GATLINBURG, TN - Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently installed webcams at Newfound Gap and Clingmans Dome. The webcams provide visitors with views from the highest elevations in the park. They also offer real-time access to weather conditions. The public can access images taken every 15 minutes, along with hourly information on temperature, humidity, wind speeds, precipitation, and air quality.

Lightning strikes over Look Rock in Great Smoky Mountains National Park; image by GSMNP

The new webcams at Clingmans Dome and Newfound Gap were installed last year. Staff have been testing the reliability and accessibility over the last several months. The data is easily available online. Visitors now have an opportunity to better prepare themselves for a park visit at high elevations where temperatures can be 10 to 20 degrees cooler than experienced at low elevations. Visitors can also check visibility and precipitation conditions to better determine viewing and traveling conditions. In addition, the park has webcams at Look Rock, Purchase Knob, and Twin Creeks.

“We’re excited to have this opportunity to collect and share timely weather and air quality conditions with park visitors, as well as those who simply want to experience Smokies views from wherever they are in the country,” said Air Quality Specialist Jim Renfro. “We’re hearing from many people that these views and weather conditions help them feel connected to the park even if they are very far away or have never had a chance to visit in person.”

View of the Smokies from Clingmans Dome; image by GSMNP

Digital images, weather, and air quality information from monitoring locations in the park are part of the National Park Service air quality web camera network, the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), and the PhenoCam Network. They provide the park with valuable long-term monitoring data. The Clingmans Dome webcam is operated seasonally from late March through early December, weather depending, while the other cameras are operated throughout the year.

A winter view from Clingmans Dome; image by GSMNP

Funds to support the installation and annual operations for the webcams at Clingmans Dome and Newfound Gap is provided by Friends of the Smokies, the National Park Service Air Resources Division. Other park partners helping to provide weather data and communication are Great Smoky Mountains Association, Tennessee Valley Authority, National Weather Service, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Environmental Protection Agency, and Air Resource Specialists, Inc.

A winter view from Clingmans Dome; image by GSMNP

To access webcam information, please visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov.