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BuggsMcBuggs · 04-21-2022, 12:15 AM

Never too early to start planning.

Next Total Eclipse is less than 2 years away. April 8 2024. The totality swath will be from Mexico through Texas and on up through Maine. The Western Side of the swath will come up through the Rio Grand Valley Just skirting Del Rio. The Eastern Side of the swath will skirt San Antonio. It will also skirt Ft Worth on the west side and Texarkana on the east side.

Personally, I'd like to incorporate a trip to the Padre Island Nat Seashore. So I am focusing on spots in Texas

Ray,IN · 04-22-2022, 06:05 PM

I'm staying home. Our house is right under the center-line of the eclipse in my state.

BuggsMcBuggs · 04-22-2022, 11:36 PM

sounds like clean livin' to me.

rideandfly · 05-14-2022, 06:52 AM

Plan to camp in Arkansas for the next eclipse. We were camping during the last eclipse in Tennessee.

Few photos from the last eclipse:

Isaac-1 · 05-14-2022, 09:37 AM

We may be interested depending on the location, we are planning to view it from somewhere in Texas. I have been casually scouting out locations on our various trips through Texas the last couple of years. Closest point of approach to our home in Louisiana is only about 250 miles away in east Texas. We drove to Wyoming for the last big solar eclipse, so 250-500 miles to some place in Texas is not that big of deal.

A few things to note about this eclipse versus the one in 2017, first of all this one has a much wider path of totality, and on the centerline will tend to last longer. The 2017 eclipse had a path of totality only 15-20 miles wide in most places, this one has a path of totality that is about 100 miles across. On the centerline in parts of Texas there will be over 4 and a half minutes of totality, which is nearly double the time we had on the centerline last time in 2017. In addition to this the path of totality passes over far more major population centers this time with nearly all of the DFW metroplex being in the path of totality, along the Austin, and the western suburbs of San Antonio, not to mention cities further east like Indianapolis, etc.

Now for the down side, it is happening in April of 2024, so the chance of clouds along the path is much higher than the 2017 eclipse which happened in August, and there is no point along the path with better than 50/50 odds of clear skies, most places are considerably less than 50%. My intention then is to have back up location along the path to relocate to if needed to dodge the clouds, unfortunately we will likely not get a good idea until a few days before the event.

astrnmrtom · 05-15-2022, 12:05 AM

Not only is it location, location, location, but it's also weather, weather, weather. This is a rainy period for the US.

Much of the path in Mexico has the best prospects for clear skies, and it starts going downhill one the path hits Texas, and continues downhill from there. Note however, sometimes the cooling atmosphere as the eclipse progresses can cause clearing in marginal areas, but knowing where is impossible.

Here's a page that shows historical cloud cover averages for the path: https://eclipse.aas.org/eclipse-america-2024

mert1984 · 06-21-2022, 05:50 AM

I drove about 1 hour from where I live to see the 2017 eclipse. It was very special. I took my 2 young grandsons.

CharlesinGA · 07-07-2022, 05:24 PM

Read first...........

https://eclipse2024.org/xavier_redirect.html

Excellent Map.......

Mexico - USA - 2024 April 8 Total Solar Eclipse - Interactive Google Map - Xavier Jubier

Also a very good map.

https://eclipse2024.org/eclipse_cities/statemap.html

Its gonna pass right over the Crab Orchard NWR Campground in southern Illinois, nice campground, Opens April 1st, and all campsites are FCFS unless they change it before 20024. Also, while not on the center line, but still within the path of totality, the World Shooting and Recreational Complex will have about two minutes of totality vs Crab Orchard Lake Campground's 4 minutes. The WSRC has several hundred campsites, https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/recrea...mpingWSRC.aspx

Giant City State Park in Illinois is just south of Crab Orchard NWR and should also present some good camping if they open that early in the season.

The path also passes over the Texas hill country with Fredericksburg very close to the center line. That will be a popular area also.

I watched the 2017 eclipse from about 2 miles north of carhinge in Alliance Nebraska

AlfaBaz · 07-07-2022, 05:38 PM

Long drive from California, but I'm interested!

Isaac-1 · 07-07-2022, 06:06 PM

I am tentatively looking at the Fredericksburg, TX area or possibly further south in the hill country around Rio Frio (lots of campground in that circa 20 mile stretch of the river). The average cloud cover prediction puts lowest chances of clouds the further southwest one gets in Texas, Mexico is even better, but I am not going there.

BuggsMcBuggs · 07-08-2022, 10:19 AM

Interesting discussions. I am looking at southern Texas, as I am planning to hit South Padre Island, and hopefully Big Bend. Depending on April Temps. There is a few sites in Kickapoo Cavern State Park (most of those don’t have elect, and it is central water, but nice and quiet. Most of my family have served, so we may just hit the fam camp at Laughlin. Will certainly look forward to seeing other folks with funny glasses.

murrandpapa · 12-27-2022, 05:45 PM

View 2017 eclipse in South Carolina at triple tree airport planning on making 2024 somewhere in Arkansas, Missouri or Illinois haven’t figured out which campground we should go to and which date but we are planning on going

acampingwewillgo · 02-08-2023, 05:23 PM

During the last event in 2017, ( has it been that long ago?), we were enroute to Idaho for viewing from Southern Calif. I had planned this well over a year in advance but as life happens, we had a doggie illness that kept us in northern Calif. I still was a very popular person at the campground we were at, only because I had the red/blue lenses in order to view the eclipse. Nothing special just the cheap cardboard ones but they did offer a unique view for me and those closest to me in the park. Enoyable!!!

Rob_M · 02-09-2023, 04:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BuggsMcBuggs

Never too early to start planning.

Next Total Eclipse is less than 2 years away. April 8 2024. The totality swath will be from Mexico through Texas and on up through Maine. The Western Side of the swath will come up through the Rio Grand Valley Just skirting Del Rio. The Eastern Side of the swath will skirt San Antonio. It will also skirt Ft Worth on the west side and Texarkana on the east side.

Personally, I'd like to incorporate a trip to the Padre Island Nat Seashore. So I am focusing on spots in Texas

Before you settle on spot on Padre National Seashore. Be aware that solar eclipses cause very high tides. The beach down there is fairly narrow with the dunes blocking retreat from rising waters.