Questions
What Roam Community is, what’s free, where the data comes from and how far to trust it. Anything else, email support@roam.community.
About Roam Community
What is Roam Community?
Roam Community is a map for camping and road trips in the United States. One map shows campgrounds down to the individual campsite, with availability, and layers for cell coverage, tree canopy, terrain grade, weather forecasts, climate averages, fall foliage and alerts. Premium adds more layers and tools, including trail routes and offline maps.
Who makes it?
Roam Community LLC, a small, two-person company in Annville, Pennsylvania. Joe builds the app; he and his wife, Natalie, started it after building out a cargo van and finding campsite planning harder than it needed to be. More about us.
Is this the same as Roam Research or other apps called Roam?
No. Roam Community isn’t affiliated with Roam Research, the Roam WiFi network, onX’s ROAM app or any other product called Roam.
Free and Premium
Is Roam Community free?
Yes. A free account includes:
- campground and campsite information, including availability;
- weather, wildfire and park alerts;
- tree cover;
- terrain grade (how level a site is);
- cell coverage as carriers report it to the FCC;
- the current hour’s forecast, this month’s climate averages and this week’s fall color; and
- fall foliage from September through November.
What does Premium add, and what does it cost?
Premium is $35.99 a year, billed annually, and renews until you cancel. If you’ve never bought anything from us, it starts with a 7-day free trial. It adds:
- carrier signal heat maps (modelled, not measured);
- rivers (gauge flow and height), tides and tidal currents;
- human noise and light pollution;
- snow depth;
- campground filters: open dates, site and rig, amenities, dark skies, quiet, cell service and weather;
- trail routes, with off-route alerts while you follow them;
- offline maps, to download an area for use without signal;
- any time other than now on the timed layers: other forecast hours, other months’ climate averages and other weeks of fall color; and
- fall foliage outside its free season.
Ask within 30 days of your first charge for a full refund. The details are in our Terms of Service and Refund & Cancellation Policy.
How do I sign up?
Press Log in / Sign up at the top of any page and sign in with Apple or Google. You need to be 18 or older.
Data and accuracy
Where does the data come from?
- Cell coverage: the coverage AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile report to the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection.
- Weather forecasts: NOAA’s GFS model, updated four times a day.
- Climate averages: NOAA’s 1991–2020 climate normals.
- Terrain grade and elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program data.
- Tree canopy: Meta’s high-resolution canopy-height map, combined with scans campers make in the app.
- Fall foliage: NASA satellite (VIIRS) data on when leaves change.
- Snow depth (Premium): NOAA’s SNODAS analysis.
- Alerts: National Weather Service watches and warnings, wildfire perimeters and incidents, and National Park Service closures and notices.
- Campgrounds and campsites: Recreation.gov’s federal recreation data and OpenStreetMap.
The app names the source of every layer, with its date.
How accurate is the cell coverage map?
It shows where carriers say they provide service, outdoors: 4G LTE at 5 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up or better, and 5G at 7/1 and 35/3 Mbps. That’s a model each carrier files with the FCC, not a measurement, so hills, trees, weather, a busy tower or your phone can mean no signal where the map shows coverage. Never count on it to tell you whether you can call for help. Our guide to checking cell service at a campground covers the rest.
How detailed is the tree canopy?
Meta’s canopy-height map estimates the height of the trees at roughly one-meter detail, which is fine enough to see a clearing a tent could go in. Scans campers make at a site refine it further. It’s still an estimate, so look up before you set up. See how to find a shaded campsite.
Is campsite availability live?
Availability is refreshed about every 15 minutes, so it can already be out of date. Roam Community doesn’t book or sell campsites; only the booking site, usually Recreation.gov, can tell you for certain whether a site is free.
Campgrounds and campsites
Which campgrounds are covered?
Campgrounds across the United States, with site-by-site maps and availability for federal campgrounds (the ones booked on Recreation.gov) today. Browse campgrounds by state.
Can it help me pick a site for shade, sun or Starlink?
Yes, and they’re three different questions. Some people want shade for a cool afternoon, some want sun for solar panels, and some just need a gap in the trees for a Starlink dish or satellite texting. Each campground page answers them separately: the shadiest sites, the sunniest, and the ones with the most open sky, worked out from the height of the trees around each site. In Roam, the tree canopy layer shows the trees over every site so you can judge for yourself. These are estimates, so check when you arrive; Starlink’s app has an obstruction check.
Can I book a campsite through Roam Community?
No. Roam Community helps you choose a campsite, then sends you to the booking site to reserve it.
Can I add or correct a campsite?
Contributions, such as campsite pins and scans of a site, are being tested with some members now. Every one is reviewed before it appears on the map. If something on the map is wrong, tell us.
Apps and offline use
Is there an iPhone or Android app?
Both are on the way, and we expect to launch them in late October or early November 2026. Join the waitlist on the homepage and we’ll email you the day they’re out. Until then, the web app works in any browser, on a phone too.
Does it work offline?
With Premium you can download an area of the map to use without signal. Downloaded maps don’t change until you download them again, and they won’t show new alerts or availability, so refresh them before you lose service.
Help
How do I get help or report a bug?
Email support@roam.community. Roam Community is made by one person, so a report really does help.
How do I cancel Premium or delete my account?
Both are on the Manage account page in the app, or email support@roam.community. Deleting the app doesn’t cancel a subscription. Our Refund & Cancellation Policy has the steps.