Cumulus clouds stretch across the sky over I-90 and prairie farmlands near Blue Earth, Minnesota.

Weather Resources

NOAA Air Quality Maps

Does your camera prefer blue skies over gray? So does mine. I use these free forecast maps from NOAA and the National Weather Service to see how ozone or wildfire smoke will impact my travels:

Weather Forecasts

We witnessed a magnificent sunset as we entered Chicagoland on the Indiana Toll Road. Red sky at night, roadtripper's delight!
Red sky at night, roadtripper’s delight!

Weather apps are great tools for populated places—but the best campsites and hikes are usually nowhere near weather stations—and even when one is nearby, it’s often at a vastly different elevation, making conditions difficult to predict.

Thankfully the National Weather Service provides point forecasts that are elevation-specific! Below are direct links to the forecast for several key locations:

National Parks