in SD, people still stop to help.

Any other worries, post away. :-)

My husband and I both have Verizon cell phones and I do not recall having any problems a year ago. I understand your concerns with safety traveling with young children (as a extremely neurotic person!) But I agree with Lorhs, the Midwest still has plenty of compassionate residents, thankfully! And the Black Hills is probably not as remote and isolated as you imagine it to be. It is not a barren wilderness like Yellowstone area or the Banff, Alberta areas. Both of those places can be quite intimidating as far as your worries go. Relax, your young kids will love it. Ours did.

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