Three Things You Should Consider Regarding the August Solar Eclipse

April 20, 2017 - Saara Snow, Adventure Cycling's Travel Initiatives Coordinator, writes for Geopoints Bulletin this month.

Total solar eclipses — when the moon casts a shadow on the Earth — occur once every 18 months on average. For any given point, however, this calculates out to once in about 400 years. And it was about a century ago, in 1918, when the last total solar eclipse swept across the U.S. from the Pacific to the Atlantic, though some will remember the total eclipse of 1979 that crossed the Pacific Northwest.

The next total solar eclipse will be on August 21, 2017, running straight through the heart of the country from Oregon to South Carolina, and people are getting ready.

For those of us who love bike touring, as well as mountains and wilderness, the eclipse path is kind of ideal. The total eclipse can only be seen in a narrow band where the moon completely blocks out the sun, bringing darkness to the day. This band, aptly named “the path of totality,” fun to say in a foreboding voice, intersects eight Adventure Cycling routes, including the TransAmerica Trail, as well as the Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route, Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, Lewis & Clark Trail, Bicycle Route 66, Great Rivers South, Underground Railroad, and Atlantic Coast routes.

Check out this interactive map for the full view of the path of totality. And below is that path overlaid with the Adventure Cycling Route Network.

Here are just a few of the highlights of where the path of totality and our routes will coincide:

• Oregon – Salem, Corvallis, Lincoln City, Mitchell, John Day, Baker City
• Idaho – Stanley, Sawtooth Wilderness, Boulder White Clouds Wilderness, Sun Valley, Crouch/Garden Valley, Idaho City
• Wyoming – Grand Teton National Park, Gros Ventre Wilderness, Jackson, Crowheart, Lander
• Nebraska – Falls City
• Kansas – Troy, White Cloud, part of Kansas City
• Missouri - Jefferson City, part of St. Louis, Farmington
• Illinois – Carbondale, Shawnee National Forest
• Kentucky – Marion, Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area,
• Tennessee – Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
• South Carolina – Charleston, Francis Marion National Forest, Jamestown, Andrews

If you’re planning to be on the road on August 21, and will be anywhere along the path of totality, it could make for a magical experience or an extremely frustrating one, depending on how prepared you are. So here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Accommodations will be difficult to find. If you haven’t already booked a hotel, AirBnB or campsite yet, you may be out of luck and we’ve heard prices have soared due to demand. You could try to nab a first-come, first-serve campsite, but you’ll probably want to make sure the campground has a no-turn-away policy in case it’s full. Unfortunately, all of the 1,000 extra campsites Oregon Parks and Recreation Department opened up April 19 are already booked. The Warm Showers hospitality exchange could be a good bet, but keep in mind these hosts will likely be getting many requests and are probably booking up quickly too. The sooner you can secure something, the better. Keep in mind you may have to go off of your planned route to find a place to stay.
2. There will be a lot more automobile and RV traffic. Thousands of people will be flocking to the eclipse path, and likely most by car. It may be a good idea to schedule a rest day on August 20 and 21.
3. Consider a detour. If you’re not that interested in the eclipse or trying to navigate the challenges associated with the influx of tourists, you could opt to plan for a detour outside of the eclipse path. Some resources for alternative routes are available from individual states at the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center.

Regardless of where you are when this astronomical event occurs, it is bound to be one to remember, so sit back, enjoy the company of those around you and ride on into the light.

Photo 1 from Pixabay | Photo 3 from Baker County Tourism on Flickr.

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