Some of the worst winter driving conditions in the U.S. can be found in the Mountain and Central states; web cams can be of immense value when doing your morning trip planning. True, things can and likely will change but at least you'll have an actual view of the current weather and road condition before you head that direction. That means you don't have to take the word of some other trucker who might not have been in the area for 24 hours or more.
Montana State Traveler's Info
The state of Montana is seemingly covered with web cams. I guess that makes sense since it's such a scenic state. The Montana DOT must understand the interest in their state because, besides offering up a Road Weather Information System page that includes an interactive map showing web cam links & locations, as well as icons linked to current local weather conditions, they also provide a page listing several other Montana state web cams. Included in the list are views of Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Ski Resorts and other web cams of interest.
Another site offering a page of links to Montana web cams, some of which are duplicated by the Montana DOT site, is BigSkyFishing.com.
Wyoming State Web Cameras
Like Montana, Wyoming highways are well covered by web cams. The WYDOT Web Camera page offers links to 14 web cams on I-80, 5 web cams covering I-25 and 6 web cams located on I-90. They also offer links to 14 other web cams that provide views of interest. Included in that list are web cams at the Kemmerer and Frannie Ports of Entry. Another site offering links to various Wyoming web cams, some of which are duplicated on the WYDOT site, is The Wyoming Companion. There you'll find several links to web cams showing real time conditions in various towns and locations of interest.
A good web site, that includes links to interesting web cams in both Montana and Wyoming, is AllMountainCams.com. You can see some great views of Yellowstone Park (your chance to watch Old Faithful blow it's stack from the comfort of your home) and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Colorado State Roadcams & Traveler's Info
The Colorado DOT has a very useful and very well organized web site designed especially for those of us who travel their highways. The CDOT Traveler Information page includes links to a Statewide Map of camera locations as well as links to cameras located on the busier routes.
Along with roadcam and weathercam locations you'll find links to pages offering information regarding Road Conditions, Lane Closures, Chain Requirements, Weather updates, and a whole lot more. If you're traveling through Colorado; a visit to this site should be well worth your time.
New Mexico Traveler's Info
Even though the New Mexico DOT doesn't offer web cams as part of their New Mexico Road Traveler Information Service that doesn't mean its not worth visiting. The main page offers up a map showing all the traffic advisories and the map is updated frequently. If all you want are current road conditions then you can find those, too. There are also maps offering current information regarding "Critical Incidents", "Weather Forecasts", "Weather Alerts", and "Commercial Vehicle" information. If you click a map icon a pop-up window opens with a paragraph or two describing the current relevant information.
If you absolutely, positively, must see a live view of New Mexico you can find a few New Mexico web cams listed on the KOBTV.com web site.
North Dakota Traveler's Info
In 1987 Doctors Frank and Deborah Popper wrote an essay in which they promoted the idea of "deprivatizing" large portions of the Plains States including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma. After deprivatization, and the resulting loss of statehood, the area would then be renamed Buffalo Commons. What's their reasoning? Well, our good doctors assert that the current ways in which drier parts of the plains are being used is unsustainable; and they cite population loss, and disasters like the Dust Bowl, to support their assertions. Not surprisingly, considering the number of nuts in need of a cause, the idea of creating Buffalo Commons has gathered a following. Fortunately, though, the populations of the states facing impending exclusion from statehood, and inclusion in the newly formed Buffalo Commons, stand in firm opposition to the concept.
The preceding paragraph has nothing whatsoever to do with weather and roadcams but, as a traveler, the information's interesting; isn't it? Anyway, one web site, Safe Travel USA offers links to travelers info throughout most of "Buffalo Commons". You can also get information about current North Dakota road conditions from the North Dakota DOT.
While NDDOT doesn't offer links to web cams on it's web site there are a few of them up and running in the major population centers. One set of them, even though they're not linked to from the NDDOT web site, is, in fact, hosted by the NDDOT:
- Bismarck, ND: Along with a weathercam view of Bismarck KFYR-TV also has a webcam page with views of Dickinson, Minot and Williston.
- Fargo, ND Traffic Cams: I defy you to find the link to these traffic cams on the NDDOT web site. If, however, you do find the link; let me know its page location. Thank you!
- Fargo, ND: This view of downtown Fargo is hosted by In-Forum Fargo-Moorehead and also includes a view of Grand Forks.
- Grand Forks, ND: The University of North Dakota Regional Weather Information Center hosts this webcam.
South Dakota Traveler's Info
Another reluctant candidate for membership in Buffalo Commons; South Dakota can be host to some of the nastiest winter driving conditions in the country. Fortunately, there's plenty of information available to help the lonely traveler journey safely. Not much of it, however, is in the form of current video images. The South Dakota Department of Transportation web site offers a 511/Traveler's Information page that includes links to the SafeTravel interactive road and weather map as well as links to Weather Information and Temporary Route Restriction information.
The South Dakota Tourism web site, TravelSD.com is another good source of travelers information. Included on the site is a page with current weather condition and another includes various South Dakota Web Cams. One other web cam source is the KSFY.com web cam page. KSFY.com offers links to web cams located in Sioux Falls and Aberdeen, SD. The one in Sioux Falls is located at the baseball stadium, so you're not going to get a view of road conditions, but the one in Aberdeen is a bit better.
