# Need Advice re: Traveling to See the Eclipse **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 2, 2017, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332 "2017-07-02T04:44:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/21 "2017-07-03T04:07:45Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Would you prefer St. Louis? The airport is just outside the path of totality, but you can literally hop on the MetroLink and ride it to totality (or transfer to a bus that will take you a little further south) I’m not seeing anyplace in the path of totality that’s served by the St. Louis transit system. As a carless Chicagoan, I was very excited to find a riverboat excursion from the Arch—but it’s sold out. For now, the [bus excursion run by Schlafly Brewery](http://schlafly.com/eclipse) seems like my best bet. I use [WeatherSpark](https://weatherspark.com/) to look at the historical averages on things like cloudiness. Carbondale/Southern Illinois has a 31 percent chance of being cloudy that day, making me less than enthusiastic about a solo drive of six hours each way. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/22 "2017-07-03T04:19:06Z")
Poster **Sunny Daze** might be a resource. She has a thread going about it… ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/23 "2017-07-03T04:22:26Z")
Try this: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=20310626#post20310626](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=20310626#post20310626) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/24 "2017-07-03T04:24:41Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > Carbondale/Southern Illinois has a 31 percent chance of being cloudy that day, making me less than enthusiastic about a solo drive of six hours each way. Chicago has lots of Dopers. Someone should start a thread about ride-sharing to the Eclipse. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/25 "2017-07-03T04:38:06Z")
**Gato** linked to a thread I started about having Dopers over to my place for the eclipse. You are more than welcome to join if you can get there. One thought would be Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train, arriving the day before. If there aren’t any hotels left in Albany or the surrounding area, you are welcome to camp on my lawn. I’d offer the house, but I’ve filled it. :o Camping is welcome to anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/26 "2017-07-03T04:53:47Z")
Check for cheap flights. So many relatively large cities in the eastern US are along the path. I ran a few of these and found available hotel rooms at reasonable rates. Some cities show round trip flights from under $400 from SFO. These cities may see some boost of tourists, but I doubt hotels will be all sold out like in the smaller towns of the more rural spots in the west like Wyoming. Airports along/very close to the route include: South Carolina Greenville/Spartanburg (GSP), Columbia (CAE) Charleston (CHS) Tennessee Knoxville (TYS) Chattanooga (CHA) Nashville, TN (BNA), Missouri St Louis (STL) Kansas City (MCO) And only slightly further off the path are Charlotte and Atlanta, both major airline hubs with some low cost carriers. Might be able to score cheaper flights and rental cars out of them. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/27 "2017-07-03T05:35:33Z")
I’m going from SEattle over the Cascades and then south. Have a campsite about 2 hours away from the totality zone on the Columbia river. It was all that was available. I plan to get there a day early, get up early and get to the zone. Has to be better than coming down I5 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/28 "2017-07-03T06:08:42Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > Camping is welcome to anyone. Can I sleep on the roof? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/29 "2017-07-03T06:39:54Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I just spent much of the past hour or so dinking around on some hotel reservations sites to see room availability in and near the path. I’m in the Midwest, and it was no surprise to me that they’re pretty much all sold out in Carbondale and Jefferson City, which are in the center of the totality path. However, there are still rooms available in some of the less-prime viewing areas, and just outside the path, they are plentiful, at least for now. > > Where I view it will depend on regional weather conditions. This surprises me. I guess I figured with it being such a widespread event, it wouldn’t have that big an effect on hotel accommodations. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/30 "2017-07-03T10:44:44Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > **Gato** linked to a thread I started about having Dopers over to my place for the eclipse. You are more than welcome to join if you can get there. > > One thought would be Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train, arriving the day before. If there aren’t any hotels left in Albany or the surrounding area, you are welcome to camp on my lawn. I’d offer the house, but I’ve filled it. :o Camping is welcome to anyone. Thank you muchly for the invite. I would need to fly there and that ups the expense a bit. Also, I’m worried about the weather. I think it’s statistically more clear in the West. What do you plan to do if it’s cloudy? ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/31 "2017-07-03T16:33:49Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > Dispersed camping on National Forest Service land is perfectly legal. [https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/deschutes/recreation/camping-cabins/?cid=stelprdb5291492](https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/deschutes/recreation/camping-cabins/?cid=stelprdb5291492) You may need to arrive at the trail-head and begin camping a week early. While dispersed camping is legal, there will be special restrictions in place. Trail-head parking areas could be full days before the eclipse. Then there is the fire danger. Your chosen area could be closed because the fire danger is too high, or even an actual fire. