Total Solar Eclipse 2024: How to Plan a Trip to the Path of Totality

31.10.2023 - 01:13 / cntraveler.com

On Monday, April 8, 2024, there’s a celestial event you might want to mark on your calendar and consider planning a trip around: the last total solar eclipse visible in the Lower 48 for two more decades. Those who have seen the event before know what the hype is about; if you’ve never experienced the wild euphoria of seeing the skies darken as the moon obscures the sun, all the more reason to head to the path of totality, which will stretch from Maine to Texas, on April 8.

I experienced my first total solar eclipse in 2017 in Idaho. After some scouting, my friends and I picked the city of Rexburg, Idaho, as our eclipse basecamp (since it was only a few hours from Park City, Utah, where we live). At a large park reserved for camping, we staked out for the night, chatting with amateur astronomers who’d set up their telescopes until around 9:00 a.m. when the skies began to darken.

During a total solar eclipse the lighting grows decidedly eerie—equal parts post-apocalyptic (as if a UFO were overtaking our local star) and photographic (like an underexposed print viewed in a darkroom). As the sky dimmed to pitch black, a glowing ring (safely visible through eclipse-viewing glasses) materialized above. This phenomenon momentarily occurs as the moon lines up perfectly in front of the sun, leaving only a glow of fire behind, followed by a burst of sunlight at one end. It’s one of those few things in life that is truly awesome, in the most archaic and literal sense of the word.

To catch the last eclipse to grace our U.S. skies for 20 years, do it right with these lessons I learned from my 2017 experience—and in one of these destinations, which will sit in the path of totality during April 8’s astronomical event.

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I was shocked when I first looked into hotel rooms or Airbnbs a few months in advance of the 2017 eclipse in Rexburg (which is anything but a popular tourist destination). Nothing was available, but we managed to snatch up one of the last campsites. Eclipse tourism is real, so book lodging as far in advance as possible; for April 8 I booked accommodations more than one year ahead of time. This guidance applies to every element of your trip—from dining and spa reservations, to tickets for eclipse parties or festivals.

Don’t expect to drive into a city on the totality path the Monday morning of this astronomical event, either. There will be traffic, limited parking, and crowds. Get to your destination at least one day prior, and show up to your viewing site at least a few hours in advance.

The worst part of my 2017 eclipse experience was the