Best places to see the eclipse in Wyoming

Jamie Carter July 20, 2017July 19, 2017 Wyoming

The entire Equality State will go under the Moon’s shadow for 15 minutes from 11:34 am MDT on August 21, 2017

As the moon shadow sweeps into Wyoming from Idaho, by a twist of fate, Yellowstone National Park just misses out on a Total Solar Eclipse – a 99% partial eclipse is the booby prize for anyone up that far north – but the Grand Tetons National Park just to the south gets lucky. Very lucky. However, the area around Jackson Hole will be incredibly busy, and there is a chance that you’ll be stuck there if it’s cloudy, with roads choked by traffic. So perhaps a better tactic is to head east down the mountains and onto the plains; Riverton, Casper and beyond all have plenty of open space, and plenty of road if you need to chase clear skies in the hours before Totality.

Here’s a great map of the Path of Totality in Wyoming.

Totality can be glimpsed in Wyoming at 11:34 am MDT on August 21, 2017 in the far west of the state, with the moon shadow leaving Wyoming for Nebraska at 11:49 pm MDT.

Three places to see the eclipse in Wyoming:

1 – Eclipse 2017 at the Jim Moss Arena, Riverton

This event at the Jim Moss Arena will stage a ‘Chasin’ The Eclipse’ barrel race the day before August 21, which will bring a whopping 2 minutes 24 seconds of Totality. The JMA will also be hosting RVs and camping on its vast site from $25 per night. RV spaces with electricity and water are limited, but space for dry camping is unlimited. Email: paulette@thewrangler.com Phone: (307) 851 9854.

2 – Jackson Hole, Grand Tetons National Park & Yellowstone National Park

At the southern end of the mighty Grand Tetons National Park, anywhere in the Jackson Hole Valley will be a fantastic place to see the eclipse. The campgrounds around Jackson are a good place to base yourself, with Jenny Lake a particular favourite. After the big event, drive Highway 191 north to Yellowstone for great views. That volcanic area has canyons, rivers, forests and hot springs, with top tourist hot-spot the Old Faithful geyser. But the camping anywhere is bliss (if you stay ‘bear aware‘!). However, traffic here will be bad, and there’s a possibility of cloud.

3 – Glendo State Park

Just two hours drive north from Denver on good road, Glendo State Park surrounds Glendo Reservoir on the North Platte River near Glendo, Wyoming. Go for a stroll into the countryside or take a boat out. As a bonus, if there is local cloud then you’ve got a vast stretch of Highway 25 that runs almost parallel with the Path of Totality between Glendo, Casper and Riverton. The only drawback is that most last-minute eclipse-chasers from Colorado will head for Glendo; it could get VERY busy.

Photo credit: Eclipse 2017 at the Jim Moss Arena, Riverton, Wyoming