Download the map before you need the map.
If cell service or the internet disappears, your phone can still be useful. The trick is making sure the map is already stored on the device, and keeping at least one paper backup that needs no battery at all.
Best free options
You do not need to buy a specialty emergency atlas to get started. These are legitimate free options that can cover everyday driving, regional travel and detailed terrain.
Apple Maps offline maps
On supported iPhones, Apple Maps can download an area in advance and provide offline map viewing and turn-by-turn directions without Wi-Fi or cellular service. This is the simplest choice if your family already uses iPhones.
Apple's offline-map instructions →Organic Maps
A free, open-source mapping app built specifically around offline use. You can download countries and regions, search offline, and use turn-by-turn driving, walking and cycling navigation without an active internet connection.
Get Organic Maps →USGS The National Map
USGS provides free downloadable topographic maps across the United States and territories. They are useful when you need terrain, roads, water features, boundaries and more detail than a simple highway map.
Download USGS maps →Avenza Maps
Avenza lets you download maps to a phone and then use the phone's built-in GPS to show your location on the map while offline. Its free recreational tier can be useful for hiking, rural travel and topographic maps.
See Avenza Maps →USGS National Atlas reference map
USGS also offers a free downloadable national reference map PDF covering all 50 states. It is not detailed enough for neighborhood navigation, but it makes a useful big-picture paper backup for long-distance travel.
Download the free U.S. reference map →Many state transportation departments publish their own free highway maps, but there is not one clean, consistently maintained federal download page that gives ordinary current road maps for all 50 states in the same format. Rather than copy maps that can become outdated, LivSolv recommends downloading your state's official map when available and pairing it with one of the offline options above.
Keep one detailed offline map on your phone and one paper map in the vehicle. For trips outside your normal area, download the route and surrounding region before leaving. A phone with GPS may still know where you are even when the network is gone, but paper is the backup when the battery is gone too.