When April 8 rolls around, there’s a large path across the United States that will go dark for a few minutes. A 115-mile swath of land ranging from Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean across 15 states will experience a total solar eclipse. If you’re planning on seeing it with your RV, well, you could be too late already. Campgrounds are booking up rapidly.
Total eclipse-related statistics
An article on forbes.com provides some interesting statistics that indicate the potential of how many people will try to camp out in the 15 eclipse states. Here’s a rundown:
- Searches for campgrounds in states within the path of totality are up by 97% year-on-year. This tidbit comes from online campsite booking hub Campspot. The site offers a special eclipse campground booking page. It also reports that actual bookings are up by 90%.
- Internet searches for the date April 8 for states in the path of totality have exploded like the sun rising in the morning. Texas up 340%. Arkansas up 280%. Illinois up 135%. Indiana up 130%. Missouri up 60%.
- Actual booking in “eclipse” states has gone to the moon. Reservations are up by more than 500% in Arkansas and Vermont. Oklahoma and Ohio have seen 300% increases. Texas, New York, and Missouri all show more than 100% increases in reservations.
What are the 15 “total eclipse” states?
Here’s the official routing from NASA. For the United States, Texas starts it all. Then, traveling “through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Small parts of Tennessee and Michigan will also experience the total solar eclipse.” For the rest of us, NASA states, “A partial eclipse will be visible throughout all 48 contiguous U.S. states.”
NASA is courteous enough to share its information on an international level. A NASA website says, “The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Cape Breton. The eclipse will exit continental North America on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada.”
Planning to get a look? Click here to visit NASA’s site with its official timetable. Unlike airport schedules, these times are NOT subject to delays!
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I have a reservation, and I am hoping to have my trailer sitting in a spot in northern Texas where I can either be under the total eclipse or at least near it.
04/08/2024 probably won’t be worth the hassle to many of the fully booked RV parks. Most of these reservations are likely for only 2-3 days (or less as the 8th is a Monday – and work day). They are blocking reservations by people who will travel for a longer period during the traditional start of the spring migrations. Parks will be full, and then, empty. Good chance RV parks, etc. will be lucky to break even after the expenses to build up capacity to handle the peak and then suddenly not need it.
You have no idea what you are talking about. Build up capacity for one day? Parks will handle it fine without any worries about “break even” .. come on…it’s one day and one possible weekend out of an entire year.. rv parks will do fine.
Thank you, Russ and Tina! Safe travels! 🙂
Russ/Tina. Thanks…wife and I just finished our reservations for April in Texas and found zero reservations available for Monday April 8th. Even Sunday’s before were available but no Mondays…so it appears some just want to experience the Eclipse from an RV park. Boondocking is our other option for Monday… hope the weather is good.
A very smart lady who manages our RV travel group reserved an entire RV park for our Spring Rally 4 years ago. Apparently, the total eclipse was not on anyone’s mind.
See you in Texas.
Eastern Canada maybe Open For Business!! USD goes Further. Our PM will have a Hand out Shaking your Hand & saying “Welcome”!!
You may even want to take him Home with you. Enjoy!!
My daughter lives in Midlothian Tx, only 20 miles west of the center line. Been planning this since the last one (August 2017), I was in Idaho.