Old Forge Webcam, New York

The Old Forge Webcam points at the corner of Fulton Street and Crosby Boulevard, the crossroads at the center of Old Forge, New York. State Route 28 runs left to right across the frame, the storefronts of the village business district line the far side, and wooded hills rise behind the rooftops. A planted island splits the junction, and the sidewalk below the camera fills the right of the picture. Through summer the road carries a steady stream of cars heading for the lakes. From December the scene can change completely, with plow banks narrowing the pavement and snowmobiles running the shoulder beside the traffic.

About Old Forge

Old Forge is a hamlet in the Town of Webb, at the northern edge of Herkimer County, sitting at 566 meters (1,857 feet) above sea level. The 2020 census counted 727 residents. The town around it is the largest in New York State by area, roughly 1,207 square kilometers (466 square miles), all of it inside the Adirondack Park. The village stands on the Moose River at the western end of the Fulton Chain of Lakes.

The store the camera is named for is just out of frame to the left. Moses Cohen opened a hardware business in the village in 1900, then bought the lot on this corner in 1902 for $500. Fire destroyed that building on May 10, 1922. The replacement reopened on Memorial Day 1923 and has stayed in the same family for four generations.

Weather and Climate in Old Forge

Winter is long and genuinely cold. January averages a high of -3 C (26 F) and a low of -15 C (6 F), and roughly 400 centimeters (158 inches) of snow falls in an average year. The coldest temperature ever recorded in New York State was measured here, -47 C (-52 F), on February 17, 1979. Snow is the biggest change the Old Forge Webcam records over a year, turning the open pavement into a plowed channel between banks.

Summer is mild rather than hot, with July highs averaging 24 C (75 F) and lows near 13 C (55 F). April is still thawing at 10 C (50 F) by day, and October cools to 13 C (55 F), when the hardwoods behind the storefronts turn color before the conifers do. Precipitation runs about 1,264 millimeters (49.8 inches) a year, so an overcast frame is common in any season.

Things to Do Near Old Forge

McCauley Mountain Ski Center sits above the village with 21 trails, one double chairlift, two T-bar tows and two rope tows. Old Forge is also the hub of more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) of groomed snowmobile trails, which is how it earned the name Snowmobile Capital of the East. Its summer counterpart is Enchanted Forest Water Safari, the largest water theme park in New York State.

The Adirondack Scenic Railroad runs from Thendara station, about 3 kilometers (2 miles) south on the old New York Central line, with trips to Utica, Otter Lake and Big Moose. View Arts Center stands 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) north on Route 28 and grew out of a lawn art show first held in 1951. The trail up Bald Mountain, also called Rondaxe, ends at an 11 meter (35 foot) steel fire tower raised in 1917.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Old Forge, New York?

It is a hamlet in the Town of Webb, Herkimer County, in the western Adirondacks of upstate New York. State Route 28 is its main street.

What can you see on the Old Forge Webcam?

The Fulton Street junction and the village business district, with Route 28 crossing the frame, a planted traffic island in the middle and wooded hills behind the rooftops.

What is the weather like in Old Forge?

Cold winters and mild summers. January averages -3 C (26 F) by day and -15 C (6 F) at night, and July averages 24 C (75 F).

How much snow does Old Forge get each year?

About 400 centimeters (158 inches) in an average year, one of the heaviest totals anywhere in New York State.

What is Old Forge Hardware?

A general store on this corner, opened by Moses Cohen in 1900 and run by the same family for four generations. The camera is named after it.

Is Old Forge inside the Adirondack Park?

Yes. The whole Town of Webb lies within the park boundary, and Old Forge is one of its main gateways from the southwest.

When is the best time to watch the Old Forge Webcam?

Summer weekends show the most movement through the junction, and midwinter gives the deepest snow. Fall color usually peaks in early October.

Source:TAS Electronics