Have you considered camping for April 8’s total solar eclipse? Perhaps to be in the great outdoors when nature’s greatest site appears. Or maybe because you can’t get a hotel anywhere in the path of totality.
Either way, there’s a rush to go camping in April. According to the camping reservation platform Hipcamp, bookings within the path of totality are up 9,000% for the same week year-over-year. It’s projecting 30,000 to 40,000 booked nights outside in the U.S. during eclipse week in April.
Hotspots And Hidden Gems
With warmer weather and a higher chance of clear skies in early April, Texas is seeing the most significant surge in bookings, but some great spots remain, said Hipcamp. It recently published a blog post about the best campgrounds in the path of the eclipse that still have available campsites—and many of them are in Arkansas.
The “Natural State” is something of a “hidden gem” for anyone looking for a campsite for the eclipse. Arkansas still has high availability and, crucially, has historically similar cloud cover than Texas to the southwest.
Despite the Midwest being earlier in spring—arguably late winter—Hipcamp reports that many campsites in Missouri and Ohio are fast approaching 80% occupancy.
Cabins, yurts and RV sites across the path are booking up faster so far than tent sites, said Hipcamp.
Where To Book A Campsite For The Eclipse
Hipcamp’s Solar Eclipse Camping Guide 2024: 100 Best Campgrounds is worth checking out, as is its rival Campspot’s Where to Camp for the 2024 Solar Eclipse Path. Another good resource is National Eclipse’s Eclipse Lodging & Camping page.
Wherever you source a campsite from, be sure to check its exact location using this interactive Google Map. To see the total solar eclipse it must be anywhere within the path of totality—though you could also consider staying just outside the path and driving into it early on April 8.
Get To The Path
Hipcamp has thousands of campsites within the path of totality, a 115-mile-wide track through Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. Only from within it is it possible to experience a total solar eclipse as well as the partial phases. Everyone else in the U.S. will see only the partial phases.
“One of my biggest learnings from the total solar eclipse of 2017 is that the difference between 99% and totality is everything,” said Alyssa Ravasio, CEO and founder of Hipcamp, in an email. “It’s absolutely worth it to get on that path of totality—it’s a magical moment, and it’s the only chance a human has of truly understanding the scale and shape of our solar system with your eyes.”
Arrive Early, Stay Late
Travelers get there early—at least by a day or two—to get settled in and ready for the big moment. “After this April’s total solar eclipse, there won’t be another one in the contiguous U.S. until 2044, so this is a huge deal for a lot of people,” said Ravasio in an email.
The U.S. states partly crossed by the path of totality comprise Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee (northwest corner), Michigan (southeast corner), Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.