How bad is the wildfire smoke today?

For a number, check AirNow — the official EPA air quality map. For your own eyes, look at the pass and lookout cameras: on a smoky day the ridgelines wash out gray. 511now never invents an AQI.

Is it safe to hike in wildfire smoke?

Use the AirNow reading for the trailhead area, not your city. AirNow publishes activity guidance for each air-quality level. The cameras can show you whether the viewpoint you are hiking to is even visible today.

Will smoke close the road I'm driving?

Smoke alone rarely closes a highway, but a fire near the road can. Check the official 511 page for your route, and check the fire map for named fires near it. If smoke drops visibility, slow down and use low beams.

Does smoke mean there is a fire near me?

Not always — smoke rides the wind for hundreds of miles. Check the fire map for named fires and their official perimeters. For evacuation information, use your county alerts or Watch Duty, never a camera site.

511now / Answers / Wildfire smoke today

Wildfire smoke today

Updated August 19, 2026 · Pictures refresh every few minutes

For a number, check AirNow — the official EPA air quality map. For your own eyes, look at the cameras below: on a smoky day the ridgelines wash out gray.

We never invent an AQI, and we never say a smoke plume is or is not a fire. The number comes from AirNow; the pictures come from the agencies.

See the haze for yourself

Mount Rainier from the Paradise webcam — on smoky days the mountain washes out gray — If Rainier looks washed out on a cloud-free day, that is usually smoke. Washington smoke cameras.

Oregon Hazards Lab lookout camera above US-26 near Brightwood — A lookout camera above US-26. Oregon Hazards Lab at the University of Oregon.

Tap a picture to open the gallery — every official smoke camera we track, with zoom. Dust, clouds, and steam can look like smoke — the picture shows haze, not a diagnosis.

Hiking today? Check the trailhead, not your city

Smoke pools in some valleys and skips others. Use AirNow for the area you are hiking, not where you slept. AirNow also publishes activity guidance for each air-quality level — that guidance is theirs to give, not ours.

The cameras answer a simpler question: is the view you are hiking to even visible today? Check Rainier, Crater Lake, or the Olympics before you drive two hours.

Driving through smoke

Smoke alone rarely closes a highway, but a fire near the road can. Check the official 511 page for your route — WSDOT, TripCheck, or Idaho 511 — then the fire map for named fires near it. If smoke drops visibility, slow down and use low beams, not high.

Does smoke mean a fire near me?

Not always. Smoke rides the wind for hundreds of miles — Seattle haze can come from fires in British Columbia or Eastern Oregon. The fire map shows official NIFC perimeters for named fires.

This site never issues evacuation orders. For evacuations, use your county alerts, Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), or Watch Duty. If you see new fire or smoke and believe no one has reported it, call 911. If you feel unsafe, leave early — you do not need an order.

Check by state

Washington: smoke cameras · fire map
Oregon: smoke cameras · fire map
Idaho: smoke cameras · fire map

Sources

AirNow — official EPA air quality, including the fire and smoke map.
NIFC — official wildfire perimeters.
Oregon Hazards Lab — the lookout cameras.