Oh! Yeah, I'm staying west. Totality won't last quite as long here (about 124 seconds), but it's a lot more convenient. I hope you have good luck in Kentessee!
What are the rules for setting up a tent in the US, where is it allowed? The totality zone is big, and to be stuck in a commercial camp site is a bit of a gamble.
The tent reservation in Solar City @$75, that's per tent, right? And I wasn't quite able to figure out how parking works if you spent a few nights in tents.
Land in the US is managed by a wide variety of national, state, and local governments, there's also Indian Reservations and privately owned land as well. Federally owned land is controlled by several different agencies (Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, there's many others but those are common). Within those agencies different areas are managed differently, with different rules. And yes, if you are camping somewhere you shouldn't, somebody will care.
This all can seem very confusing to a new visitor. But here's the general rules for the western US:
Park Service Land- in National Parks you almost always need a permit to camp outside the official campground, the rules vary for National Monuments, but you often need a permit there also.
Forest Service and BLM Land - the general rule is that you can camp anywhere you want unless it is posted otherwise. In very popular areas you may be limited to official campgrounds or campsites.
State Lands, Indian Reservations - generally, you can only camp in official campgrounds but rules definitely vary on state lands and in State parks. You're not technically allowed to camp anywhere except designated campsites on Indian Reservations, but on some vast reservations like the Navajo you might be allowed to slide on that so long as you don't disturb anyone, but don't count on that - you might be told to pack up and get out at any time.
Camping on private land is definitely no-no, unless you are invited or get permission first.
So how do you know what kind of land you're on? Or how to find areas you can camp legally? Well, its almost always posted when you turn off the highway. More importantly, its pretty easy to find detailed maps that show back roads and land management areas. The one I like is the DeLorme Atlas and Gazetter, but there are several brands. These are absolutely indispensible for camping road-trips. If you're going to be spending a lot of time in one area, the land management agencies publish really detailed maps also.
Before I go on a camping trip somewhere new, I always look at some basic maps ahead of time, figure out which agencies manage the land in the area, look up the area on the official government websites and get familiar with what my options will be. If I'll be doing a lot of camping and back-road driving I might try to track down more detailed maps.
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The tent reservation in Solar City @$75, that's per tent, right? And I wasn't quite able to figure out how parking works if you spent a few nights in tents.
I'm reading the FAQ, and for Solar City (the area set up in the farmlands north of town) that charge is per space, which is 20x20 feet (6x6 meter). You can have everything you want (besides obvious contraband or fires) including your vehicle in that space, provided they fit. I'm assuming this means you can also have multiple tents there.
There is also a parking area available if you aren't camping out. But either way I would be concerned about mobility on eclipse day. If everyone decides to chase good weather that morning, I expect a traffic nightmare. There aren't any good roads west (there lie mountains), and the main route east is two-lane highway 26 with small towns and few services. So if you go with Madras, hope to have good lead time to move if necessary, or else stick with the gamble of the climate statistics.
The next best place along the track is probably around Idaho Falls. It is a river valley with similar climate, but with the perk of having a larger area of open farmland with a road grid for mobility and spreading out. It might be less crazy traffic-wise than Madras.
East of that is more mountains until you get to Wyoming. Between the towns of Riverton and Capser is excellent. Not quite as good weather as farther west, but still very good. And, being further from the populated coast should help reduce road traffic, I would guess. And highway 20 basically parallels the center line for 160km.
Farther east still you get into the plains. This is good for wide open space with mobility and low traffic, but at the expense of higher risk for clouds. The risk of clouds continues to increase east from there, peaking in the Blue Ridge mountains.
Thanks. If they're saying that the space can be used for a car, I'm assuming that it will also be possible to navigate the car back to the road without running over neighbouring spaces, though I'm a bit confused how they plan this.
Yeah, that's a good question. On the ticketfly page they say Camping spots are sold ONLY as a 5 day block reguardless of whether you stay for 1 day or the entire 5 days. Which implies you must be able to arrive or drive off at any time. It's an open field so they must have room for paths for vehicles to drive between camp sites. Buuut... I still wouldn't want to bank on this assumption. Maybe try shooting them an email and ask how they're setting that up.
Another good question is, if it turns out you can't drive off from the campsite at any time, then can you do so from the early arrival parking area they're setting up nearby.
Just realized something. From the fields north of Madras, several Cascade volcanoes are visible: Hood, Jefferson, and the Three Sisters.
Mt. Jefferson (3200m) is about 50km to the west, and is very close to the eclipse centerline. Totality reaches this mountain 54 seconds before it reaches Madras, so this should provide a good visual cue of the approaching shadow (and its speed -- almost a kilometer per second!)
Mt. Hood (3425m) is about 90km NNW of Madras, and 20km north of the northern limit of totality. Similarly, the Sisters are just south of the southern limit. So not only will it be possible to see the surrounding "twilight" of the sky which is outside the umbral shadow, but parts of the landscape which are outside of totality as well. If someone takes a fish-eye time-lapse there, it would surely be interesting.
I imagine some climbers might try summiting Mt. Jefferson that morning too. Or at least I hope so. The view would be spectacular.
That's great. It occurred to me that they are probably required by law to set it up that way, since if someone had a medical emergency or something then it'd be a big problem if you couldn't drive out easily.
It occurred to me that they are probably required by law to set it up that way, since if someone had a medical emergency or something then it'd be a big problem if you couldn't drive out easily.
I hope it's allowed in the US to pitch a tent even where an ambulance can't reach you.
I mean for the camping area they're prepping in that field. Of course in general you're allowed to camp in some insanely remote or hard to reach areas, like on the side of a mountain.
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