RV Guide To The 2017 Solar Eclipse

Above, The Beast at the West Entrance/Yellowstone KOA. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The general public is starting to catch on about the 2017 solar eclipse that will take place on August 21.

Many people who have an RV or plan to tent camp in the eclipse's path are already booking up campsites in the vicinity to view it.

The astronomy magazine, Sky & Telescope, has posted a "RV Guide To The 2017 Solar Eclipse". The guide tells what campgrounds that will be in the path of totality. I used to be a regular reader of Sky & Telescope when I took an astronomy class at California State University, Long Beach.

I lucked out when I found a campground in the vicinity that still had vacancies and immediately made my reservations. That was with the third campground I checked. The first two were already booked solid.

Sky & Telescope begins with:

Monday, August 21, 2017 is a day that’s probably already on the calendar of every amateur astronomer. It’s the day the Moon will completely eclipse the Sun, its shadow crossing the continental U.S. for the first time since 1979. The path of totality arcs across 14 U.S. states, and hotel spaces are already filling up. Taking an RV can provide a good alternative. 

If you’re planning on RVing your way to totality, be aware — you’ll need to do some planning well in advance! Eclipse chasers from all over the world will be arriving on the eclipse path in the days and weeks before and after the main event. So book plane tickets and rent RVs and campsites well in advance. Follow this RV guide to the 2017 total solar eclipse to plan for the big event.

I was considering a visit to Yellowstone National Park while I am up there, but with neighboring Grand Teton National Park being in the path of the total eclipse, it may not be a good idea as both parks will be packed with people. We'll see.

To read the guide, go here.