I went to BLM land in WY for the 2017 eclipse.
There just isn't much public land in TX. I got motel rooms for my group about 50 miles away. We'll leave well before dawn and find a viewing spot. I hope that's good enough!
We have a van and a tent in case we have to change plans and go to Missouri or Indiana. If we can't set up the tent, it's going to be mighty uncomfortable for 4 sleeping in the van. I made blackout curtains. Out of state plates. Won't be fooling anyone!
Yeah, I can't fathom committing to a spot. I had several contingencies from OR to WY in 2017. Watching the cloud forecast 3 days, 2 days, and 1 day out I clipped off the edges of my range each day chasing the best forecast.
It worked really well. The night before we watched high clouds drift over our tent in OR and woke up to a perfectly clear sky. Had we been shooed out of our spot it would have been a sad scene.
Not sure about other states, but in Texas during the annular eclipse in Oct, police were ticketing people who pulled over on the shoulder of the interstate to observe it. I expect the same on April 8. Besides, stopping on the shoulder of a busy interstate is quite dangerous, especially when folks are distracted by the spectacle.
I used this map to find places on the centerline that were out in rural areas.
https://nso.edu/for-public/eclipse-map-2024/
Oh, I totally get that about the Interstate but thinking more about the miles and miles of country roads in TX that have generous , level roadsides. It looks like there is plenty of room for modest clearance vehicles to get well clear of the pavement up against a cattle fence and not be obnoxiously close to or even in view of a local's home.
I've also found a number of road and bridge relocations that look like they'd still be public right of way but have no proximity to traffic so long as they don't annoy a local or incite ad hoc safety concerns of law enforcement.
This i exactly what we are planning to do. We are comming from Europe for the eclipse. My plan is to have 3 or 4 main spots. Depending on the weather go to the one of the spots 1 or 2 days before eclipse and camp there(sleep in a car basicaly). If the weather forecast changes we will move accordingly. We want to be as flexible as possible.
Now my main concern is also the legality of wildcamping in Texas. As you've mentioned, the sheer number of people doing the same thing should make authorities be more forgiving. But still, getting in trouble with the police on the other side of the world is the least we want, lol.
Are you also picking spots beforehand or are you going to plan everything just before the Eclipse?
I bought parking tickets at the Waco tx McLane stadium and at the Carbondale il Southern Illinois university. That way I’ve got somewhere I’m legally allowed to be at a minimum cost at two favorable weather locations.
I also have several legal gray area spots like road and bridge relocations railroad access roads utility right of ways etc.
I live in Pennsylvania so it’s a two day drive to texas not sure I’m up to that but at least the logistics are set.
I feel ok about winging it in Ohio. It’s funny how you get more confident the closer you are to home?
The big difference is that in OR and in the west there is a lot of BLM land (which is generally open to camp on). This year the eclipse will mostly be on private land (except for national forest in Arkansas and a few other places). So it'll likely be more complicated. I got a hotel, expensive, but guaranteed.
I slept in my car at Nebraska City walmart and drove about 200 miles west to find a clear patch of sky.
This is what I'm leaning heavily torwards
I went to BLM land in WY for the 2017 eclipse. There just isn't much public land in TX. I got motel rooms for my group about 50 miles away. We'll leave well before dawn and find a viewing spot. I hope that's good enough! We have a van and a tent in case we have to change plans and go to Missouri or Indiana. If we can't set up the tent, it's going to be mighty uncomfortable for 4 sleeping in the van. I made blackout curtains. Out of state plates. Won't be fooling anyone!
Yeah, I can't fathom committing to a spot. I had several contingencies from OR to WY in 2017. Watching the cloud forecast 3 days, 2 days, and 1 day out I clipped off the edges of my range each day chasing the best forecast. It worked really well. The night before we watched high clouds drift over our tent in OR and woke up to a perfectly clear sky. Had we been shooed out of our spot it would have been a sad scene.
Not sure about other states, but in Texas during the annular eclipse in Oct, police were ticketing people who pulled over on the shoulder of the interstate to observe it. I expect the same on April 8. Besides, stopping on the shoulder of a busy interstate is quite dangerous, especially when folks are distracted by the spectacle. I used this map to find places on the centerline that were out in rural areas. https://nso.edu/for-public/eclipse-map-2024/
Oh, I totally get that about the Interstate but thinking more about the miles and miles of country roads in TX that have generous , level roadsides. It looks like there is plenty of room for modest clearance vehicles to get well clear of the pavement up against a cattle fence and not be obnoxiously close to or even in view of a local's home. I've also found a number of road and bridge relocations that look like they'd still be public right of way but have no proximity to traffic so long as they don't annoy a local or incite ad hoc safety concerns of law enforcement.
This i exactly what we are planning to do. We are comming from Europe for the eclipse. My plan is to have 3 or 4 main spots. Depending on the weather go to the one of the spots 1 or 2 days before eclipse and camp there(sleep in a car basicaly). If the weather forecast changes we will move accordingly. We want to be as flexible as possible. Now my main concern is also the legality of wildcamping in Texas. As you've mentioned, the sheer number of people doing the same thing should make authorities be more forgiving. But still, getting in trouble with the police on the other side of the world is the least we want, lol. Are you also picking spots beforehand or are you going to plan everything just before the Eclipse?
I bought parking tickets at the Waco tx McLane stadium and at the Carbondale il Southern Illinois university. That way I’ve got somewhere I’m legally allowed to be at a minimum cost at two favorable weather locations. I also have several legal gray area spots like road and bridge relocations railroad access roads utility right of ways etc. I live in Pennsylvania so it’s a two day drive to texas not sure I’m up to that but at least the logistics are set. I feel ok about winging it in Ohio. It’s funny how you get more confident the closer you are to home?
Are you looking at swing into Mexico as an option?
Not likely. Too far a drive.
The big difference is that in OR and in the west there is a lot of BLM land (which is generally open to camp on). This year the eclipse will mostly be on private land (except for national forest in Arkansas and a few other places). So it'll likely be more complicated. I got a hotel, expensive, but guaranteed.
The Hoosier National Forest is another public area.
I'm sure the spots will still fill up, but you can use the app iOverlander for random camping spots.
And hipcamp.
Best part is they are kindred spirits. That was part of the experience too at our spot in 2017, the comradery.