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These national parks have the best internet service, says Ookla

If you're looking for 5G access while hiking, try Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Zion or Banff.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor
Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.
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West Virginia's New River Gorge

West Virginia's New River Gorge. Remember to look up from your gadget once in a while.

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If you're looking for national parks with good mobile service this summer, speedtest site Ookla has been testing the connections across North America. According to a report by the site published Wednesday, the best mobile speeds in a US national park were found at Gateway Arch, Missouri -- and the worst at Sequoia, California. 

Gateway Arch clocked in at 85Mbps median download speeds and 31Mbps upload speeds. By comparison, Ookla said the median download speed for mobile networks in the US is 41Mbps.

Also in the top 10 were Saguaro, Arizona; Mount Rainier, Washington; Cuyahoga Valley, Ohio; Indiana Dunes, Indiana; Acadia, Maine; Denali, Alaska; Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina; Hot Springs, Arkansas; and New River Gorge, West Virginia.

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"According to data from Speedtest, US travelers looking for time in the great outdoors this summer without giving up mobile performance should stick to national parks located in or near urban areas," Ookla said in the report.

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These are the US national parks with 5G access, according to Ookla.

Ookla

Ookla also found 38 national parks across the US and Canada with 5G connections, including Gateway Arch; Joshua Tree in California; Everglades, Florida; Zion, Utah; Yosemite, California; and Banff and Jasper in Canada.

National parks in more remote areas have slower speeds, with Sequoia clocking download speeds of just 1.43Mbps. Also sitting in the bottom 10 were Mammoth Cave, Kentucky; Badlands, South Dakota; Kings Canyon, California; Big Bend, Texas; Pinnacles, California; Mesa Verde, Colorado; Crater Lake, Oregon; Lassen Volcanic, California; and Yellowstone, Wyoming.