Is it even possible to avoid traffic during a total solar eclipse? The first since 2017 and last until 2033 in North America, about 40 million people live inside the path of totality on April 8—and as many as four million may drive into it on the day.
That’s a lot of vehicles. With so many people converging on a relatively small area, traffic is bound to be a major issue. To help you avoid the traffic and make the most of your eclipse experience, here are five ways to avoid traffic before, after and during the total solar eclipse
NOTE: This article only applies to those that are in the path of totality, which is set out in this map (below). If you’re not within the path of totality (which you can check on this interactive map, this eclipse simulator and in this eclipse look-up then you’ll see just a partial solar eclipse, which requires solar safety glasses at all times and is not rare or unusual.
If you look at an annotated map of the path of totality you’ll notice that the duration of totality is highest on the centreline and lowest on the edge. However, don’t make the mistake of assuming that it reduces gradually. “Because of the oval shape of the shadow, you don’t have to go very far into the shadow to cover most of the duration,” said Michael Zeiler at GreatAmericanEclipse.com in an interview. For example, if you’re in Austin, Texas, right on the edge of the path, then you can drive 78 miles to the centerline for 4 minutes 24 seconds at Fredericksburg. However, if you drive 48 miles to Johnson City you’ll still get over 4 minutes. “For many people, that will be the sweet spot because you get a very long totality, and you cut your exposure to traffic in half,” said Zeiler.
If you’re planning to travel to the path of totality, it’s best to book a couple of nights’ accommodation. It could be expensive, but it’s the best way—and camping will be relatively easy. You can arrive on April 7 and leave on April 9 to avoid the road madness. This way, you can experience the total solar eclipse without worrying about the traffic. If you’re hosting friends and family for the eclipse, encourage them to stay over on April 8 instead of sitting in traffic.
The Texas Hill Country is going to be rammed. So will parts of Indiana, Ohio and New York. However, everyone obsesses about the centerline. If you want to stay over inside the path of totality, try looking for campsites and RV parks in rural communities about halfway between the centerline and the edge, where prices are much lower, and availability is higher. Use back roads, find a place away from traffic—not exactly a big task given the size of the path of totality. A rest stop is a good idea—though many will likely be full early on April 8. But there are
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Mainland Europe’s first total solar eclipse since 1999 is just 850 days away. Where will you be? As excitement dies down from the “Great American Eclipse,” eclipse chasers are turning their attention to Wednesday, August 12, 2026, when a 183-190-mile-wide moon shadow moves across remote Siberia, Greenland, Iceland and Spain.
For the April 8 total solar eclipse, photographer Levi Mandel traveled to Buffalo, New York, to observe the celestial event—and the many others who journeyed for it. Below, he shares the experience through text and photos.
There’s always a moment in the journey from Dublin to London – which I make every month or two, taking the land-and-sea route via Holyhead instead of flying – when I stop what I’m doing – reading or writing or chatting to the person next to me – and think: you don’t get to enjoy this from 40,000ft.
Did you see the total solar eclipse? Despite clouds in some regions, some sky-watchers in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada were able to get clear views of a totally eclipsed sun for as long as 4 minutes 28 seconds in what was the longest totality viewed from land since 2010—and the longest in the U.S. since 1806.
Accurate weather forecasts for Monday’s path of totality weren’t available until a few days ago, but scientists have confirmed that cumulus clouds over land begin to disappear almost instantly when a partial solar eclipse begins.
A total solar eclipse is coming to the U.S.—but not everyone is invited. On Monday, April 8, the moon will be close enough to Earth to appear just larger than the sun as it crosses its disk, casting a shadow that will move across the planet at about 1,500 mph.
It’s being hailed as the “Great North American Eclipse.” The longest since 1806, in fact, the best since 2017 and the last until 2033 in Alaska, and 2044 in Montana and the Dakotas.
Millions of people are expected to travel to see the total solar eclipse on April 8. As a result, large swaths of the country could be faced with traffic jams and flight delays in the coming days, government agencies warn.
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible within parts of North America. If weather is permitting and there aren’t cloudy skies, total visibility will start along Mexico’s Pacific Coast. In the United States, the path of totality, which is the narrow ribbon of places where the full eclipse can be viewed, goes from Texas to Maine. NASA is offering a map that shows the path of totality as well as a timetable of when the eclipse should appear in some of the major locations where it can be viewed.
Eclipse fever is running high as the U.S. gears up for a total solar eclipse that will pass across a huge swath of the country on April 8. Looking for last-minute eclipse travel tips? Demand is off the charts for flights, hotels and rental cars along the path of totality. But it’s not too late to book travel for the solar eclipse—if you know where to look.