Ninety-seven percent of Americans own a cellphone. Most of us are instantly connected almost everywhere we go, which represents both an immeasurable convenience and, at times, an unwelcome distraction. But there are still some special places in this country where use of cellphones is either discouraged or – even better for a real disconnect – they simply won’t work.
So, if you’re craving some “digital detox” and want to focus on your companions and surroundings during leisure time, here are some places to escape the internet, texting or work emails and be truly in the moment, among the scenery and engaged with one another, whether for an hour, a day or a week.
Polebridge, Montana
Located just outside Montana’s stunning Glacier National Park, Polebridge is a tiny community that lacks not only cell service and Wi-Fi, but also electricity. Candles and oil lamps provide lighting after dark and the “news feed” is snail mail and newspapers. The population of Polebridge, which is just 22 miles from the Canadian border, climbs close to 100 during the warmer months but in winter can slump to single figures as heating options are only wood or coal stoves.
Yet this charmingly off-grid anomaly boasts a general store, a saloon/restaurant, rental cabins and camping, plus bikes, paddleboards and kayaks for hire (Bowman Lake is nearby). Polebridge can be an exotically antiquated afternoon detour when visiting the national park, a weekend in the digital wilderness, or a longer sojourn free of 21st century diversions.
Kantishna Roadhouse, Denali National Park, Alaska
It’s no surprise that vast, sparsely populated Alaska offers some of America’s most digital-free regions. One of the state’s innumerable analog escapes is the remote rental cabins of Kantishna Roadhouse backcountry lodge in Denali National Park. This First Nations-owned collection of log cabins without television, cell service or internet is a rare opportunity to experience the region’s backcountry with only a handful of fellow guests.
Immerse yourself in the local flora, fauna and blanket of wilderness silence unbroken by phone notifications while hiking, biking, fishing, gold panning or just being. Kantishna packages are all-inclusive, comprising of cozy private cabins and gourmet communal dining. The 55-minute flight over the peaks and wilds of Denali National Park to reach the lodge offers both an incredible “flightseeing” experience and offers a sense of just how far you are from everyday distractions.
Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico
Cellphones simply don’t work underground, so any sort of cave system is an innate digital sanctuary. The immense Carlsbad Caverns near the eponymous New Mexico city comprises of 119 caves of myriad sizes where you can hike unaccompanied. A national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, it includes the 4,000-foot-long Big Room which, with its 250-foot ceiling, is the largest such chamber in North America. Famed for its extraordinary combination of easy access (including paved trails, electric lighting and elevators) and pristine preservation, Carlsbad Caverns includes evocatively named spaces like the Bat Cave, Spirit World and the incredible Lake of the Clouds, the lowest point in the system where a large lake contains globular, cloud-like rock formations. If you’re intent on exploring all the accessible areas of the caverns’ 120 mapped miles, camping is permitted in the park’s backcountry.
Springwater Center, Finger Lakes, New York
Taking the “disconnection” idea beyond just phones, Springwater Center hosts silent meditation retreats amidst 200 acres of rolling hills in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of Western New York. The facility’s 12,000-square-foot retreat center has 14 guest rooms, a library, solarium and serves only vegetarian meals. Guests are free to conduct their retreat as they choose, with options including timed sittings and morning talks by teachers. The only requirements are to participate in silence and contribute an hour of work each day. Springwater Center takes a nontraditional approach without rituals, required beliefs or assigned practices. But if you want to make a call, you’ll need to use the phone booth (remember those?) in the main building, go to your car or take a walk off-property. (There is Wi-Fi in designated areas.)
Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park, Washington
With no cell service to dent its utter serenity, Washington’s Lake Crescent is a pristine hidden gem in Washington’s Olympic National Park. Camp or stay in one of the waterfront cottages to enjoy kayaking, sailing and boating, hiking and picnicking, all phone-free (although some visitors report some very spotty service). Lapping the foothills of the Olympic Mountains, Lake Crescent is about 18 miles from Port Angeles on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
There are 87 campsites and a choice of the Lake Crescent Lodge or Log Cabin Resort, which are generally open from late spring through early fall. It also makes a beautiful base from which to explore the sparkling waters and winding trails of the nearby Elwha Valley, the old-growth forest, subalpine lakes and snowy peaks of the Sol Duc Valley and the otherworldly Hoh Rain Forest.
Orr Hot Springs, Mendocino Coastal Range, California
One way to break free from that phone in your pocket is to dispense with pockets altogether!
Orr Hot Springs is a small, tranquil, clothing-optional resort nestled into 27 acres of Northern California’s coastal mountains. There’s no cell service or internet access in guest rooms anyhow (though walkie-talkies are available to communicate with staff in case of emergency).
Established in the 1930s, Orr is found down a pretty country road between the towns of Ukiah and Mendocino, at the headwaters of Big River. Offering rustic rooms, yurts, cottages, campsites, the six-person Creekhouse and a fully stocked communal kitchen (food is not sold or served) it’s a place to detach and unwind with massages, breathwork or hiking in nearby Montgomery Woods. Pets are not permitted, but two friendly cats roam the property hunting mice and moles
Lassen Volcanic National Park, Northern Sierra Nevada, California
While cell service in Northern California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park is limited and unreliable, it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to avert their gaze from its geothermal wonders and surrounding spectacular scenery. Often overshadowed by the larger, less remote Yosemite and Sequoia parks, Lassen is accordingly much less crowded, hosting just 11% of Yosemite’s annual visitors.
It also offers the awe-inspiring volcanic and hydrothermal features more often associated with Yellowstone but almost 500 miles closer to Los Angeles. As well as Lassen Peak, the world’s largest plug dome volcano, the eponymous park houses surreal steaming fumaroles and bubbling mud pots while surprising with brilliant alpine lakes, dense conifer forests and vivid wildflower meadows. And Lassen is almost a different place in winter, transformed by up to 30 feet of snow. Within minutes, you’ll forget all about your phone.
Phone-free Concerts
You don’t have to take a huge journey to get a full digital detox, of course. Most of us have been frustrated by fellow concert goers obstructing our view of the stage while filming on their phones. Unsurprisingly, many artists also object to their shows being blighted by cell phone use, some of whom have sufficient clout to actually keep their shows phone-free.
Former White Stripes frontman Jack White, who claimed to not own a cellphone at the time, famously barred phones from his performances a few years back, requiring them to be secured in Yondr pouches. Maynard James Keenan, singer for Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, also strives to make his concerts phoneless, while everyone from Bob Dylan to Beyoncé has vocally objected to fans filming their sets.
Of course, we can also just make a personal decision to leave our phone in the car and immerse ourselves in the experience!
- Paul Rogers