These days, with still-limited trips beyond your own yard, it's easy to feel cooped up. Experience the restorative powers of the great outdoors — and some of America's most stunning treasures — by checking out these webcams that take you right into the heart of a handful of our 60-plus national parks and their wondrous wildlife. And who knows? These virtual visits just might whet your appetite for a real trip once the current crisis comes to an end.
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What to look for: Elk, bighorn sheep, moose, coyotes, and eagles
When to watch: Elk, moose, and deer are most active at dawn and dusk; bighorn sheep are known to be lambing in the spring.
This park boasts 66 species of mammals and 260 species of birds, so it's basically a wildlife paradise. The Kawuneeche Valley webcam, one of three, may yield you quite a view of moose.
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What to look for: Elk, bison, and pronghorn
When to watch: Mornings are ideal.
You can certainly see Old Faithful via webcam, but multiple cameras set up through this park offer the chance to catch some animals, too. For example, the North Entrance-Electric Peak webcam spotlights "wildlife — elk, bison, and pronghorn can be seen grazing here."
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What to look for: Seagulls
When to watch: Daylight
This webcam of the North Atlantic Coastline may be more scenic than scientific but you may get a treat as the website says its webcam offers "glimpses of sunrise, storms, sailboats, and the occasional seagull."
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What to look for: Waterfalls, soaring mountains, scenic vistas, snowy terrain
When to watch: Every season yields memorable views
One of the most well-known national parks, Yosemite is noted for its "sculpted granite rock formations, towering ancient sequoia trees and spectacular waterfalls." The webcam for Yosemite Falls is at its peak in early summer, but the wonders of the park are year-round.
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What to look for: River otters, harbor seals, waterfowl, moose, black bears, humpback whales, orcas
When to watch: Daily sightings on multiple cams
Glacier Bay offers stunning views with the Bartlett Cove inner lagoon hosting all kinds of wildlife. Summits of the Fairweather Range provide dramatic backdrops to the scene.
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What to look for: Kit fox, coyote, mountain lion, bobcat, badger, Texas banded gecko, bats, mule deer, javelinas, and black-tailed jackrabbits
When to watch: Early mornings or late evenings
The Guadalupe Mountains rise sharply from the surrounding desert floor, creating a virtual "island" of diversity with the park hosting several ecosystems including desert, woodlands, canyons, and mountaintop forests. It adds up to hosting 60 species of mammals, some 280-plus species of birds, and 50-plus species of reptiles. Though most animals are nocturnal, mule deer, javelinas, and black-tailed jackrabbits may be seen when the weather cools, early morning, or late evening.
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What to look for: Bears, mountain goats, pika, bighorn sheep, moose, wolverines, harlequin ducks, lynx
When to watch: Every season offers a glimpse at another species.
The Goat Haunt webcam is currently out of commission, but you may catch the majestic park's other wildlife thanks to no less than 14 other webcams throughout the soaring property.
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What to look for: Birds, alligators, and more
When to watch: Daily
The Everglades offers "the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States," a park that offers a home to rare and endangered species including the manatee, American crocodile, and the "elusive" Florida panther. Its webcam on Anhinga Trail captures one of the park's most popular visitor areas and offers glimpses of birds and alligators on the move.
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What to look for: Webcams offer differing views of the active summit.
When to watch: Multiple cameras offer views 24-7, including a thermal-image cam.
This park is home to some of the world's most unique geological features, extending from sea level to nearly 14,000 feet including the summits of two of the world's most active volcanoes, Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.
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What to look for: Three webcams, plus a gallery of photographs, are available with the Crater Lake cam taking center stage, its shores surrounded by snow-capped peaks
When to watch: Dawn to dusk
This awe-inspiring park was formed nearly 8,000 years ago when a tall peak collapsed in the wake of an eruption. Now, fed by rain and snow, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the nation, a scenic site that has inspired generations of artists.
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What to look for: Jackrabbits, javelina, roadrunners, horned lizards, black bears, and white-tailed deer
When to watch: Daily appearances on a variety of cams
This park may be best known for its cacti — and desert sunsets — but it's also host to a variety of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles. The Rincon Mountain Visitor Center webcam focuses on the pond during winter and during the summer months, spotlights the regular visits of the javelina. There is also an array of wilderness camera video clips online, showcasing everything from badgers to coyotes, desert tortoise to pocket mice.
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What to look for: Eagles, peregrine falcons, sea birds, fish, sharks, and other sea mammals including sea lions
When to watch: Springtime is ideal to tune in, especially to catch the eagle nests; even a quick peek at the ocean cam yields some colorful fish swimming by.
This park encompassing five islands off the coast of Southern California sports several webcams including one dedicated to bald eagles and another, an underwater one, featuring the kelp forest and sea life.
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What to look for: Brown bears, salmon, trout, beluga whales, swans, geese, ducks
When to watch: In the spring, watch beluga whales and thousands of birds such as swans, geese, and ducks via the Naknek River Cam.
Six webcams encourage the following of the brown bears of Brooks River, with the park and explore.org teaming up to offer the sneak peeks. The bears are best seen live during summer and early fall with past-year highlights screened the rest of the year.
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What to look for: Panoramic views captured from the park's headquarters
When to watch: The peaceful scene, capturing a view to the Northwest, refreshes every 15 minutes.
This park in Far West Texas is a place of tranquility, deep, dark nights, rivers winding through canyons, and birds taking refuge in mountains, escaping the desert heat as cacti bloom.
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What to look for: Majestic views of Painted Canyon
When to watch: From dawn to dusk, the view remains sweeping
This park, named in honor of the onetime U.S. president, recognized the impact the land had on Theodore Roosevelt, who came to the region to hunt bison in 1883, as a "skinny, young, spectacled dude from New York." His time here not only molded his life and character but planted the seeds for his dedication to conservation, a legacy we all benefit from today.
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What to look for: The California Buckeye webcam offers a scenic, woodlands view.
When to watch: Dawn to dusk
Operated as one site, the adjoining properties offer five unique areas: Foothills, Mineral King, Giant Forest (home of the General Sherman Tree, the world's largest living tree) & Lodgepole, Grant Grove, and Cedar Grove. Expect hiking trails, meadows, and plenty of rugged beauty.
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What to look for: The peaceful feeling from the Mott Island Dock or the dramatic vista of Tobin Harbor
When to watch: The Mott Island Dock cam is solar-powered; the Tobin Harbor cam will resume at the end of April
This park, surrounded by Lake Superior, is noted for its stunning scenic beauty that offers an escape from the "sights and sounds of civilization." Whether visitors seek solitude or outdoor adventure, they usually find it.
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What to look for: 'Resting Grizzly'
When to watch: During park hours
Play along on this one — "Regardless of season, 'Resting Grizzly' by William Berry, located just outside the entrance to the Denali Visitor Center, may well be the most hugged and photographed work of art in all of Alaska." One of the most charming webcams in the park, this joins more traditional webcams, which showcase the park's stunning views.
