Nederland Webcam – Watch a Colorado Mountain Town

The Nederland Webcam looks out from Busey Brews Smokehouse and Brewery on East 1st Street in Nederland, Colorado, a mountain town of about 1,500 people at 2,509 meters (8,232 feet) in southwestern Boulder County. The camera does not hold one view. It works through a short cycle of positions, starting with the creek to the southwest, where a long log-built lodge faces the camera across the water and some of the runs at Eldora ski area can show on the far slopes. It then turns northwest toward Niwot Ridge and part of the Indian Peaks, north over 1st Street with its wooden storefronts and utility poles, and finally takes a quick look at the grocery store parking lot. In mid October the willows along the creek and the aspens around town turn yellow and orange under dark, forested ridges.

About Nederland, Colorado

Nederland sits 27 kilometers (17 miles) west of Boulder at the junction of State Highways 119 and 72, the stretch of road known as the Peak to Peak Highway. The town counted 1,471 residents at the 2020 census. Barker Meadow Reservoir, a water supply reservoir whose surface lies at 2,494 meters (8,183 feet), lies right beside the town.

The name is a mining story. The settlement was first called Middle Boulder. In 1873 the Caribou Mine, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) to the northwest at roughly 3,000 meters (10,000 feet), was sold to the Mining Company Nederland from the Netherlands, and the way the Dutch miners spoke of the place gradually renamed it. The town was established in 1874. Nederland means “low land” in Dutch, an odd label for a place this high. Silver, gold and tungsten were all found nearby, at Caribou in 1859, at Eldora west of town in 1875, and at the settlement of Tungsten to the east.

Today Nederland is better known as a base for the Indian Peaks Wilderness, the James Peak Wilderness, Roosevelt National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park, and the camera’s creek view looks southwest toward the slopes around Eldora. The live stream has run on the same YouTube broadcast since June 2021, and the operator also posts a daily time-lapse of the camera on its own website.

Weather and Climate in Nederland

Winter is long and cold at this altitude. January averages a high of about 2 C (35 F) and a low of about minus 12 C (10 F), and the record low is minus 37 C (minus 34 F). Snow can cover the lodge roof across the creek, the street and the hills in every direction, and the Eldora runs in the southwest view turn white once the ski season starts. Spring arrives late. April afternoons only reach about 7 C (45 F), with nights well below freezing, so a sunny frame in April can still show snow on the ridges.

Summer is mild and short. July averages a high of about 24 C (75 F) and a low of about 6 C (43 F), and the record high is only 32 C (89 F), so the hills behind town stay green through the season. Autumn is the most colorful time on the camera. October highs average around 12 C (53 F), with nights near or below freezing, and the willows along the creek and the aspens on the slopes above town turn gold, bright against the dark pines.

Things to Do Near Nederland

The Carousel of Happiness in the middle of town is the attraction most visitors seek out. It is a restored 1910 Looff carousel with a 1913 Wurlitzer band organ, and its riders sit on animals from a collection of more than 50 hand-carved by local woodcarver Scott Harrison. Busey Brews, the camera’s host, is a smokehouse and brewery on East 1st Street, and it runs a weather station whose readings are published on its website, so current conditions can be checked alongside the live picture.

Eldora Mountain Resort lies about 5 kilometers (3 miles) west of Nederland. Its lifts climb from a base of 2,853 meters (9,360 feet) to a summit of 3,231 meters (10,600 feet) across 680 acres (275 hectares) of skiable terrain, and the Eldora Nordic Center adds 40 kilometers (25 miles) of cross-country ski and snowshoe trails. Beyond the resort, the Hessie Trailhead near the old mining town of Eldora is a starting point for hikes into the Indian Peaks Wilderness.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More Colorado mountain towns and Front Range views on the site:

• Breckenridge Webcam
• Grand Lake Webcam
• Denver Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Nederland, Colorado located?

Nederland is in southwestern Boulder County, 27 kilometers (17 miles) west of Boulder, where State Highways 119 and 72 meet on the Peak to Peak Highway. Eldora Mountain Resort is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) farther west.

What can you see on the Nederland Webcam?

The camera rotates through several views from Busey Brews: the creek to the southwest with a log lodge on the far bank and some Eldora ski runs on the distant slopes, Niwot Ridge and part of the Indian Peaks to the northwest, 1st Street and downtown Nederland to the north, and a brief look at the grocery store parking lot.

Why does the view on the Nederland Webcam keep changing?

It is a moving camera set to cycle through preset positions. When this post was written the creek view came back roughly every two minutes, so a short wait usually brings the view you want around again.

What is the weather like in Nederland?

Expect cold, snowy winters with January highs of about 2 C (35 F) and lows near minus 12 C (10 F), and mild summers with July highs of about 24 C (75 F). Nights are cool all year because of the altitude.

Can you see Eldora ski area from Nederland?

Yes. Some of the runs at Eldora Mountain Resort show in the camera’s southwest view, beyond the creek, when the cloud is high enough. The resort’s summit stands at 3,231 meters (10,600 feet).

How high is Nederland, Colorado?

The town sits at 2,509 meters (8,232 feet), only a little above Barker Meadow Reservoir beside it, which lies at 2,494 meters (8,183 feet).

Why is the town called Nederland?

In 1873 the nearby Caribou Mine was sold to the Mining Company Nederland from the Netherlands, and the Dutch miners’ name for the place gradually replaced the earlier name of Middle Boulder.

Source: Boulder Flatiron Cam