WiFi in the WiLd
Internet access through Wi-Fi connections has become a common thing, whether through home computers, laptops or cellular phones, something that even the hardiest of traveler will do without, even while exploring the great outdoors. I recently experienced this myself while visiting Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. I usually take a Wi-Fi card with me when I travel, so I can get online while traveling for work, information and staying in touch with loved ones. Before traveling I usually check my cell phone providers signal area for the places I will be in. When looking at the Yellowstone area map I didn’t see much and practically no cell/ Wi-Fi service mapped in. However when I arrived at the park, I was pleasantly surprised when I realized my cell phone had service in the more populated, lodge and Visitor Center areas of the park. I then tried the wireless card and “presto” I was connected! The service was a little slow but pretty decent for being in the middle of nowhere. It was quite a deed to be connected to the world online and staring right at “Old Faithful”. I don’t recommend you spend your whole time working while trying to take a vacation in one of the most beautiful National Parks of the world. However it’s beyond being able to get work done in such a wild place, Wi-Fi/Cell phone access unites us and brings safety to what would otherwise be an extremely isolated place. It’s a pretty incredible feeling to share such a magnificent place live with your friends and family all over the world, while you’re living it. By doing so it also promotes the park, as people who may have never heard or seen of such a place are now living it through your live experience via the internet.
Yellowstone National Park is the first national park to bring Wi-Fi into their remote wilderness area. Despite the varied isolated regions of the park, Wi-Fi Internet has been incorporated in some limited places to satisfy the modern tourist. Many lodgings offer possible Wi-Fi and cell phone access, something that was never available before. The park is still limited as it has not yet provided broadly available hotspots. The National Park Service found that Wi-Fi Internet service access within Yellowstone National Park would not have the environmentally detrimental impact that had once been thought. While there are no WIFI Internet access points within the park, there is digital cellular service at Old Faithful and Grand Canyon Visitor Centers where a cell phone or cellular data card can get you access to the Internet. Visitors can also find hotspots at the park’s edges, without interfering with the natural habitats of wildlife and natural surroundings. The strongest signals by far are found within the lodgings as long as the guests have their own laptops.
Yellowstone was the world’s first national park and again has become first, but this time in bringing Wi-Fi and cell phone access into the park. Perhaps they can pave the way once again and set a standard for other national parks all over the world. Wi-Fi/cell phone access provides tourist the technology and safety that we depend on in these modern times. Now you can share your vacation immediately with friends and family by seeing live images and sharing pictures right as you’re living them. It also provides business travelers the chance to get outdoors and still remain in touch. Most importantly cell phones work in case of any emergency while in the wild. There are many benefits to this new access that we can all enjoy and benefit from, while maintaining the integrity of nature.
