Pass webcams, with the chain control at each
23 cameras on 8 Sierra passes, most-searched first. Each starts with the chain control at that pass, read from Caltrans or NDOT every five minutes, or says we couldn't check.
Storm alerts
A notification on this device when chain control starts, changes or lifts, or a road closes or reopens. Pick your roads:
An alert is a heads-up that something changed, not a road report, and it can arrive a few minutes after the change. Before you drive, check Caltrans QuickMap or Nevada 511 (nvroads.com), or call 511. A few alerts a day at most; no account, no email, and you can turn them off here any time (what we keep).
Donner Pass webcams
I-80's crossing of the Sierra crest between Soda Springs and Truckee; at 7,239 feet, the highest point on the interstate in California.
No chain controls at Donner Pass (Caltrans). Checked .
Live video, confirmed streaming at ; still image taken .
All 5 cameras at Donner Pass: I-80 at Donner Summit · I-80 at Donner Lake · I-80 at Castle Peak · I-80 at Soda Springs - Eastbound · I-80 at Kingvale - Westbound
Truckee webcams
The town at the east foot of Donner Pass, where I-80 meets SR-89 and SR-267 and the trucks are held at the scales.
No chain controls at Truckee (Caltrans). Checked .
Live video, confirmed streaming at ; still image taken .
All 3 cameras at Truckee: I-80 at Truckee / SR-267 · I-80 at Truckee Scales Eastbound · I-80 at Truckee Scales Westbound · Truckee cameras
Verdi and Gold Ranch webcams
The Nevada end of the climb: Verdi and Gold Ranch at the state line, where Caltrans's controls end and NDOT's road begins.
No chain controls at Verdi and Gold Ranch (Caltrans and NDOT). Checked .
Live video, confirmed streaming at .
All 3 cameras at Verdi and Gold Ranch: I80 at East Verdi · I-80 at Gold Ranch · I80 Westbound Exit 1 GoldRanch (offline)
Mt Rose Summit webcams
SR-431 over the Carson Range from Reno to Incline Village, the highest year-round pass in the Sierra at 8,911 feet.
No chain controls at Mt Rose Summit (NDOT). Checked .
Live video, confirmed streaming at .
All 4 cameras at Mt Rose Summit: SR-431 at Mt Rose Summit · SR-431 at Mt. Rose Dugway · SR-431 at West Side Meadows · SR-431 at Mt Rose Ski Area · Mt Rose Summit cameras
Echo Summit webcams
US-50's climb out of the Tahoe basin west of Meyers, where Caltrans holds traffic at the summit in a storm.
No chain controls at Echo Summit (Caltrans). Checked .
Live video, confirmed streaming at ; still image taken .
All 4 cameras at Echo Summit: US-50 at Echo Summit (offline) · US-50 at Sierra at Tahoe / Echo Lake Eastbound · US-50 at Myers · US-50 at Twin Bridges
Spooner Summit webcams
US-50 on the Nevada side, between Carson City and the east shore of Lake Tahoe.
No chain controls at Spooner Summit (NDOT). Checked .
Live video, confirmed streaming at .
The camera: US-50 at Spooner Summit
Brockway Summit webcams
SR-267 between Northstar and Kings Beach, the short way from Truckee to the north shore.
No chain controls at Brockway Summit (Caltrans). Checked .
Live video, confirmed streaming at ; still image taken .
The camera: SR-267 at Brockway Summit
Kingsbury Grade webcams
SR-207 from the Carson Valley up to Daggett Summit and down to Stateline.
No chain controls at Kingsbury Grade (NDOT). Checked .
Live video, confirmed streaming at .
All 2 cameras at Kingsbury Grade: SR-207 at Daggett Summit / Tramway · SR-207 at Kingsbury RWIS
Reading a pass camera
The passes are in the order people search for them: Donner Pass and Truckee on I-80 by a wide margin, then Mt Rose and Echo Summit. Under each one is its main camera, with the time the agency took the picture, and links to every other camera there. The road's full chain-control table is on its road page.
A chain control is set at a control point, not over the whole road, so the line under each pass names the points it covers: R-1 means chains or snow tires, R-2 means chains on every vehicle except four-wheel drive with snow tires on all four wheels, and R-3 means chains on every vehicle. The chain-control levels page explains each one. On the Nevada side NDOT reports controls by stretch of road rather than by point, and the line quotes the stretch.
A camera picture is only as new as its capture time. Caltrans stills refresh about once a minute; when the newest frame is more than half an hour old, the camera's own page says it has stopped updating and links the nearest cameras that are working.
Cameras by road
Cameras by town: Truckee, South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe City, Incline Village and Carson City.
Cameras: Caltrans District 3 and Nevada DOT / nvroads.com. Chain controls: Caltrans (roads.dot.ca.gov) and NDOT (nvroads.com). Nevada Explorer is not affiliated with either. Always confirm at roads.dot.ca.gov or nvroads.com before you travel.