Stratton Mountain Webcam – Check the Summit Before You Ski

The Stratton Mountain Webcam stands at the top of the Summit Gondola on the north peak of Stratton Mountain, 1,181 meters (3,875 feet) up in Vermont’s Green Mountains. It looks roughly north-east across the grassy clearing where the gondola unloads, past a trail sign and a stand of dark evergreens, to forested ridges and valleys that roll away to a hazy horizon. Gondola cabins swing past at the left edge of the frame. From late fall into spring the clearing is under snow and becomes the start of the ski trails, while in early October the hardwoods below turn red, orange and gold.

What the Stratton Mountain Webcam Shows

The camera is the resort’s own, described by the operator simply as a live view from the summit at 3,875 feet. The mountain’s true high point is a separate wooded peak to the south, so the fire tower stands behind the camera and never appears in shot. The gondola line drops away out of the left of the frame toward the base village far below.

About Stratton Mountain

Stratton Mountain rises to 1,200 meters (3,940 feet) on its south summit in Windham County, with 730 meters (2,410 feet) of prominence. The ridge drops north to a saddle at 1,167 meters (3,830 feet) and climbs again to the north peak at 1,181 meters (3,875 feet), where the gondola tops out and the camera stands.

The south summit carries the history. In 1909 James P. Taylor came up with the idea for the Long Trail while standing on it, and Benton MacKaye later developed the concept of the Appalachian Trail on the same mountain. The two trails share a route through southern Vermont and cross the summit together, past a lookout tower the Civilian Conservation Corps built around 1934. It served as a fire lookout until 1982, among the last three to be retired, and joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Stratton Mountain Resort opened in December 1961. Its trails drop 611 meters (2,003 feet) from the summit to a base at 571 meters (1,872 feet), and the mountain averages 457 centimeters (180 inches) of snow a year. The Summit Gondola in the frame dates from 1988, got new cabins in 2014, and runs 2,249 meters (7,379 feet) with a vertical rise of 531 meters (1,742 feet). Stratton was the first ski area to allow snowboarding and hosted the US Open snowboard races from 1985 to 2012.

Weather and Climate on Stratton Mountain

Winter on the summit is long and hard. Reanalysis figures for 2015 to 2024 at the camera’s height put the January daily mean near -11 C (12 F), with average lows around -15 C (5 F), and the monthly mean stays below freezing from November through March. When cloud sits on the peak the frame can turn white for hours before it lifts. The base area runs about 3.5 C (6 F) warmer than the top, so a village forecast understates the cold at the gondola.

Spring arrives late at this height, with April averaging about 1 C (33 F) and May about 8 C (47 F). July is the warmest month at about 16 C (61 F), with afternoon highs near 20 C (68 F). Precipitation is spread evenly through the year at roughly 90 to 136 millimeters (3.6 to 5.4 inches) a month. October averages about 5 C (41 F), and the slopes below the camera are in full color in its first days.

Things to Do Near Stratton Mountain

The best walk starts beside the camera. A path along the ridge leads 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) from the top of the gondola to the fire tower on the true summit, about 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles) there and back. From the summit the Long Trail continues 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles) to Stratton Pond, the largest pond on the whole Long Trail.

At the foot of the gondola, Stratton Village has the resort’s shops, restaurants and cafes, and summer brings a lift-served mountain bike park. The 27-hole golf course is split into Mountain, Lake and Forest nines and has hosted six LPGA tournaments. West of the mountain, Manchester has Hildene, the Georgian Revival summer home of Robert Todd Lincoln completed in 1905, and the Southern Vermont Arts Center at the base of Equinox Mountain, the highest summit in the Taconics at 1,170 meters (3,850 feet).

Similar Webcams You Might Like

Another camera on Stratton, then more of Vermont and a California ski summit.

• Mid Stratton Mountain Webcam
• Killington Webcam
• Snow Summit Webcam
• Church Street Marketplace Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Stratton Mountain located?

Stratton Mountain is in the town of Stratton in Windham County, in the southern Green Mountains of Vermont. The resort lies east of Manchester, with its base village on the mountain’s north-eastern slopes.

What can you see on the Stratton Mountain Webcam?

The main camera looks roughly north-east from the top of the Summit Gondola, over a grassy clearing, a trail sign and evergreens to forested ridges and valleys far below, with gondola cabins at the left edge.

How high is the Stratton summit?

The camera sits on the resort’s summit, the north peak, at 1,181 meters (3,875 feet). The mountain’s true high point is the wooded south summit at 1,200 meters (3,940 feet), where the fire tower stands. The resort’s base is at 571 meters (1,872 feet).

What is the weather like at the Stratton summit?

Cold for most of the year. January averages about -11 C (12 F) at the top, and July about 16 C (61 F). The summit typically runs about 3.5 C (6 F) colder than the base, so check the live view for cloud and snow before riding up.

Does the Stratton Mountain Webcam show the fire tower?

No. The tower stands on the south summit, about 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) along the ridge, and the summit camera faces away from it toward the valleys to the north-east. You can walk to it from the top of the gondola.

Are there other cameras at Stratton Mountain Resort?

Yes. Stratton streams six cameras on YouTube. The Mid Mountain camera has its own page on this site, and the others cover the main base, the Sun Bowl base area, the bottom of the Snow Bowl Express and the golf course.

Does the Stratton gondola run in summer?

Yes. The resort runs scenic gondola rides to the summit outside the ski season and says that on a clear day the view reaches across four states, taking in the White Mountains, the Adirondacks and the Berkshires as well as the Green Mountains. Operating days change through the year, so check the resort’s calendar first.

Can you hike to the top of Stratton Mountain?

Yes. The Long Trail and the Appalachian Trail share the climb, 6.1 kilometers (3.8 miles) one way from the trailhead with about 520 meters (1,706 feet) of ascent, to the fire tower on the south summit.

Source: Stratton Mountain