Mount Bachelor Webcam – Lodge, Lifts and Snow Stake Views

The Mount Bachelor Webcam follows the ski area on Oregon’s Mount Bachelor through four live cameras run by the resort. The main view, which the operator labels Mid Mountain, is mounted at the top of the Outback Express chairlift and looks across a slope of dark cinders and lava rock to Pine Marten Lodge at 2,370 meters (7,775 feet). Broken Top’s jagged, rust-colored crater rim stands on the skyline to the left of the lodge, and a chairlift terminal and a row of wooden snow fences fill the right of the frame. Through the summer the slope is bare gray gravel. Once the snow arrives, the same picture is the quickest way to see whether mid-mountain is buried, clear or lost in cloud.

About Mount Bachelor

Three more tabs on the Mount Bachelor Webcam cover the rest of the mountain. Sunrise looks out from the top of the Sunrise Express, where a cat track switchbacks up the cinder slope beside a line of lift towers, a lift building stands on the right and a snow-dusted Cascade peak sits on the far skyline. Cloudchaser, from the top of the Cloudchaser lift, faces east, so the first light of the day comes straight into the lens over forested ridges and the flat horizon of the high desert, with a run dropping away through stunted conifers and lava rock below. The Snow Stake tab is the resort’s measuring camera for new snow. Outside the season it shows only forest floor, a sawn stump and a fallen log under the pines.

The mountain itself is a dormant stratovolcano built on top of a shield volcano, rising to 2,764 meters (9,068 feet) in the Deschutes National Forest about 29 kilometers (18 miles) southwest of Bend. It grew between 18,000 and 8,000 years ago, last erupted between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago, and belongs to the Mount Bachelor Volcanic Chain, a line of vents 24 kilometers (15 miles) long. The name comes from the way the peak stands apart from the Three Sisters to the north.

Skiing started here in 1958. The resort now spreads over 17.5 square kilometers (4,323 acres), with 101 runs and 1,026 meters (3,365 feet) of lift-served vertical. Its lowest lift, Northwest Express, starts at 1,737 meters (5,700 feet), and Summit Express climbs to about 2,743 meters (9,000 feet), only 20 meters (65 feet) below the top of the volcano. Pine Marten Lodge, the building on the main camera, opened in 1988, two years after the first Pine Marten quad chair.

Weather and Climate on Mount Bachelor

The mountain averages about 1,170 centimeters (462 inches) a year, and the mid-winter base typically builds past 380 centimeters (150 inches). At the height of Pine Marten Lodge, daytime highs from December to February average around -3 C (27 F), with nights near -9 to -10 C (14 to 16 F). The lifts usually turn from mid-November through the end of May. During a storm the main view can fade to white for hours, and the snow stake becomes the camera people refresh to count the new inches.

Spring stays cold up high. April highs at the lodge average about 2 C (36 F) and May only reaches about 7 C (45 F), which keeps the snow skiable late into the season. July and August bring highs near 20 C (68 F) at the lodge and 23 C (73 F) at the lower base, with nights around 6 C (42 F), and the camera shows dust, cinders and lift towers. September cools to about 14 C (57 F), and in October afternoons barely reach 7 C (45 F) with frost on most nights, so an early storm can dust the slope white before the lifts open.

Things to Do Near Mount Bachelor

In winter the mountain is the attraction. Pine Marten Lodge is the mid-mountain hub, with the Pine Marten and Outback lifts arriving close by, while the West Village and Sunrise base areas sit lower down and Summit Express carries skiers toward the top when the weather allows. In summer the resort runs a zip-line system on the mountain, and hiking trails cross the same slopes the cameras show under snow in January.

The Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway, Forest Route 46, passes the ski area on its 106 kilometer (66 mile) route from US 97 in Bend to Oregon Route 58. Beyond the ski area the road closes from December to March, but from late spring it opens up a chain of lakes: Todd Lake about 4.3 kilometers (2.7 miles) north of Pine Marten Lodge, Sparks Lake about 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles) to the northwest, then Devils, Elk, Hosmer, Lava, Little Lava and Cultus lakes farther along. Bend, 35 kilometers (22 miles) away by road, is where most visitors stay.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More volcano and ski cameras from the Cascades and beyond:

• Crater Lake Webcam
• Mission Ridge Ski Area Webcam
• Osorno Volcano Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Mount Bachelor located?

Mount Bachelor is in the Deschutes National Forest in central Oregon, USA, in the Cascade Range about 29 kilometers (18 miles) southwest of Bend. The ski area is 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Bend by road along the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway.

What can you see on the Mount Bachelor Webcam?

The main tab looks from the top of the Outback Express across to Pine Marten Lodge, with Broken Top on the skyline to the left. Three more tabs show the top of the Sunrise Express, the east-facing view from the top of Cloudchaser and the resort’s snow stake camera.

Is there snow on Mount Bachelor right now?

The Mount Bachelor Webcam’s main and Snow Stake tabs are the fastest live check. White ground around Pine Marten Lodge means mid-mountain is covered, and in winter the snow stake shows how much fell overnight. Outside the season, which typically runs from mid-November to the end of May, the cameras show bare cinders and rock.

How much snow does Mount Bachelor get?

Mount Bachelor averages about 1,170 centimeters (462 inches) of snowfall a year, and the mid-winter base typically builds past 380 centimeters (150 inches).

What is the weather like on Mount Bachelor?

Cold and snowy for half the year. At the height of Pine Marten Lodge, winter highs average around -3 C (27 F) with nights near -10 C (14 F). July and August highs reach about 20 C (68 F), with nights around 6 C (42 F), a few degrees cooler than the base areas lower down.

How high is Mount Bachelor?

The summit stands at 2,764 meters (9,068 feet), with a topographic prominence of 815 meters (2,674 feet). Summit Express tops out about 20 meters (65 feet) below the peak, and Pine Marten Lodge, the building on the main camera, sits at 2,370 meters (7,775 feet).

Is Mount Bachelor an active volcano?

No. Mount Bachelor is a dormant stratovolcano that formed between 18,000 and 8,000 years ago and last erupted between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago.

Source: Mt. Bachelor