What you can see on the Shishaldin cams
The cams show the cone from the east and from the other side of the Alaska Peninsula, where on clear days it rises on the horizon. A thin plume of steam from the summit crater is normal and doesn’t mean an eruption.
Eruptions of Shishaldin
Shishaldin erupts every few years. In 2023 it went through months of unrest and a series of explosive eruptions that sent ash more than 10 km (35,000 ft) high and partly collapsed the summit crater. Ash from here can reach the air routes between North America and Asia, which is why the observatory watches it so closely.
When to watch Shishaldin
The Aleutians are among the cloudiest places on Earth, so clear views are rare and worth catching. Use the cloud forecast on this page, and remember that both cams show little at night.
Around Shishaldin
Unimak Island, the largest of the Aleutians, is home to several other volcanoes, including Isanotski Peaks and Roundtop, and to brown bears and caribou. False Pass, a small fishing community at the island’s eastern tip, is the only settlement. Across the water, Izembek National Wildlife Refuge near Cold Bay shelters huge numbers of migrating geese every autumn.
Visiting Shishaldin
There is no easy way to visit Shishaldin. Cold Bay has scheduled flights from Anchorage, and on clear days the volcano is visible from there; reaching Unimak Island itself needs a boat or a charter flight.
