RV Guide to 2017 Solar Eclipse; Missouri State Parks offers early camping reservations

Credit: Sky & Telescope

RV Guide to Solar Eclipse

Here's some great information by Joe Laing, marketing director at El Monte RV, titled RV Guide to the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse, an article he wrote for Sky & Telescope.

On Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, there will be a total eclipse of the sun by the moon and it will be visible by a large swatch of the United States.

"If you’re planning on RVing your way to totality, be aware," Laing writes. "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."

He then goes on to offer up some "Best Campgrounds for Total Solar Eclipse Viewing" on a regional basis, beginning with Oregon, then heading east to include Idaho/Wyoming, then Nebraska/Kansas/Missouri/Illinois, then Kentucky and Tennessee, and finishing with Georgia, North and South Carolina.

I encourage you to check out his article to get the campgrounds he suggests.

Missouri State Parks offers early camping reservations for solar eclipse

Aug, 21, 2017, a solar eclipse will be viewable throughout Missouri. In response to public interest, Missouri State Parks is allowing visitors to make plans to observe this major astronomical event in a state park. From Nov. 4-Nov. 25, guests will be able to make camping reservations for the weekend of the eclipse.

Camping reservations are typically available six months before the first night of a stay. This special reservation window will allow guests to begin planning their visits now. 

Of the 42 state parks and historic sites that will be within the path of the total eclipse, 19 parks offer camping. These parks are Big Lake State Park, Lewis and Clark State Park, Weston Bend State Park, Watkins Mill State Park and State Historic Site, Wallace State Park, Knob Noster State Park, Van Meter State Park, Finger Lakes State Park, Arrow Rock State Historic Site, Graham Cave State Park, Robertsville State Park, Meramec State Park, Onondaga State Park, St. Joe State Park, Hawn State Park, St. Francois State Park, Washington State Park, Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial, and Trail of Tears State Park. Reservations for this event require a three-night stay from Aug. 18 through Aug. 21.

To make reservations, visit mostateparks.com or call 877-ICampMo (877-422-6766) 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. CT, seven days a week.