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/32 "2017-07-03T17:12:09Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I am going to central Oregon. > I had to change my original plans, because the expected crowds are supposed to be off-the-charts. > I was told by a Parks employee that a trip that normally takes 1 hour might take 12-18, and to bring extra gas and food, because people will be getting stuck… This is good advice. Anyone planning on driving to the total eclipse zone anywhere along the path should plan on already being in place at least a day in advance. Roadways on the day of the eclipse are going to look like the ones you see under a hurricane evacuation. Take food, water, gas and anything else you need for a few days. Stores may run out of supplies, gas stations out of gas. The resources of small towns along the path are likely to be sucked dry and their public utilities maxed out and maybe failing. Until the roads clear and freight can move, which may take a few days. Lincoln City, Or is advising residents to hunker down at home as if preparing for a blizzard with enough supplies for 3-4 days. Population is normally 8,000 people, they are expecting up to 100,000 visitors!! And those poor people are just going to watch the sea fog darken. I could normally drive there in a couple of hours, on the day of the eclipse I doubt that I could get there at all. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/33 "2017-07-03T17:21:54Z")
> [@Mr\_Downtown](#): > > I’m not seeing anyplace in the path of totality that’s served by the St. Louis transit system. As a carless Chicagoan, I was very excited to find a riverboat excursion from the Arch—but it’s sold out. For now, the [bus excursion run by Schlafly Brewery](http://schlafly.com/eclipse) seems like my best bet. > > I use [WeatherSpark](https://weatherspark.com/) to look at the historical averages on things like cloudiness. Carbondale/Southern Illinois has a 31 percent chance of being cloudy that day, making me less than enthusiastic about a solo drive of six hours each way. Shrewsbury, which is the end of the line for the MetroLink Blue Line, will be in totality for 1:12. Hop on the #68 bus and you can ride to Webster Groves (1:15) or Kirkwood (1:18.) Take the #46 bus and you can ride to Oakville (1:51.) Not as long as Carbondale, but easy to get to. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2017, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/34 "2017-07-03T19:15:50Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I am going to central Oregon. > I had to change my original plans, because the expected crowds are supposed to be off-the-charts. > I was told by a Parks employee that a trip that normally takes 1 hour might take 12-18, and to bring extra gas and food, because people will be getting stuck… Not only that, but you have to take into account the possibility that people will stop on the road itself just before the eclipse. (“They can’t ticket all of us!”) This is pretty much what happened on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge during the fireworks show in 1987 celebrating the 50th anniversary of its opening. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/35 "2017-07-04T03:14:15Z")
The hamlet of Kelly, Kentucky is sharing their eclipse party with a commemoration of this event. > **[Kelly–Hopkinsville encounter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly%E2%80%93Hopkinsville_encounter)** > > The Kelly–Hopkinsville encounter (also known as the Hopkinsville Goblins Case or Kelly Green Men Case) was a claimed close encounter with extraterrestrial beings in 1955 near the communities of Kelly and Hopkinsville in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. UFOlogists regard it as one of the most significant and well-documented cases in the history of UFO incidents, while skeptics say the reports were due to "the effects of excitement" and misidentification of natural phenomena such as me... 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/36 "2017-07-04T03:58:34Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Thank you muchly for the invite. I would need to fly there and that ups the expense a bit. Also, I’m worried about the weather. I think it’s statistically more clear in the West. What do you plan to do if it’s cloudy? Eh. Swear creatively where the kids can’t hear me and drink. At least I’ll have good company. 😛 Whatya gonna do? ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/37 "2017-07-04T04:00:04Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Can I sleep on the roof? No, roof is really steep. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/38 "2017-07-04T05:26:48Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Rent or borrow a RV. [Or you could just sleep in your car or a tent] We have recently been in campgrounds in Wyoming and most were booked at least a month ago. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/39 "2017-07-04T07:01:50Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > This is good advice. Anyone planning on driving to the total eclipse zone anywhere along the path should plan on already being in place at least a day in advance. > > Roadways on the day of the eclipse are going to look like the ones you see under a hurricane evacuation. Take food, water, gas and anything else you need for a few days. One website I found recommends that eclipse-goers rent _satellite phones_ because cell phone systems will be overwhelmed that day. All of these dire predictions of apocalyptic gridlock are making me think that seeing a partial eclipse from my porch wouldn’t be so bad. Of course, all those “Great American Eclipse” websites are telling me that if I miss this grand spectacle I’ll be so consumed with regret that I’ll commit suicide. But I suspect I’ll be okay. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332/40 "2017-07-04T14:31:30Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Not only that, but you have to take into account the \*\*possibility \*\*that people will stop on the road itself just before the eclipse. (“They can’t ticket all of us!”) This is pretty much what happened on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge during the fireworks show in 1987 celebrating the 50th anniversary of its opening. Bolding mine. You misspelled “certainty”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-advice-re-traveling-to-see-the-eclipse/790332.md?page=3)