Yellowstone Insider Your Complete Guide to America's First National Park
Unfortunately, there are very few people on the face of the earth who can head to their favorite geyser basin or hiking trail on the spur of the moment. So the rest of us will need to be refreshed by live images transmitted from various points in the Park via webcam.
Here is a list of our favorite webcams from various Yellowstone-area locales, ranging from West Yellowstone and Gardiner and Cooke City to cams installed directly in the Park. (Alas, the weather is hard on webcams: our favorites in West and Cooke City are both down for repair, as is an Old Faithful area webcam in the Park.) Between them they’re give you live looks at one of the most amazing areas on the planet. Click on the image to be taken to a page with a larger image. Enjoy!
WEBCAMS
Old Faithful
As you might expect, the most photographed geyser — Old Faithful — in the world is also the subject of the most webcams. Alas, one major webcam is down, but one installed at the new Visitor Education Center is perfectly positioned to track activity. As a bonus, the new webcam display includes predictions for the next Old Faithful Geyser eruption.Mammoth Hot Springs
Streaming from the second floor of the Albright Visitor Center, the Mammoth Hot Springs webcam is popular for viewing wildlife in the general area right outside the center. It’s a popular place for elk, but occasionally you’ll see other wildlife wandering through.Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces
Also streaming from the second floor of the Albright Visitor Center: a camera focused on the Mammoth Hot Springs terraces. Yeah, they’re not as active as they once were, but they’re still worth a look. Point of reference: that’s Liberty Cap to the left, past the trees.Mount Washburn Fire Lookout
One camera installed at the Mt. Washburn fire lookout is used primarily to monitor fire activity in the Park. Currently it is pointed in a northeasterly direction; the mountains beyond are the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountain Ranges. (This camera may or not be working properly; it’s had a pretty rough winter.)
Mount Washburn Fire Lookout
A second webcam installed at the Mount Washburn fire lookout is aimed to the southeast, with views of Yellowstone Lake, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and Hayden Valley. (This camera may or not be working properly; it’s had a pretty rough winter.)Old Faithful Parking Lot
A unique view, to be sure, but one that can help you plan out your day. This webcam focuses on the Old Faithful Parking Lot. You’ll get an idea of traffic in the area from this webcam.Roosevelt Arch/North Entrance
The Yellowstone Association runs a webcam from its Gardiner headquarters. It’s a pretty cool setup: users have access to controls for the webcam, so you can zoom in and pan around the entire area. The cam automatically updates every few seconds, so you can see cars, folks and critters moving through the area.
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory
This portable and temporary webcam, installed by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, is currently installed at Lake Butte toward Steamboat Point, Mary Bay and the north shore of Yellowstone Lake. It updates hourly, is powered by solar energy, and will be moved to various places of interest relevant to geologic hazards at Yellowstone National Park. It shuts down nightly to conserve energy.
We’ve also set up a free Twitter account so you can receive updates on the device of your choice.
